Clarence Greene (August 10, 1913 – June 17, 1995) was an American

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

who is noted for the "offbeat creativity and originality of his screenplays and for

films noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

and television episodes produced in the 1950s.

Career

Starting with the 1944 film ''

The Town Went Wild ''The Town Went Wild'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Freddie Bartholomew and Edward Everett Horton Plot Like Romeo and Juliet, next door neighbours David Conway and Carol Harrison are deeply in love wit ...

'', Greene co-wrote many stories and scripts with

Russell Rouse Russell Rouse (November 20, 1913 – October 2, 1987) was an American screenwriter, director, and producer who is noted for the "offbeat creativity and originality" of his screenplays and for film noir movies and television episodes produced ...

. The partners are noted for their work on a series of six film noirs, starting with ''

D.O.A. DOA may refer to: * Dead on arrival * Dead or Alive (disambiguation) Film * ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir'' * ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film * '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...

'' (directed by

Rudolph Maté Rudolph Maté (born Rudolf Mayer; 21 January 1898 – 27 October 1964) was a Polish-Hungarian-American cinematographer, film director and film producer who worked as cameraman and cinematographer in Hungary, Austria, Germany, France and the Unite ...

-1949). With ''

The Well The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, normally shortened to The WELL, was launched in 1985. It is one of the oldest continuously operating virtual communities. By 1993 it had 7,000 members, a staff of 12, and gross annual income of $2 million. ...

'' (1951), they took on directing and producing: Rouse as director and Greene as producer. This collaboration continued with '' The Thief'' (1952), '' Wicked Woman'' (1953), '' New York Confidential'' (1955), and '' House of Numbers'' (1957). In the late 1950s, Greene and Rouse formed Greene-Rouse Productions, which created the television series ''

Tightrope Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

'' that ran for one season (1959–1960) as well as two films in the 1960s. In addition to their noir work, Rouse and Greene produced two westerns: ''

The Fastest Gun Alive ''The Fastest Gun Alive'' is a 1956 MGM Western film starring Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, and Broderick Crawford directed by Russell Rouse. Plot Son of a notorious fast-drawing sheriff, George Kelby Jr. (Ford) and his wife Dora (Jeanne Crain) s ...

'' (1956) and ''

Thunder in the Sun ''Thunder in the Sun'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Russell Rouse and starring Susan Hayward and Jeff Chandler. Plot The film shows a family of French Basque immigrants pioneering into the Wild West while carrying their ancestr ...

'' (1959). The 1959 film ''

Pillow Talk Pillow talk is the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners, sometimes after sexual activity, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, kissing, and other physical intimacy. It is associated with honesty, sex ...

'' was based on their story. Their careers drew to a close shortly after the unsuccessful film ''

The Oscar The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

'' (1966). Rouse and Greene were nominated for the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for writing ''The Well'' (1951). They received the Academy Award for ''

'' (1959) (with

Maurice Richlin Maurice Richlin (February 23, 1920 – November 13, 1990) was an American screenwriter. He received two Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nominations for ''Pillow Talk'' and ''Operation Petticoat'' in the same year. For the first of ...

and

Stanley Shapiro Stanley Shapiro (July 16, 1925 – July 21, 1990) was an American screenwriter and producer responsible for three of Doris Day's most successful films. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Shapiro earned his first screen credit for ''South Sea Woman' ...

). ''D.O.A.'' has been preserved 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 ...

. That film has been remade several times, and they were credited as writers on two of them: the Australian remake ''

Color Me Dead ''Color Me Dead'' is a 1969 Australian thriller directed by Eddie Davis, starring American actors Tom Tryon, Carolyn Jones and Rick Jason. It is a remake of the 1950 film ''D.O.A.''. Due to the failure on renewing copyright of ''D.O.A.'', the c ...

'' from 1969 and the '' D.O.A'' remake of 1988.

References

External links

* 1913 births 1995 deaths Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners American film producers American male screenwriters 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-screen-writer-stub