Ian McLellan Hunter (8 August 1915 – 5 March 1991) was an English

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. ...

, best remembered for fronting for the

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, ...

Dalton Trumbo as the credited writer of ''

Roman Holiday ''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actres ...

'' in 1953. Hunter was himself later blacklisted.

''Roman Holiday''

Hunter agreed to front for Trumbo's screenplay for ''Roman Holiday'', which both

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 o ...

and Paramount were very keen to make. When it was released to great acclaim and financial success, it was Hunter's name on the credits and it was he who picked up the

Academy Award for Best Story The Academy Award for Best Story was an Academy Award given from the beginning of the Academy Awards until 1956. This award can be a source of confusion for modern audiences, given its co-existence with the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenpl ...

. Academy members did not know they were honouring a blacklistee. Hunter paid Trumbo most of the salary he had earned for the film. In the 1990s, the Academy sought to rectify some of the mistakes they had made during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

and the

Second Red Scare McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origina ...

, reinstating Dalton Trumbo being one of them. Trumbo had died in 1976 but his widow was presented with an Oscar in 1993 for ''Roman Holiday''. This was actually the second Oscar made for this category win as Hunter's son, Tim Hunter, a director in his own right, refused to hand over his father's Oscar.''The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis: Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker and Other Productions, 1966-2006''; Jeff Thompson;

McFarland Publishing McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic and reference works, as well as general-interest adult nonfiction. Its president is Rhonda Herman. Its forme ...

, 2009; Pg. 90

Other work

Hunter also fronted for Ring Lardner Jr., collaborating with him under the

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 individu ...

Philip Rush. With Lardner, he co-wrote the

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ...

for the short-lived 1964

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

'' Foxy''. Hunter's work was not confined to fronting for others. He wrote the screenplays for over twenty films, including ''

Footlight Fever ''Footlight Fever'' is a 1941 sequel to the 1940 comedy '' Curtain Call'', with Alan Mowbray and Donald MacBride. Plot Alan Mowbray and Donald MacBride reprise their roles as theatrical producers Donald Avery and Geoffrey 'Jeff' Crandall. This ti ...

'' (1941), '' The Amazing Mr. X'' (1948) and '' Mastermind'' (1976), as well as episodes of the television series '' The Defenders'' and the teleplay for the miniseries '' The Blue and the Gray'' (1982).

Legacy

A dramatization of Trumbo's life, also called '' Trumbo'', was released in November 2015. In it, Ian McLellan Hunter was portrayed by

Alan Tudyk Alan Wray Tudyk ( ;; born March 16, 1971) is an American actor. His film work includes roles in '' 28 Days'' with Sandra Bullock (2000), ''A Knight's Tale'' with Heath Ledger (2001), '' Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story'' with Vince Vaughn (2004) ...

Select credits

*'' Fisherman's Wharf'' (1939) *''

Meet Dr. Christian ''Meet Dr. Christian'' is a 1939 American film directed by Bernard Vorhaus, the first of six films in the '' Dr. Christian'' series. Cast *Jean Hersholt as Dr. Paul Christian * Dorothy Lovett as Nurse Judy Price *Robert Baldwin as Roy Davis * ...

'' (1939) *''

Escape to Paradise ''Escape to Paradise'' is a 1939 American film directed by Erle C. Kenton. Plot Jaded playboy Richard Fleming travels to the South American nation of Rosarita. Through his motorcycle riding guide Roberto he discovers true love and a career as ...

'' (1940) *''

The Courageous Dr. Christian ''The Courageous Dr. Christian'' is a 1940 American film directed by Bernard Vorhaus. It was part of a film series about Dr. Christian. Plot summary Kindhearted Dr. Paul Christian is appalled by the harsh living conditions of homeless inhabit ...

'' (1940) *'' Second Chorus'' (1940) *'' Arkansas Judge'' (1941) *''

'' (1941) *''

Slightly Dangerous ''Slightly Dangerous'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film starring Lana Turner and Robert Young. The screenplay concerns a bored young woman in a dead-end job who runs away to New York City and ends up impersonating the long-lost daughter of ...

'' (1943) *'' Young Ideas'' (1943) *''

Show Business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...

'' (1944) *''

Mr. District Attorney ''Mr. District Attorney'' is a radio crime drama produced by Samuel Bischoff that aired on NBC and ABC from April 3, 1939 to June 13, 1952 (and in transcribed syndication through 1953). The series focused on a crusading district attorney initi ...

'' (1947) *'' The Amazing Mr. X'' (1948) *'' Your Witness'' (1950) *''

A Woman of Distinction ''A Woman of Distinction'' is a 1950 American romantic comedy film directed by Edward Buzzell and starring Rosalind Russell and Ray Milland. Plot Susan Manning Middlecott is dean of a New England school called Benton College and it is her whole ...

'' (1950) *'' Beulah'' (1952) (TV series) *''

'' (1953) *'' Sword of Freedom'' (1957) (TV series) *''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia d ...

'' (1958–60) (TV series) *'' The Four Just Men'' (1959–60)- (TV series) *''

Captain Sindbad ''Captain Sindbad'' is a 1963 independently made fantasy and adventure film, produced by Frank King and Herman King, directed by Byron Haskin, that stars Guy Williams and Heidi Brühl. The film was shot at the Bavaria Film studios in Germany a ...

'' (1963) *'' The Defenders'' (1963) (TV series) *'' Foxy'' (1964) (musical) - book *'' The Reporter'' (1964) (TV series) *'' Seaway'' (1965) (TV series) - various episodes, also script supervisor *'' N.Y.P.D.'' (1967) (TV series) *''

Monsieur Lecoq Monsieur Lecoq is the creation of Émile Gaboriau, a 19th-century French writer and journalist. Monsieur Lecoq is a fictional detective employed by the French Sûreté. The character is one of the pioneers of the genre and a major influence on ...

'' (1967) (abandoned) *'' The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' (1968) *'' A Dream of Kings'' (1969) *''

The Outside Man ''The Outside Man'' (French: ''Un homme est mort'') is a 1972 French-Italian thriller set in Los Angeles, directed by Jacques Deray and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Ann-Margret, Roy Scheider, and Angie Dickinson. Plot A contract on the lif ...

'' (1972) *'' Mastermind'' (1976) *'' You Can't Go Home Again'' (1979) *''

Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid ''Your Ticket is No Longer Valid'' is a 1981 Canadian film directed by George Kaczender and starring Richard Harris, George Peppard, Jennifer Dale, and Jeanne Moreau. Harris later regarded the film as one of the biggest artistic disappointments of ...

'' (1981) *'' The Blue and the Gray'' (1982) (mini series)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Ian McLellan 1915 births 1991 deaths English male screenwriters Hollywood blacklist British expatriates in the United States 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers