Michael Wilson (July 1, 1914 – April 9, 1978) was an American screenwriter.

Life and career

Early life

Wilson was born and raised

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

McAlester, Oklahoma McAlester is the county seat of Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. The population was 18,363 at the time of the 2010 census, a 3.4 percent increase from 17,783 at the 2000 census,Shuller, Thurman"McAlester" profile ''Encyclop ...

. He graduated from

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...

with a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1936 and did post-graduate fellowship work between 1937 and 1939. He taught English and began his writing career with

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

for magazines. Then, starting in 1941, he wrote or co-wrote 22 screenplays.

Early Screenplays

Wilson was credited on '' The Men in Her Life '' (1941) with

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the fil ...

. He did some William Boyd westerns, ''

Border Patrol A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties. Name and uniform In dif ...

'' (1943), ''

Colt Comrades ''Colt Comrades'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Michael Wilson. The film stars William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jay Kirby, Teddi Sherman, Victor Jory, George Reeves and Douglas Fowley. The film was rel ...

'' (1943), ''

Bar 20 ''Bar 20'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Morton Grant, Michael Wilson and Norman Houston. The film stars William Boyd, Andy Clyde, George Reeves, Dustine Farnum, Victor Jory, Douglas Fowley, Bett ...

'' (1943), and ''

Forty Thieves Forty Thieves or 40 Thieves may refer to: * the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Groups of people * the Forty Thieves (New York gang), an 18th-century New York street gang *The Forty Thieves (New York City Common Council 1852–1853) * the ...

'' (1944). Wilson's career in Hollywood was interrupted by service with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Return from World War Two

In 1945 he became a contract writer with

Liberty Films Liberty Films was an independent motion picture production company founded in California by Frank Capra and Samuel J. Briskin in April 1945. It produced only two films, the Christmas classic ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946), originally released b ...

, working (uncredited) on such pictures as ''

It's a Wonderful Life ''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas by medium#Films, Christmas Fantasy film, fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern se ...

'' (1946). He was a co-winner of the

Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musica ...

for '' A Place in the Sun'' (1951), and won an

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

and another Oscar nomination for his script for ''

5 Fingers ''5 Fingers'', known also as ''Five Fingers'', is a 1952 American spy film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Otto Lang. The screenplay written by Michael Wilson was based on the 1950 book ''Operation Cicero'' (original German: '' ...

'' (1953).

Blacklisting

Wilson was named an unfriendly witness by the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

and blacklisted for being a communist. After he was blacklisted, he left for France and worked on scripts for the European film industry. While blacklisted, Wilson wrote the script for '' Salt of the Earth'' (1954), a fictionalized account of a real strike by zinc miners in

Grant County, New Mexico Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. At the 2020 census, the population was 28,185. Its county seat is Silver City. The county was founded in 1868 and named for Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United Sta ...

. The movie was directed by

Herbert Biberman Herbert J. Biberman (March 4, 1900 – June 30, 1971) was an American screenwriter and film director. He was one of the Hollywood Ten and directed ''Salt of the Earth (1954 film), Salt of the Earth'' (1954), a film barely released in the United S ...

and produced by

Paul Jarrico Paul Jarrico (January 12, 1915 – October 28, 1997) was an American screenwriter and film producer who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses during the era of McCarthyism. Biography Early years Paul Jarrico was born in Los ...

both of whom had also been blacklisted. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

and selected for preservation in the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...

. He wrote or collaborated on scripts for Hollywood films without credit or under a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

for much less than his usual fee before being blacklisted, including ''

Carnival Story ''Carnival Story'' is a 1954 drama film directed by Kurt Neumann, produced by Frank King and Maurice King, starring Anne Baxter and Steve Cochran, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It was made as a co-production between West Germany and th ...

'' (1954) (for King Brothers Productions who often used blacklisted writers); ''

They Were So Young ''They Were So Young'' (german: link=no, Mannequins für Rio) is a 1954 German-American drama film directed by Kurt Neumann (director), Kurt Neumann and written by Felix Lützkendorf, Kurt Neumann and the Hollywood blacklist, blacklisted screenwr ...

'' (1954); ''

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell ''The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell'' is a 1955 American CinemaScope war film directed by Otto Preminger, and starring Gary Cooper and co-starring Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger, and Elizabeth Montgomery in her film debut. The fil ...

'' (1955), for

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...

; '' Friendly Persuasion'' (1956), for

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of O ...

; ''

The Bridge on the River Kwai ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the 1952 novel written by Pierre Boulle. Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943, the pl ...

'' (1957), for

Sam Spiegel Samuel P. Spiegel (November 11, 1901December 31, 1985) was an American independent film producer born in the Galician area of Austria-Hungary. Financially responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed motion pictures of the 20th centur ...

and

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

; ''

The Two-Headed Spy ''The Two-Headed Spy'' is a 1958 British spy thriller film directed by Andre DeToth and starring Jack Hawkins, Gia Scala, Erik Schumann and Alexander Knox. The film, which has elements of film noir and is set in the Second World War, was based o ...

