Hugo Butler
Encyclopedia
Hugo D. Butler was a Canadian born
screenwriter
working in Hollywood who was blacklisted
by the movie studio
s in the 1950s.
s. Hugo Butler worked as a journalist
and playwright
before moving to Hollywood in 1937 where he wrote the first of his thirty-four screenplays. His work on Edison the Man (1940) led to his nomination (with Dore Schary
) for the Best Writing, Original Story Academy Award.
In 1940 he married actress Jean Rouverol
, later an author and screenwriter. Shortly thereafter Butler's career was interrupted when he served in the United States military during World War II
.
After being blacklisted, he wrote under various pseudonyms as well as using a fellow member of the Writers Guild of America
as a front to submit screenplays to the movie studio
s on his behalf. He and his wife went to Mexico
where he worked on scripts for directors Luis Buñuel
and Carlos Velo
. They did not return to the United States on a permanent basis for thirteen years.
Hugo Butler suffered from arteriosclerotic brain disease for several years before passing away from a heart attack
in 1968 in Hollywood, California. In 1997, the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America voted to posthumously give him official credit for scripts he had written.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
working in Hollywood who was blacklisted
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
by the movie studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
s in the 1950s.
Biography
Born in Calgary, Alberta, his father had acted and written scripts in silent filmSilent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s. Hugo Butler worked as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
before moving to Hollywood in 1937 where he wrote the first of his thirty-four screenplays. His work on Edison the Man (1940) led to his nomination (with Dore Schary
Dore Schary
Isadore "Dore" Schary was an American motion picture director, writer, and producer, and playwright who became head of production at MGM and eventually president of the studio...
) for the Best Writing, Original Story Academy Award.
In 1940 he married actress Jean Rouverol
Jean Rouverol
Jean Rouverol is an American author, actress and screenwriter who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios in the 1950s.-Biography:...
, later an author and screenwriter. Shortly thereafter Butler's career was interrupted when he served in the United States military during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
After being blacklisted, he wrote under various pseudonyms as well as using a fellow member of the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
as a front to submit screenplays to the movie studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
s on his behalf. He and his wife went to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
where he worked on scripts for directors Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish-born filmmaker — later a naturalized citizen of Mexico — who worked in Spain, Mexico, France and the US..-Early years:...
and Carlos Velo
Carlos Velo
Carlos Velo was a Spanish film director. He directed 45 films between 1934 and 1983. His 1956 film Torero was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
. They did not return to the United States on a permanent basis for thirteen years.
Hugo Butler suffered from arteriosclerotic brain disease for several years before passing away from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1968 in Hollywood, California. In 1997, the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America voted to posthumously give him official credit for scripts he had written.
Selected filmography
- Edison the Man (story, 1940)
- Blossoms in the DustBlossoms in the DustBlossoms in the Dust is a 1941 American film which tells the story of the non-fictional Edna Gladney who takes it upon herself to help orphaned children to find homes, despite the opposition of the "good" citizens who think that illegitimate children are beneath their interest...
(1941) - Lassie Come HomeLassie Come HomeLassie Come Home is a 1943 MGM film starring Roddy McDowall and canine actor, Pal, in a story about the profound bond between Yorkshire boy Joe Carraclough and his rough collie, Lassie. The film was directed by Fred M. Wilcox from a screenplay by Hugo Butler based upon the 1940 novel Lassie...
(1943) - The SouthernerThe Southerner (1945 film)The Southerner is a 1945 American film directed by Jean Renoir, based on the novel Hold Autumn in Your Hand by George Sessions Perry. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Director, Original Music Score and Sound. Renoir was named Best Director by the National Board of Review, which also...
(1945) - Miss Susie Slagle'sMiss Susie Slagle'sMiss Susie Slagle's is a 1946 film directed by John Berry. It was based on the popular novel by Augusta Tucker. The film was Berry's directorial debut and first starring role for Joan Caulfield.-Plot:...
(1946) - A Woman of DistinctionA Woman of DistinctionA Woman of Distinction is a 1950 film directed by Edward Buzzell. It stars Rosalind Russell and Ray Milland.-Cast:*Rosalind Russell as Susan Manning Middlecott*Ray Milland as Prof. Alexander 'Alec' Stevenson*Edmund Gwenn as Mark 'JM' Middlecott...
(1950) - He Ran All the WayHe Ran All the WayHe Ran All the Way is a 1951 crime drama, considered a film noir, starring John Garfield and Shelley Winters. The film was Garfield's last, as accusations of his involvement with the Communist Party and a refusal to name names while testifying before the HUAC led to his blacklisting in Hollywood...
(1951) - The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1954)
- Torero (1956)
- Autumn Leaves (1956)
- Los pequeños gigantes (1958)
- La jovenThe Young OneLa joven is a 1960 film by the Spanish director Luis Buñuel. Produced in Mexico and shot in English with American actors, La Joven is Buñuel's second and last American film...
(The Young One, 1960) - The Legend of Lylah ClareThe Legend of Lylah ClareThe Legend of Lylah Clare is a 1968 Metrocolor film directed by Robert Aldrich. The film stars Peter Finch, Kim Novak, Ernest Borgnine, Michael Murphy and Valentina Cortese. The film was based on a 1962 Dupont Show of the Week TV drama co-written by Wild in the Streets creator Robert Thom.-Plot...
(1968)