Paul Jarrico
Encyclopedia
Paul Jarrico was an American
screenwriter
and film producer
who was blacklisted
by the Hollywood movie studio
bosses during the era of McCarthyism
.
, California on January 12, 1915, as Israel Shapiro. His father was a Russian Jewish immigrant, a lawyer, poet and socialist. While attending UCLA, Jarrico joined the Young Communist League
, where he became an active member of the communist party. His alliance and association with the party lasted from 1937 to 1952. Jarrico married Sylvia Gussin in 1936.
. Among these films were No Time to Marry (1937), I Am the Law
(1938), and Beauty for the Asking
(1939), starring Lucille Ball
. In the early 1940s, Jarrico was sent to Northern Africa and Italy to be a merchant marine in World War II. When he returned home he restarted his career with Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures. His 1941 film Tom, Dick and Harry
, starring Ginger Rogers
, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
In 1943, Jarrico co-scripted the feature film Song of Russia
. The film was created under pressure from president Franklin D. Roosevelt
to garner sympathy from the public for the Soviet cause in their war against Germany. Some other successful films written by Jarrico in the 1940s include Thousands Cheer
(1943), The Search
(1948) and Not Wanted (1949).
, a friend close to Jarrico gave his name to the House Un-American Activities Committee
. Immediately upon hearing the news of Jarrico's subpoena, Hughes dismissed Jarrico from the film. After refusing to testify before HUAC, Jarrico was blacklisted and his passport was confiscated. This made it extremely difficult for him to make films. No American studios were willing to make his scripts into movies, and he could not go to other countries due to his lack of a passport.
In 1954, Jarrico went to Mexico
with Herbert J. Biberman, a fellow blacklist
filmmaker, where they created the film Salt of the Earth
. The film was the only one to be made by blacklisted filmmakers, and therefore became blacklisted itself, making it the only blacklisted film. In spite of the controversy, the film was one of one-hundred films chosen by the Library of Congress
for the National Film Registry in the year 1992.
In 1958, he moved to Europe where he lived for over twenty years. During the 1960s he used the pseudonym
Peter Achilles to co-script several films, including Jovanka e l’Altri (1960), Call Me Bwana
(1963), Der Schatz der Azteken
(1965) and La Balada de Johnny Ringo (1966). He also wrote scripts for television in Europe all throughout the 1960s.
and lectured on film theory and the blacklist in the U.S. and Europe.
He was 82 years old.
Professor Jerrico taught film writing courses at UCSB which were successful. He was noted for inspiring students who did not believe they could write.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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:...
and film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
who was blacklisted
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
by the Hollywood movie studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
bosses during the era of McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
.
Early years
Paul Jarrico was born in Los AngelesLos 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...
, California on January 12, 1915, as Israel Shapiro. His father was a Russian Jewish immigrant, a lawyer, poet and socialist. While attending UCLA, Jarrico joined the Young Communist League
Young Communist League
The Young Communist League was or is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX was generally taken by all sections of the Communist Youth International.Examples of YCLs:...
, where he became an active member of the communist party. His alliance and association with the party lasted from 1937 to 1952. Jarrico married Sylvia Gussin in 1936.
Film career
During the 1930s, Jarrico began his writing career. He mostly wrote crime and comedy scripts for lower budget Hollywood films with Columbia PicturesColumbia 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...
. Among these films were No Time to Marry (1937), I Am the Law
I Am the Law (1938 film)
-Plot:New York City law professor John Lindsay is asked by Eugene Ferguson, a member of the governor's Civic Committee, to become a special prosecuter to fight racketeers and corruption in the city, but unknown to Lindsay, Ferguson is in association with the racketeers.-Cast:* Edward G...
(1938), and Beauty for the Asking
Beauty for the Asking
Beauty for the Asking is a 1939 film drama produced by RKO Pictures, and starring Lucille Ball and Patrick Knowles.It tells the story of Jean Russell , who becomes romantically involved with a wealthy married man who later spurns her...
(1939), starring Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
. In the early 1940s, Jarrico was sent to Northern Africa and Italy to be a merchant marine in World War II. When he returned home he restarted his career with Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures. His 1941 film Tom, Dick and Harry
Tom, Dick and Harry (1941 film)
Tom, Dick and Harry is a comedy film directed by Garson Kanin, written by Paul Jarrico, and starring Ginger Rogers, George Murphy, Alan Marshal, and Burgess Meredith. The film was released by RKO Radio Pictures....