'' (1958); ''

Tempest Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), a ...

'' (1958) and ''

5 Branded Women ''Five Branded Women'' is a 1960 Italian-American film directed by Martin Ritt (his only war film) and produced by Dino De Laurentiis. It features an international cast including Silvana Mangano, Barbara Bel Geddes, Jeanne Moreau and Vera Miles. ...

'' (1960) for

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...

; and ''

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

'' (1962) for Spiegel and Lean again. His screenplay for ''Friendly Persuasion'' was nominated for an Academy Award, but was disqualified because his name did not appear in the credits. Director

wanted his brother, Robert Wyler, and Jessamyn West credited for rewriting the script, but Wilson disputed this. Wyler then was able under the rules of the blacklist to have one of the few films in history credited to no writer at all. Wilson and

Carl Foreman Carl Foreman, CBE (July 23, 1914 – June 26, 1984) was an American screenwriter and film producer who wrote the award-winning films ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' and '' High Noon'', among others. He was one of the screenwriters who were bla ...

worked separately on ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'', but as both were blacklisted, the official credit went to

Pierre Boulle Pierre François Marie Louis Boulle (20 February 1912 – 30 January 1994) was a French novelist best known for two works, ''The Bridge over the River Kwai'' (1952) and ''Planet of the Apes (novel), Planet of the Apes'' (1963), that were both mad ...

, upon whose novel the movie was based, even though Boulle did not even speak English. Wilson remained in France with his family for nine years, before returning to live in

Ojai, California Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...

in the United States in 1964.

Return to Hollywood

Wilson continued to write screenplays, including for ''

The Sandpiper ''The Sandpiper'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Plot Laura Reynolds is a free-spirited, unwed single mother living with her young son Danny in an isolated beach house ...

'' (1965), ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' (1968), and '' Che!'' (1969). His screenplay for ''Planet of the Apes'' was based on a novel by Pierre Boulle; only Boulle received screen credit. Michael Wilson was awarded

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...

's Laurel Award in 1975 and was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

awarded his second Academy Award in 1984 for ''The Bridge on the River Kwai''. In 1995, Wilson was credited by the academy's board of directors with an Academy Award nomination as a co-writer of ''Lawrence of Arabia'' and credited as the winner of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best British Dramatic Screenplay. Wilson also completed an unproduced screenplay on December 16, 1976, ''The Raid On Harper's Ferry'', which was an adaptation of Truman J. Nelson's book ''The Old Man: John Brown at Harper's Ferry'' (1973). He also apparently wrote unproduced scripts for a movie about the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...

titled ''The Wobblies'' and a movie about the infiltration of the Black Liberation Movement titled ''Quiet Darkness''.

Personal life

Michael Wilson married Zelma Gussin in 1941; the couple had two daughters."Here and There," ''Berkeley Daily Gazette'' (June 23, 1941): 3, social page mentions the couple's recent wedding. Zelma's sister, Sylvia, was married to another blacklisted screenwriter,

. Michael Wilson died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in 1978 in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Filmography

*'' The Men in Her Life'' (1941) *''

'' (1943) *''

'' (1944) *''

'' (1946) (uncredited) *'' A Place in the Sun'' (1951) *''

'' (1952) *'' Salt of the Earth'' (1954) *''

'' (1954) (uncredited) *''

'' (1955) (uncredited) *'' Friendly Persuasion'' (1956) (originally uncredited) *''

'' (1957) (originally uncredited) *''

'' (1958) (originally as James O'Donnell) *''

La Tempesta ''The Tempest'' (Italian ''La Tempesta'') is a Renaissance painting by the Italian master Giorgione dated between 1506 and 1508. Originally commissioned by the Venetian noble Gabriele Vendramin, the painting is now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia ...

'' (1958) (uncredited) *''

'' (1960) (originally uncredited) *''

'' (1962) (originally uncredited) *''

'' (1965) *''

'' (1968) *'' Che!'' (1969)

References

Bibliography

*Merck, Mandy (2007)
''Hollywood’s American Tragedies: Dreiser, Eisenstein, Sternberg, Stevens.''
Oxford: Berg Publishers. .

External links

*
Finding Aid for the Michael Wilson Papers, 1942-1977The Online Archive of California"'Under the table': Michael Wilson and the Screenplay for The Bridge on the River Kwai: for audiences, a screen masterpiece. For its blacklisted screenwriter, a saga of futility and bitterness, in epic proportions."
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Michael 1914 births 1978 deaths People from McAlester, Oklahoma American male screenwriters United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Hollywood blacklist Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Edgar Award winners UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni United States Marines Screenwriters from Oklahoma 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters