Earl Felton (1909–1972) was an American screenwriter. He was a regular collaborator with Richard Fleischer, who later wrote that "Earl was crippled from childhood with polio. He had no use of his legs, but he navigated beautifully with a crutch and cane... Earl normally hated anybody elping.. him and would sometimes lay about him with his cane." Fleischer added that "in spite of his lifeless legs and total reliance of a crutch and cane to get around, Felton was much given to self-indulgences and debaucheries."

Career

He sold the story ''

Freshman Love ''Freshman Love'' is a 1936 sound film based on George Ade's oft filmed 1904 play '' The College Widow'', adaptations of which were filmed twice previously, in 1915 and 1927, and parodied by the Marx Brothers in their 1932 film '' Horse Feathers ...

'' to Warner Bros B movie unit. He also sold the story ''Man Hunt''. His story ''The Wizard of St Germaine'' was sold but not made. His story ''The Bengal Killer'' was filmed as ''The Bengal Tiger''. In August 1937 he was reported working on a script ''Half Way House'' for MGM. ''World Premiere'' (1941) was based on an original scenario by Felton. In 1942 he wrote ''

Heart of the Golden West '' Heart of the Golden West '' is a 1942 American Western film starring Roy Rogers. Plot Roy helps the ranchers of Cherokee City when Ross Lambert (McDonald) doubles the rates to ship their cattle to market. Roy contacts the owner of a steamboa ...

'' for

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

. In 1944 he sold ''A Likely Story'' to MGM. He wrote ''Pardon My Past'' for Fred MacMurray. In 1947 he sold a novelette of his, ''Another Dawn'', to Republic. It became '' Drums Along the Amazon''. He sold ''The Odyssey of Eddie Arcaro'' to MGM as a vehicle for Robert Taylor. He wrote the original story for ''

The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend ''The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend'' is a 1949 romantic comedy Western film starring Betty Grable and featuring Cesar Romero and Rudy Vallee. It was directed by Preston Sturges and written by him based on a story by Earl Felton. The film ...

''.

Richard Fleischer

Felton began working with Richard Fleischer on '' Trapped''. They went on to collaborate on ''Armored Car Robbery'', '' His Kind of Woman'', and ''Target'' which became ''The Narrow Margin''. He sold an original to Columbia, ''Feather in the Breeze''. Fleischer took Felton with him when they left RKO to work on ''

The Happy Time ''The Happy Time'' is a 1952 American comedy-drama film directed by the award-winning director Richard Fleischer, based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Robert Fontaine, which Samuel A. Taylor turned into a hit play. A boy, played by Bobb ...

''. After ''The Happy Time'' he was to write and produce ''The Right Size of Me'' for Fleischer about the Doss family but it was not made. They were also meant to make ''Full of Life'' for Stanley Kramer but it was never filmed. They did collaborate on ''

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-J ...

'' (1954) for Disney and ''Bandido'' for

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

. He wrote ''The Catwalk'' for MGM, ''Line of Fire'' for John Champion, ''The Lawless Decade'' for

David L. Wolper David Lloyd Wolper (January 11, 1928 – August 10, 2010) was an American television and film producer, responsible for shows such as ''Roots'', '' The Thorn Birds'', and ''North and South'', and the theatrically-released films ''L.A. Confiden ...

and ''The Proving Flight'' for Fleischer. Kramer used him on ''The Pride and the Passion'' (1957). The producer got him to do a draft of '' Inherit the Wind''. In 1960 Fleischer was going to direct a musical script by Felton, ''Willing is My Love'' starring

Joni James Giovanna Carmella Babbo (September 22, 1930 – February 20, 2022), known professionally as Joni James, was an American singer of traditional pop music. Biography Giovanna Carmella Babbo was born to an Italian-American family in Chicago, Illino ...

. He did another for Fleischer, ''One Minute to Midnight''. He wrote a film about LSD, ''East of the Moon''. He wrote ''We Sing Tomorrow'' for

Mort Sahl Morton Lyon Sahl (May 11, 1927 – October 26, 2021) was a Canadian-born American comedian, actor, and social satirist, considered the first modern comedian. Sahl pioneered a style of social satire that pokes fun at political and current event t ...

. None of these films were made. In the mid 1960s he produced ''

The Man from UNCLE ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a sec ...

''. In 1969 he wrote ''Brutes in Brass'' for GMF but it was not made.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1936) – screenplay *'' Man Hunt'' (1936) – story * ''

Bengal Tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...

'' (1936) – story and screenplay * ''

The Captain's Kid ''The Captain's Kid'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Nick Grinde and written by Tom Reed. The film stars May Robson, Sybil Jason, Guy Kibbee, Jane Bryan, Fred Lawrence and Dick Purcell. The film was released by Warner Bros. on Novemb ...

'' (1936) – story *''

Bad Guy A bad guy or villain is a type of character in fiction and other narratives. Bad Guy or Bad Guys or ''variation'', may also refer to: Film * ''Bad Guy'' (1937 film), a film starring Virginia Grey * ''Bad Guys'', a 1986 film starring Adam Bal ...

'' (1937) – screenplay * ''

Prison Nurse ''Prison Nurse'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by James Cruze and written by Earl Felton and Sidney Salkow. It is based on the 1934 novel ''Prison Nurse'' by Louis Berg. The film stars Henry Wilcoxon, Marian Marsh, Bernadene Hayes, Ben ...

'' (1938) – screenplay * '' The Night Hawk'' (1938) – screenplay * ''

Orphans of the Street ''Orphans of the Street'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by John H. Auer and written by Eric Taylor, Jack Townley and Olive Cooper. The film stars Tommy Ryan, Robert Livingston, June Storey, Ralph Morgan, Harry Davenport and James Bur ...

'' (1938) – story * ''

Society Smugglers ''Society Smugglers'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by Joe May and starring Preston Foster, Irene Hervey and Walter Woolf King.Monaco p.364 It was made and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film sets were designed by the art direct ...

'' (1939) – screenplay *'' Smuggled Cargo'' (1939) – additional dialogue *''

Calling All Marines ''Calling All Marines'' is a 1939 American action film directed by John H. Auer and written by Earl Felton. The film stars Don "Red" Barry, Helen Mack, Warren Hymer, Robert Kent, Cy Kendall and Leon Ames. The film was released on September 20, ...

'' (1939) – screenplay *''

The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date ''The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date'' (1941) is the sixth Lone Wolf film produced by Columbia Pictures. It features Warren William, in his fourth appearance as the title character Lone Wolf, and Edward Gargan, Lester Matthews and Don Beddoe as the film ...

'' (1940) – story, screenplay *''

The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance ''The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance'' is a 1941 American mystery film directed by Sidney Salkow, which stars Warren William, June Storey, and Henry Wilcoxon. Salkow also wrote the original screenplay, along with Earl Felton, and the film was released ...

'' – story, screenplay * ''

World Premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its firs ...

'' (1941) – story, screenplay * ''

The Pittsburgh Kid ''The Pittsburgh Kid'' is a 1941 American sports film directed by Jack Townley and starring Billy Conn, Jean Parker and Dick Purcell.Ritchie p.231 The film's sets were designed by the art director John Victor Mackay. Plot About to fight his bigg ...

'' (1941) – screenplay *''

Sierra Sue ''Sierra Sue'' is a 1941 American Western (genre), Western film directed by William Morgan (director), William Morgan and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Fay McKenzie. Written by Earl Felton and Julian Zimet, the film is about a govern ...

'' (1942) – screenplay * '' Sunset Serenade'' (1942) – screenplay *''

'' (1942) – screenplay *''

My Best Gal ''My Best Gal'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Anthony Mann and written by Olive Cooper and Earl Felton. The film stars Jane Withers, Jimmy Lydon, Frank Craven, Fortunio Bonanova, George Cleveland and Franklin Pangborn. The film wa ...

'' (1944) – screenplay * ''

Pardon My Past ''Pardon My Past'' is a 1945 comedy film about a penniless veteran who gets mistaken for a millionaire by the latter's family and an unpaid Bookmaker, bookie. Plot Eddie York and Chuck Gibson are two ex-soldiers leaving the service to become mi ...

'' (1945) – screenplay *'' Criminal Court' (1946) – story * '' Drums Along the Amazon'' (1948) – story *''

'' (1949) – story, screenplay *'' Trapped'' (1949) – story * '' Armoured Car Robbery'' (1950) – screenplay * '' His Kind of Woman'' (1951) – uncredited contribution to script * '' The Las Vegas Story'' (1952) – screenplay * ''

The Narrow Margin ''The Narrow Margin'' is a 1952 American film noir starring Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor. Directed by Richard Fleischer, the RKO picture was written by Earl Felton, based on an unpublished story written by Martin Goldsmith and Jack Le ...

'' (1952) – screenplay *''

'' (1952) – screenplay, associate producer – nominated Best Comedy 1953 Screen Writers Guild *''

'' (1954) – screenplay *'' The Marauders'' (1955) – screenplay *'' The Rawhide Years'' (1956) – screenplay *'' Bandido!'' (1956) – story, screenplay *''

The Pride and the Passion ''The Pride and the Passion'' is a 1957 Napoleonic-era war film in Technicolor and VistaVision from United Artists, produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, and starring Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren. The film co-stars Theodore Bikel ...

'' (1958) – uncredited contribution to script *''

Killers of Kilimanjaro ''Killers of Kilimanjaro'' is a 1959 British CinemaScope adventure film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor, Anthony Newley, Anne Aubrey and Donald Pleasence for Warwick Films. The film was originally known as ''Adamson of A ...

'' (1959) – screenplay *''

The Felony Squad ''The Felony Squad'' is a half-hour television crime drama originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 12, 1966, to January 31, 1969, a span encompassing seventy-three episodes. Overview The program starred Howard Duff (as Sergeant Sa ...

'' (1967) – "No Sad Songs for Charlie"

References

Bibliography

* Shelley, Peter. ''Frances Farmer: The Life and Films of a Troubled Star''. McFarland, 2010.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Felton, Earl 1909 births 1972 deaths People from Studio City, Los Angeles Screenwriters from California 20th-century American screenwriters