Marguerite Roberts
Encyclopedia
Marguerite Roberts was an American screenwriter, one of the highest paid in the 1930s. After she and her husband John Sanford
refused to testify in 1951 before the House Un-American Activities Committee
, she was blacklisted for nine years and unable to get work in Hollywood. She was hired again in 1962 by Columbia Pictures
.
, Colorado
and had a sister. They went to local schools.
In the early 1920s, Roberts and her first husband traveled in the South
selling imitation pearls. In California when their business failed, she found work at an El Centro
local newspaper. She moved to Hollywood and became a secretary for 20th Century Fox
in 1926, and sold her first script in 1931. In 1933, she collaborated on the screenplay of Sailor's Luck
, directed by Raoul Walsh
. That year she signed the first of a string of contracts with MGM, which made her one of the best paid screenwriters of Hollywood at $2500 per week. She explained how she preferred to write scenarios for tough men: "I was weaned on stories about gunfighters and their doings, and I know all the lingo too. My grandfather came West as far as Colorado by covered wagon. He was a sheriff in the state's wildest days."
Roberts was working for Paramount Pictures
in 1936, where she met the writer John Sanford. They married two years later. After Sanford joined the Communist Party
in 1939, Roberts followed him but left in 1947. She encouraged him to pursue his independent writing and supported them both by her screenwriting.
Blacklisted in 1951 for refusing to answer the House Un-American Activities Committee
, Roberts had to wait nine years before working again in Hollywood. In 1957 she and Sanford moved to Montecito, California
.
In 1962 she was hired by Columbia Pictures
to work on Diamond Head
(1963). She also wrote the screenplay on True Grit
(1969), which earned its actor, John Wayne
, his only oscar. She wrote steadily through the next decade and had many of her films produced.
John Sanford
John or Jack Sanford may refer to:* John Sanford , American author and screenwriter, born Julian Lawrence Shapiro*John Sanford , founder of Portsmouth, Rhode Island...
refused to testify in 1951 before the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
, she was blacklisted for nine years and unable to get work in Hollywood. She was hired again in 1962 by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
.
Biography
Roberts was born in 1905 in GreeleyGreeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and had a sister. They went to local schools.
In the early 1920s, Roberts and her first husband traveled in the South
The South
-Geography:* Southern United States* South of England* South of France* South Italy* South Korea* Republic of Ireland* South Province * Global South, the developing nations of the world-Other uses:* The South , by Victor Erice...
selling imitation pearls. In California when their business failed, she found work at an El Centro
El Centro, California
El Centro is a city in and county seat of Imperial County, the largest city in the Imperial Valley and the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban area and principal city of the El Centro metropolitan area which encompasses all of Imperial County. El Centro is also...
local newspaper. She moved to Hollywood and became a secretary for 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
in 1926, and sold her first script in 1931. In 1933, she collaborated on the screenplay of Sailor's Luck
Sailor's Luck
Sailor's Luck is a 1933 Pre-Code film which openly depicted homosexuality.-References:*Doherty, Thomas Patrick. Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema 1930-1934. New York: Columbia University Press 1999. ISBN 0-231-11094-4*Smith, Sarah. Children, Cinema and...
, directed by Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh...
. That year she signed the first of a string of contracts with MGM, which made her one of the best paid screenwriters of Hollywood at $2500 per week. She explained how she preferred to write scenarios for tough men: "I was weaned on stories about gunfighters and their doings, and I know all the lingo too. My grandfather came West as far as Colorado by covered wagon. He was a sheriff in the state's wildest days."
Roberts was working for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
in 1936, where she met the writer John Sanford. They married two years later. After Sanford joined the Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
in 1939, Roberts followed him but left in 1947. She encouraged him to pursue his independent writing and supported them both by her screenwriting.
Blacklisted in 1951 for refusing to answer the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
, Roberts had to wait nine years before working again in Hollywood. In 1957 she and Sanford moved to Montecito, California
Montecito, California
Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...
.
In 1962 she was hired by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
to work on Diamond Head
Diamond Head (film)
Diamond Head is a film starring Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, George Chakiris, and James Darren, directed by Guy Green, and released by Columbia Pictures. The original music score was composed by John Williams, Hugo Winterhalter composed the theme, and Darren sang the title song...
(1963). She also wrote the screenplay on True Grit
True Grit
True Grit is a 1969 American Western film written by Marguerite Roberts and directed by Henry Hathaway. It is the first adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel True Grit. John Wayne stars as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn and won his only Academy Award for his performance in this film...
(1969), which earned its actor, John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, his only oscar. She wrote steadily through the next decade and had many of her films produced.
Filmography
- 1933 Sailor's LuckSailor's LuckSailor's Luck is a 1933 Pre-Code film which openly depicted homosexuality.-References:*Doherty, Thomas Patrick. Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema 1930-1934. New York: Columbia University Press 1999. ISBN 0-231-11094-4*Smith, Sarah. Children, Cinema and...
- 1933 Jimmy and Sally
- 1934 "Peck's Bad Boy"
- 1935 College Scandal
- 1935 Men Without Names
- 1935 "The Last Outpost"The Last Outpost (1935 film)The Last Outpost is a 1935 film directed by Charles Barton and produced by E. Lloyd Sheldon. It starred Cary Grant and Claude Rains. Both Grant's and Rains' character find an interest in a woman played by Gertrude Michael, creating tension between the two close friends, who are both British...
