Daniel Mainwaring
Encyclopedia
Daniel Mainwaring was a novelist and screenwriter
. A native of Oakland
, California, he began his professional career as a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle
and enjoyed a successful career as a mystery novelist (under the name Geoffrey Homes). He also worked as a film publicist and eventually abandoned fiction for a successful career as a screenwriter.
His first novel (and the only one he ever published under his own name), One Against the Earth, was a proletarian novel
about a young man born on a California ranch who becomes a drifter and is eventually unjustly accused of attacking a child, was published in 1932. He made his real mark, however, with a string of hard-boiled mystery novels (mostly with small-town California settings), the first of which was The Man Who Murdered Himself (1936). His final published novel, Build My Gallows High (William Morrow & Co., 1946), is generally regarded as his best -- and its adaptation (by "Homes" himself) into the film noir
classic Out of the Past
assured his place in film history. Mainwaring explained to interviewer Pat McGilligan that he regarded the novel as a departure from his earlier literary efforts:
By the time Out of the Past
appeared in 1947, Mainwaring had already begun to devote himself exclusively to screenwriting (usually under the Homes pseudonym). Other notable credits during this period included The Big Steal
(1949, directed by Don Siegel) and This Woman is Dangerous
(1952, with Joan Crawford). His first important film work bearing his real name were the 1954 shot-on-location crime thriller The Phenix City Story
(1954) and the original version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Part of what made the latter film's vision of an alien invasion of a small California town was its convincing evocation of small-town life. As director Joseph Losey
, whose The Lawless was adapted by Mainwaring from the writer's own short story (publication undetermined), The Voice of Stephen Wilder, noted:
According to Frank Krutniks book Un-American“ Hollywood, Loseys memory seems to serve him wrong wrong here. Mainwaring's widow remembers that actually Mainwaring himself acted as a front for blacklisted author Paul Jarrico. Also, his name appears on several movie credits in the 1950's which would have been impossible for a blacklisted author. The first film to break the blacklisting rule by naming a "banned" screenwriter (here: Dalton Trumbo
) in the credits was Otto Preminger
's 1960 film Exodus. The fact that Mainwaring's work on Ida Lupino's film noir The Hitch-Hiker
was not credited is most likely due to non-political reasons.
In 1960, Mainwaring was hired by fantasy-film producer-director George Pal
to write the screenplay for the MGM Studios film Atlantis, the Lost Continent
, released in 1961. He based his script on a play written by Gerald Hargreaves in 1945.
Toward the end of his career, in the 1960s, he wrote for TV shows like The Wild Wild West
and Mannix
. He didn't live long enough to see Out of the Past remade as Against All Odds (1984).
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:...
. A native of Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, California, he began his professional career as a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
and enjoyed a successful career as a mystery novelist (under the name Geoffrey Homes). He also worked as a film publicist and eventually abandoned fiction for a successful career as a screenwriter.
His first novel (and the only one he ever published under his own name), One Against the Earth, was a proletarian novel
Proletarian novel
Proletarian literature was centered on poor, working-class individuals, and was written during the period of 1930 to 1945. The adjective "proletarian" comes from the Latin words "prole , and , and is a term used to identify an individual of a lower social class identity. Often the group is...
about a young man born on a California ranch who becomes a drifter and is eventually unjustly accused of attacking a child, was published in 1932. He made his real mark, however, with a string of hard-boiled mystery novels (mostly with small-town California settings), the first of which was The Man Who Murdered Himself (1936). His final published novel, Build My Gallows High (William Morrow & Co., 1946), is generally regarded as his best -- and its adaptation (by "Homes" himself) into the film 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...
classic Out of the Past
Out of the Past
Out of the Past is a 1947 film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Daniel Mainwaring , with uncredited revisions by Frank Fenton and James M...
