D. M. Marshman, Jr.

Donald McGill Marshman Jr. (December 21, 1922 – September 17, 2015) credited as D. M. Marshman, was an American screenwriter known mainly for his contribution to the film script for '' Sunset Boulevard''.

Background

Marshman was the son of Donald McGill and Maud Louise (McMurray) Marshman.

He was educated at Andover and Yale, receiving his B.A. in 1945. Originally hired as an editorial researcher at '' Life'' magazine, he eventually became the magazine's movie editor before moving to '' Time'' magazine, where he was the film critic.

Career

In 1946, Marshman collaborated with T. O. Cole on ''Poets Corner'', a comedy in three acts. In 1948, Marshman was recruited by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder to help write the screenplay of ''Sunset Boulevard''. He suggested that a gigolo be introduced to the story as a romantic interest for the heroine. Characteristics of the main character can be attributed to Marshman, such as name similarity, personality, and identical birthday. He shared a screenwriting credit with Wilder and Brackett. The trio won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Marshman has two other films to his credit, the 1953 productions '' Taxi'' (screenplay) and '' Second Chance'' (story).D.M. Marshman Jr., Forgotten Screenwriter on 'Sunset Blvd.,' Dies at 92
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He chose to return to the East Coast in 1953, where he pursued a career in advertising for Young & Rubicam and other agencies, including one he started himself. From 1974 to 1979, he conducted a fund-raising campaign for Yale University, and spent later years as a freelance consultant, writing speeches for corporate CEOs, and doing other business writing.

References

External links

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American male screenwriters
Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners
2015 deaths
1922 births
Writers from Cleveland
Phillips Academy alumni
Yale University alumni
Life (magazine) people
Time (magazine) people
Screenwriters from Ohio
Western Reserve Academy alumni

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