- 1936 Rose Bowl
- 1936 Forgotten Faces
- 1936 Florida Special
- 1936 Hollywood BoulevardHollywood Boulevard (1936 film)-Plot:With a full Hollywood background and settings but more an expose of scandal-and-gossip magazines of the era,has-been actor John Blakeford agrees to write his memoirs for magazine-publisher Jordan Winston. When Blakeford's daughter,...
- 1937 Wild Money (uncredited)
- 1937 Turn Off the Moon
- 1938 Meet the Girls
- 1939 They Shall Have MusicThey Shall Have MusicThey Shall Have Music is a 1939 musical film starring famed violinist Jascha Heifetz , Joel McCrea, Andrea Leeds, and Gene Reynolds...
(uncredited) - 1940 EscapeEscape (1940 film)Escape is a 1940 drama film about an American in pre-World War II Nazi Germany who discovers his mother is in a concentration camp and tries desperately to free her. It starred Norma Shearer, Robert Taylor, Conrad Veidt and Alla Nazimova...
- 1941 Ziegfeld GirlZiegfeld Girl (film)Ziegfeld Girl is a 1941 American film starring James Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, and Lana Turner, and co-starring Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper, Eve Arden, and Philip Dorn. Released by MGM, it was directed by Robert Z...
- 1941 Honky TonkHonky Tonk (1941 film)Honky Tonk is a 1941 black-and-white western film starring Clark Gable and Lana Turner.-Plot:Con man "Candy" Johnson and his friend "Sniper" flee town using quick wits and magic tricks. They catch a train to Yellow Creek, Nevada, where a gold rush is in progress. Aboard, he meets Elizabeth Cotton...
- 1942 Somewhere I'll Find YouSomewhere I'll Find YouSomewhere I'll Find You is a film released by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer in 1942. The film stars Clark Gable and Lana Turner. The film took almost two years to complete. This was the last film Gable starred in before he enlisted in World War II...
- 1944 Dragon Seed
- 1946 Undercurrent (uncredited)
- 1947 Desire Me
- 1947 The Sea of GrassThe Sea of Grass (film)The Sea of Grass is a 1947 western-drama film. It was directed by Elia Kazan and based on the novel of the same name by Conrad Richter. The movie stars Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and Melvyn Douglas....
- 1948 If Winter ComesIf Winter ComesIf Winter Comes is a 1947 drama film released by MGM. The movie was directed by Victor Saville, based on the novel by A.S.M. Hutchinson. The film tells the story of an English textbook writer who takes in a pregnant girl...
- 1949 The BribeThe BribeThe Bribe is an American crime film noir directed by Robert Z. Leonard and written by Marguerite Roberts, based on a story written by Frederick Nebel...
- 1950 AmbushAmbush (1950 film)Ambush is a 1950 western film directed by Sam Wood and starring Robert Taylor, John Hodiak and Arlene Dahl. This was the last film directed by Sam Wood.-Plot synopsis:...
- 1951 Soldiers ThreeSoldiers Three (film)Soldiers Three is a 1951 film based upon a novel by Rudyard Kipling and starring Stewart Granger, Walter Pidgeon, and David Niven. The movie was directed by Tay Garnett .-Cast:*Stewart Granger as Pvt...
- 1952 IvanhoeIvanhoe (1952 film)Ivanhoe is a 1952 historical film made by MGM. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman. The cast featured Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Finlay Currie and Felix Aylmer...
(credit restored) - 1953 The Girl Who Had EverythingThe Girl Who Had EverythingThe Girl Who Had Everything is a 1953 film directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Armande Deutsch for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film features William Powell in his last MGM feature and one of his last film roles before retirement. The screenplay was written by Art Cohn, based upon a play by...
(uncredited) - 1962 The Main Attraction (uncredited)
- 1962 Diamond HeadDiamond Head (film)Diamond Head is a film starring Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, George Chakiris, and James Darren, directed by Guy Green, and released by Columbia Pictures. The original music score was composed by John Williams, Hugo Winterhalter composed the theme, and Darren sang the title song...
- 1963 RampageRampage (1963 film)Rampage is a 1963 adventure film about big game hunters set in Malaysia and starring Robert Mitchum, Jack Hawkins, and Elsa Martinelli. The movie was directed by Phil Karlson from the novel by Alan Caillou and features a musical score by Elmer Bernstein....
- 1965 Love Has Many FacesLove Has Many FacesLove Has Many Faces is a 1965 drama film made by Columbia Pictures. The movie was directed by Alexander Singer, and written by Marguerite Roberts. Nancy Wilson sings the title song whilst Edith Head designed Lana Turner's clothes.-Plot:...
- 1968 5 Card Stud5 Card Stud5 Card Stud is a 1968 Western, released by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Henry Hathaway, the script, based on a novel by Ray Gaulden, was written by Marguerite Roberts, who also wrote the screenplay of True Grit for Hathaway the following year...
- 1969 True Grit
- 1970 NorwoodNorwood (film)Norwood is a 1970 film that reunites True Grit co-stars Glen Campbell and Kim Darby, also featuring Joe Namath. It was based on the book of the same title, written by Charles Portis , but updated from the original 1950s setting to 1970.The film marked the final screen appearance of actor Jack...
- 1971 Red Sky at MorningRed Sky at Morning (1971 film)Red Sky at Morning is a 1971 American drama film based on the 1968 Richard Bradford novel of the same name, and starring Richard Thomas, Catherine Burns, and Desi Arnaz, Jr....
- 1971 Shoot OutShoot OutShoot Out is a 1971 western film directed by Henry Hathaway. It stars Gregory Peck and Patricia Quinn.This was the second-to-last of the 65 films directed by Hathaway.-Plot:Clay Lomax gets out of prison after serving nearly eight years...