Post by manfromplanetx on Sept 14, 2017 0:04:43 GMT
Philip Yordan, was credited as screenwriter on dozens of notable Hollywood movies, he apparently was a superb deal-maker, hustler, and entrepreneur, the truth may never be completely known but there is much ambiguity more to Philip Yordan's screen credits than meets the eye.
Behind his name were often those of blacklisted writers unable to work during the McCarthy era.
Only in the recent past, in 1996,a panel from the Writers Guild of America restored the screen writing credit titles for 82 films which acknowledged the true author of each film. .
In this revised updated version of Hollywood history , Yordan has had to share the credit with, or give way completely his claim to, a number of other screen writers.
It is known, for example, that Yordan acted as a front for Ben Maddow on at least five films, including God's Little Acre (1958). Maddow also claimed to have written Johnny Guitar (1954), though Yordan insisted that the final version was his.
Screenwriters Bernard Gordon & Ben Barzman are among the blacklisted writers who toiled in obscurity, prevented from taking screen credits which were attributed to Yordan.
This aspect affected Maddow's career in a big way, not being able to write under his own name caused depression to such a degree that he began seeing a psychoanalyst. To see his words and ideas on the screen, yet not be able to claim them as his own, would lead to a case of writer’s block, a condition from which it would take him a number of years to recover.
In Maddow’s estimation, Yordan was nothing short of a con-man, incapable of writing anything, a writer who had employed others, blacklisted or not, though obviously blacklisted writers were cheaper, to do his writing for him.
But in Hollywood, Yordan’s approach was not unusual. Well-known writers would often have a stable of underlings working for them, Ben Hecht employed a staff to write in his style , with the famed writer adding his personal touch to authenticate the scripts.
Behind his name were often those of blacklisted writers unable to work during the McCarthy era.
Only in the recent past, in 1996,a panel from the Writers Guild of America restored the screen writing credit titles for 82 films which acknowledged the true author of each film. .
In this revised updated version of Hollywood history , Yordan has had to share the credit with, or give way completely his claim to, a number of other screen writers.
It is known, for example, that Yordan acted as a front for Ben Maddow on at least five films, including God's Little Acre (1958). Maddow also claimed to have written Johnny Guitar (1954), though Yordan insisted that the final version was his.
Screenwriters Bernard Gordon & Ben Barzman are among the blacklisted writers who toiled in obscurity, prevented from taking screen credits which were attributed to Yordan.
This aspect affected Maddow's career in a big way, not being able to write under his own name caused depression to such a degree that he began seeing a psychoanalyst. To see his words and ideas on the screen, yet not be able to claim them as his own, would lead to a case of writer’s block, a condition from which it would take him a number of years to recover.
In Maddow’s estimation, Yordan was nothing short of a con-man, incapable of writing anything, a writer who had employed others, blacklisted or not, though obviously blacklisted writers were cheaper, to do his writing for him.
But in Hollywood, Yordan’s approach was not unusual. Well-known writers would often have a stable of underlings working for them, Ben Hecht employed a staff to write in his style , with the famed writer adding his personal touch to authenticate the scripts.