Niven Busch
Encyclopedia
Niven Busch was an American
novelist and screenwriter
of movies such as the acclaimed The Postman Always Rings Twice
. His novels included Duel In the Sun
and California Street. He was married to actress Teresa Wright
for ten years beginning in 1942.
, Busch began his writing career in the early twenties, when he went to work for Time
Magazine (co-founded by Busch's cousin, Briton Hadden
). Before departing for Hollywood a decade later, Busch had risen to editor at the weekly, working simultaneously for The New Yorker
, where he contributed profiles on famous Americans. (These articles were collected into his first book, the non-fiction Twenty-One Americans.)
In 1932, realizing he had gone as far as he was likely to go as a New York-based magazine writer/editor, Busch re-connected with agent Myron Selznick
, whom Busch knew through his father, an executive who had worked for Myron's father Lewis
in the teens and early twenties.
Myron Selznick soon secured work for Busch at Warner Bros. Pictures
, and Busch decamped to Los Angeles
to write his first film, Howard Hawks
's The Crowd Roars. One of four writers on the production, Busch's name was misspelled in the credits.
s like The Big Shakedown
. In 1938 he was nominated for an Academy Award for In Old Chicago
, which was based on his story We the O'Learys, but failed to win. In 1940 he co-wrote The Westerner for director William Wyler
and producer Samuel Goldwyn
. Soon thereafter he went to work as Goldwyn's story editor, recommending Pride of the Yankees, in which Gary Cooper
and Busch's soon-to-be wife Teresa Wright
co-starred.
Settling in the hills of Encino with his growing family, Busch began writing novels. The Carrington Incident, published in 1941, was followed by the best-seller Duel in the Sun, which Lewis Selznick's other son David
purchased and turned into the 1946 blockbuster of the same title. He now alternated between the writing of screenplays and novels, most of which became best-sellers. They Dream of Home, a tale of returning veterans, was followed by The Furies
(1950), which became a film that starred Barbara Stanwyck
.
Another notable film of the period — for which Busch wrote the original screenplay — was Pursued
starring Robert Mitchum
and Teresa Wright, one of the first psychological Westerns with "noir
" overtones. Around the same time, Busch also adapted the noir thriller The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
.
Before Busch's final novel The Titan Game he had become one of San Francisco's leading literary lights and a Regent's Professor at the University of California
.
Busch appears in the film "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," playing the role of "Old Man" in the scene in which Sabina (Lena Olin
) receives the letter informing her of Tómas and Tereza's deaths. Busch was 84 at the time of the filming.
Busch died from congestive heart failure
in 1991 at the age of eighty-eight.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist and 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:...
of movies such as the acclaimed The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film)
The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1946 drama-film noir based on the 1934 novel of the same name by James M. Cain. This adaptation of the novel is the best known, featuring Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn, Leon Ames, and Audrey Totter...
. His novels included Duel In the Sun
Duel in the Sun
Duel in the Sun is a Technicolor 1946 Western film directed by King Vidor, produced and written by David O. Selznick, which tells the story of a Mestiza girl who goes to live with her Anglo relatives, becoming involved in prejudice and forbidden love...
and California Street. He was married to actress Teresa Wright
Teresa Wright
Teresa Wright was an American actress. She received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1942 for her performance in Mrs. Miniver. That same year, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her performance in Pride of the Yankees opposite Gary Cooper...
for ten years beginning in 1942.
Early career
Born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Busch began his writing career in the early twenties, when he went to work for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
Magazine (co-founded by Busch's cousin, Briton Hadden
Briton Hadden
Briton Hadden was the co-founder of Time magazine with his Yale classmate Henry Luce. He was Time's first editor and the inventor of its revolutionary writing style, known as Timestyle...
). Before departing for Hollywood a decade later, Busch had risen to editor at the weekly, working simultaneously for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, where he contributed profiles on famous Americans. (These articles were collected into his first book, the non-fiction Twenty-One Americans.)
In 1932, realizing he had gone as far as he was likely to go as a New York-based magazine writer/editor, Busch re-connected with agent Myron Selznick
Myron Selznick
Myron Selznick was an American film producer and talent agent.-Life and career:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Selznick was the son of film executive Lewis J. Selznick and brother of renowned producer David O. Selznick...