assured his place in film history. Mainwaring explained to interviewer Pat McGilligan that he regarded the novel as a departure from his earlier literary efforts:
With Build My Gallows High, I wanted to get away from straight mysteryMystery fictionMystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
novels. Those detective stories are a bore to write. You've got to figure out "whodunit". I'd get to the end and have to say whodunit and be so mixed up I couldn't decide myself. http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/archives/200207/0078.html
By the time Out of the Past
Out of the Past
Out of the Past is a 1947 film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Daniel Mainwaring , with uncredited revisions by Frank Fenton and James M...
appeared in 1947, Mainwaring had already begun to devote himself exclusively to screenwriting (usually under the Homes pseudonym). Other notable credits during this period included The Big Steal
The Big Steal
The Big Steal is a 1949 black-and-white film noir/comedy reteaming Out of the Past stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. The film was directed by Don Siegel, based on the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" by Richard Wormser.-Plot:...
(1949, directed by Don Siegel) and This Woman is Dangerous
This Woman Is Dangerous
This Woman is Dangerous is a Warner Bros. feature film starring Joan Crawford, David Brian, and Dennis Morgan in a story about a gun moll's romances with two different men. The screenplay by Geoffrey Homes and George Worthing Yates was based on a story by Bernard Girard. The film was directed by...
(1952, with Joan Crawford). His first important film work bearing his real name were the 1954 shot-on-location crime thriller The Phenix City Story
The Phenix City Story
The Phenix City Story is a film noir directed by Phil Karlson and written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur. The drama features John McIntire, Richard Kiley, among others.-Plot:...
(1954) and the original version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Part of what made the latter film's vision of an alien invasion of a small California town was its convincing evocation of small-town life. As director Joseph Losey
Joseph Losey
Joseph Walton Losey was an American theater and film director. After studying in Germany with Bertolt Brecht, Losey returned to the United States, eventually making his way to Hollywood...
, whose The Lawless was adapted by Mainwaring from the writer's own short story (publication undetermined), The Voice of Stephen Wilder, noted:
This is one of the things that makes me very close to Dan Mainwaring--his experience of Americana, the nostalgia of the good things about small towns. I remember the smell of burning leaves at night in the autumn too. And I remember the smell of Christmas, the sparkle in the air at football games, and the sound of distant trains. And Dan remembers them all. He's a much underrated writer and he's a really quite noble man. He damaged himself with drink and he was very badly hurt by the blacklistBlacklistA blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
.
According to Frank Krutniks book Un-American“ Hollywood, Loseys memory seems to serve him wrong wrong here. Mainwaring's widow remembers that actually Mainwaring himself acted as a front for blacklisted author Paul Jarrico. Also, his name appears on several movie credits in the 1950's which would have been impossible for a blacklisted author. The first film to break the blacklisting rule by naming a "banned" screenwriter (here: Dalton Trumbo
Dalton Trumbo
James Dalton Trumbo was an American screenwriter and novelist, and one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of film professionals who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 during the committee's investigation of Communist influences in the motion picture industry...
) in the credits was Otto Preminger
Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
's 1960 film Exodus. The fact that Mainwaring's work on Ida Lupino's film noir The Hitch-Hiker
The Hitch-Hiker (1953 film)
The Hitch-Hiker is a film noir directed by Ida Lupino about two fishing buddies who pick up a mysterious hitchhiker during a trip to Mexico....
was not credited is most likely due to non-political reasons.
In 1960, Mainwaring was hired by fantasy-film producer-director George Pal
George Pál
George Pal , born György Pál Marczincsak, was a Hungarian-born American animator and film producer, principally associated with the science fiction genre...
to write the screenplay for the MGM Studios film Atlantis, the Lost Continent
Atlantis, the Lost Continent
Atlantis, the Lost Continent is a 1961 science fiction film, directed by George Pal and starring Anthony Hall aka: Sal Ponti, about the destruction of Atlantis during the time of Ancient Greece.-Plot:...
, released in 1961. He based his script on a play written by Gerald Hargreaves in 1945.
Toward the end of his career, in the 1960s, he wrote for TV shows like The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
and Mannix
Mannix
Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors...
. He didn't live long enough to see Out of the Past remade as Against All Odds (1984).