F. Hugh Herbert
Encyclopedia
Frederick Hugh Herbert was a playwright, screenwriter, novel
ist, short story
writer, and infrequent film director
.
Born in Vienna, Austria
, was educated at the University of London
. He began his film career in 1926 with two projects starring Conrad Nagel
, The Waning Sex and There You Are!, the latter adapted from his play of the same title. His screenwriting credits included Vanity Fair
, Fashions of 1934
, Sitting Pretty, Dark Command
, Our Very Own
, The Little Hut
, and Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!
and The Girls of Pleasure Island
, both of which he also directed.
Herbert's most notable screenplay was The Moon is Blue
, based on his play which had a run of 924 performances on Broadway
. The film adaptation, produced and directed by Otto Preminger
, was controversial due to its frank language and sexual themes. When the Breen office
refused to give it a Motion Picture Production Code seal of approval, United Artists
opted to release the film without one, and the success of the film was instrumental in weakening the long-standing influence of the Code.
One of Herbert's most enduring creations was the character of American teenager Corliss Archer, who was introduced in his hit 1943 play Kiss and Tell and immortalized on screen by Shirley Temple
in the 1945 film adaptation. The character went on to appear in a series of magazine articles, another Temple film, and a radio and television series called Meet Corliss Archer
.
Herbert won the Writers Guild of America Award
for Sitting Pretty and was nominated for The Moon is Blue. The uncle of actress Kathleen Hughes
, he died in Beverly Hills.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer, and infrequent film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Born in Vienna, Austria
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, was educated at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. He began his film career in 1926 with two projects starring Conrad Nagel
Conrad Nagel
Conrad Nagel was an American screen actor and matinee idol of the silent film era and beyond. He was also a well-known television actor and radio performer.-Biography:...
, The Waning Sex and There You Are!, the latter adapted from his play of the same title. His screenwriting credits included Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (1932 film)
Vanity Fair is a modernized adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel of the same name that was directed by Chester M. Franklin and starred Myrna Loy. The story is reset in the twentieth century.-Other information:...
, Fashions of 1934
Fashions of 1934
-Cast:*William Powell as Sherwood Nash*Bette Davis as Lynn Mason*Frank McHugh as Snap*Reginald Owen as Oscar Baroque*Verree Teasdale as Grand Duchess Alix*Hugh Herbert as Joe Ward*Henry O'Neill as Duryea...
, Sitting Pretty, Dark Command
Dark Command
Dark Command is a 1940 western film starring Claire Trevor, John Wayne and Walter Pidgeon loosely based on Quantrill's Raiders in the American Civil War. Directed by Raoul Walsh from the novel by W.R...
, Our Very Own
Our Very Own
Our Very Own is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Cameron Watson. The screenplay focuses on five small town teenagers whose dreams of a better life have been inspired by the Hollywood success of one-time local girl Sondra Locke....
, The Little Hut
The Little Hut
The Little Hut is a 1957 British-American romantic comedy film made by MGM. It was directed by Mark Robson, produced by Mark Robson and F. Hugh Herbert, from a screenplay by F. Hugh Herbert, adapted by Nancy Mitford from the play La petite hutte by André Roussin...
, and Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! is a 1948 comedy film which is known for being one of Marilyn Monroe's earliest films ....
and The Girls of Pleasure Island
The Girls of Pleasure Island
The Girls of Pleasure Island is a 1953 Technicolor comedy film directed by Alvin Ganzer and F. Hugh Herbert. The screenplay by F. Hugh Herbert is based on the novel by former Marine William Maier...
, both of which he also directed.
Herbert's most notable screenplay was The Moon is Blue
The Moon Is Blue
The Moon Is Blue is a 1953 American comedy film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by F. Hugh Herbert, based on his 1951 play of the same title, focuses on a young woman who meets an architect on the observation deck of the Empire State Building and quickly turns his life...
, based on his play which had a run of 924 performances on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. The film adaptation, produced and directed by 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...
, was controversial due to its frank language and sexual themes. When the Breen office
Joseph Breen
Joseph Breen is an American soap opera actor.He played contract parts on both Guiding Light and Loving before being offered his most front-burner role to date: that of Lisa’s long-lost son, Scott Eldridge, on As the World Turns...
refused to give it a Motion Picture Production Code seal of approval, United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
opted to release the film without one, and the success of the film was instrumental in weakening the long-standing influence of the Code.
One of Herbert's most enduring creations was the character of American teenager Corliss Archer, who was introduced in his hit 1943 play Kiss and Tell and immortalized on screen by Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
in the 1945 film adaptation. The character went on to appear in a series of magazine articles, another Temple film, and a radio and television series called Meet Corliss Archer
Meet Corliss Archer
Meet Corliss Archer, a program from radio's Golden Age, ran from January 7, 1943 to September 30, 1956. Although it was CBS's answer to NBC's popular A Date with Judy, it was also broadcast by NBC in 1948 as a summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show. From October 3, 1952 to June 26, 1953, it aired...
.
Herbert won the Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
for Sitting Pretty and was nominated for The Moon is Blue. The uncle of actress Kathleen Hughes
Kathleen Hughes
Kathleen Hughes is an American film, stage, and television actress from Hollywood, California.Kathleen's ambition as an actress came from two sources. She saw a film with actor Donald O'Connor, which gave her the idea that acting looked like fun. Also, her uncle was playwright F...
, he died in Beverly Hills.