, whom Busch knew through his father, an executive who had worked for Myron's father Lewis
Lewis J. Selznick
Lewis J. Selznick was a Jewish-Ukrainian-American producer in the early years of the film industry.-Personal life and early career:...
in the teens and early twenties.
Myron Selznick soon secured work for Busch at Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, and Busch decamped to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to write his first film, Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era...
's The Crowd Roars. One of four writers on the production, Busch's name was misspelled in the credits.
Film career
Through the rest of the thirties, Busch worked for most of the major Hollywood studios, scripting mostly B-movieB-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s like The Big Shakedown
The Big Shakedown
The Big Shakedown is a 1934 American drama film starring Charles Farrell and Bette Davis and directed by John Francis Dillon. The screenplay by Rian James and Niven Busch is based on the story Cut Rate by Busch and Samuel G. Engel. The supporting cast includes Ricardo Cortez and Glenda...
. In 1938 he was nominated for an Academy Award for In Old Chicago
In Old Chicago
In Old Chicago is a 1937 American drama film directed by Henry King. The screenplay by Sonya Levien and Lamar Trotti was based on the Niven Busch story, "We the O'Learys." The film is a fictionalized account about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and stars Alice Brady as Mrs. O'Leary, the owner of...
, which was based on his story We the O'Learys, but failed to win. In 1940 he co-wrote The Westerner for director William Wyler
William Wyler
William Wyler was a leading American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter.Notable works included Ben-Hur , The Best Years of Our Lives , and Mrs. Miniver , all of which won Wyler Academy Awards for Best Director, and also won Best Picture...
and producer Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
. Soon thereafter he went to work as Goldwyn's story editor, recommending Pride of the Yankees, in which Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
and Busch's soon-to-be wife Teresa Wright
Teresa Wright
Teresa Wright was an American actress. She received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1942 for her performance in Mrs. Miniver. That same year, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her performance in Pride of the Yankees opposite Gary Cooper...
co-starred.
Settling in the hills of Encino with his growing family, Busch began writing novels. The Carrington Incident, published in 1941, was followed by the best-seller Duel in the Sun, which Lewis Selznick's other son David
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
purchased and turned into the 1946 blockbuster of the same title. He now alternated between the writing of screenplays and novels, most of which became best-sellers. They Dream of Home, a tale of returning veterans, was followed by The Furies
The Furies (film)
The Furies is a Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, and, in his last performance, Walter Huston.In 2008, the film was released on DVD in the U.S. by the Criterion Collection.-Plot:T.C...
(1950), which became a film that starred Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
.
Another notable film of the period — for which Busch wrote the original screenplay — was Pursued
Pursued
Pursued is a 1947 movie starring Robert Mitchum that combines western, film noir and psychological melodrama. The film was directed by Raoul Walsh and photographed in black-and-white by James Wong Howe.-Plot summary:...
starring Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
and Teresa Wright, one of the first psychological Westerns with "noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
" overtones. Around the same time, Busch also adapted the noir thriller The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
.
Later career
In the early fifties, Busch and Wright divorced, and Busch left Hollywood for northern California, where he devoted himself to cattle ranching and the full-time writing of novels. There he would meet his wife-to-be Carmencita Baker and later Suzanne de Sanz.Before Busch's final novel The Titan Game he had become one of San Francisco's leading literary lights and a Regent's Professor at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
.
Busch appears in the film "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," playing the role of "Old Man" in the scene in which Sabina (Lena Olin
Lena Olin
Lena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress.-Early life:Olin was born the youngest of three children, in Stockholm, Sweden. She is the daughter of actress Britta Holmberg and the director Stig Olin...
) receives the letter informing her of Tómas and Tereza's deaths. Busch was 84 at the time of the filming.
Busch died from congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
in 1991 at the age of eighty-eight.
Research resources
- Niven Busch's California Street Papers, 1955-59 (0.5 linear ft.) are housed in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives at Stanford University Libraries
- Niven Busch's The Gentleman from California Papers, 1964-66 (1 linear ft.) are housed in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives at Stanford University Libraries
- Niven Busch's The San Franciscans Papers, 1959-1962 (0.5 linear ft.) are housed in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives at Stanford University Libraries