, starring Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
In 1943, Jarrico co-scripted the feature film Song of Russia
Song of Russia
Song of Russia is a 1944 American war film made and distributed by MGM Studios. The picture was credited as being directed by Gregory Ratoff, though Ratoff collapsed near the end of the five-month production, and was replaced by László Benedek, who completed principal photography; the credited...
. The film was created under pressure from president Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
to garner sympathy from the public for the Soviet cause in their war against Germany. Some other successful films written by Jarrico in the 1940s include Thousands Cheer
Thousands Cheer
Thousands Cheer is a 1943 American comedy musical film released by MGM. Produced at the height of the Second World War, the film was intended as a morale booster for American troops and their families.-Plot:The film is essentially a two-part program...
(1943), The Search
The Search
The Search is a 1948 film directed by Fred Zinnemann which tells the story of a young Auschwitz survivor and his mother who search for each other across post-World War II Europe...
(1948) and Not Wanted (1949).
Blacklisted
Jarrico had engaged in a protracted legal battle with Howard Hughes, the head of RKO. In 1950, while working on his newest script for the Howard Hughes film, The White TowerThe White Tower
The White Tower is a 1945 novel by James Ramsey Ullman. It was the fourth best-selling novel in the US in 1945.It was filmed in 1950 under the direction of Ted Tetzlaff and starring Glenn Ford, Alida Valli, Claude Rains, Lloyd Bridges, Cedric Hardwicke, and Oskar Homolka.-See also:*List of...
, a friend close to Jarrico gave his name to 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"...
. Immediately upon hearing the news of Jarrico's subpoena, Hughes dismissed Jarrico from the film. After refusing to testify before HUAC, Jarrico was blacklisted and his passport was confiscated. This made it extremely difficult for him to make films. No American studios were willing to make his scripts into movies, and he could not go to other countries due to his lack of a passport.
In 1954, Jarrico went to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
with Herbert J. Biberman, a fellow blacklist
Blacklist
A 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...
filmmaker, where they created the film Salt of the Earth
Salt of the Earth
Salt of the Earth is an American drama film written by Michael Wilson, directed by Herbert J. Biberman, and produced by Paul Jarrico. All had been blacklisted by the Hollywood establishment due to their alleged involvement in communist politics....
. The film was the only one to be made by blacklisted filmmakers, and therefore became blacklisted itself, making it the only blacklisted film. In spite of the controversy, the film was one of one-hundred films chosen by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
for the National Film Registry in the year 1992.
In 1958, he moved to Europe where he lived for over twenty years. During the 1960s he used the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Peter Achilles to co-script several films, including Jovanka e l’Altri (1960), Call Me Bwana
Call Me Bwana
Call Me Bwana is a 1963 farce film starring Bob Hope and Anita Ekberg, and directed by Gordon Douglas. It is largely set in Africa. It is the only film made by EON Productions which is not about the Ian Fleming spy character, James Bond and was made by most of the same film crew as Dr...
(1963), Der Schatz der Azteken
Der Schatz der Azteken
Der Schatz der Azteken is a 1965 West German, French and Italian western film adventure directed by Robert Siodmak.-Cast:*Lex Barker ... Dr. Karl Sternau*Gérard Barray ... Count Alfonso di Rodriganda y Sevilla...
(1965) and La Balada de Johnny Ringo (1966). He also wrote scripts for television in Europe all throughout the 1960s.
Personal life
In 1966 Jarrico divorced Sylvia Gussin, his wife of 30 years, to marry a Frenchwoman, Yvette Le Floc'h, from whom he separated in 1977. He then returned to the United States where he met and, in 1992, married Lia Benedetti. He spent the rest of his life in California. He taught courses at the University of California at Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
and lectured on film theory and the blacklist in the U.S. and Europe.
Death and legacy
Paul Jarrico died on October 28, 1997 in a car accident. He was returning home after attending events commemorating the beginnings of the blacklist fifty years earlier.He was 82 years old.
Professor Jerrico taught film writing courses at UCSB which were successful. He was noted for inspiring students who did not believe they could write.
Filmography
- No Time to Marry (1937)
- I am the Law (1938)
- The Little Adventures (1938)
- Beauty for the AskingBeauty for the AskingBeauty for the Asking is a 1939 film drama produced by RKO Pictures, and starring Lucille Ball and Patrick Knowles.It tells the story of Jean Russell , who becomes romantically involved with a wealthy married man who later spurns her...
(1939) - The Face Behind the Mask (1941)
- Tom, Dick and HarryTom, Dick and Harry (1941 film)Tom, Dick and Harry is a comedy film directed by Garson Kanin, written by Paul Jarrico, and starring Ginger Rogers, George Murphy, Alan Marshal, and Burgess Meredith. The film was released by RKO Radio Pictures....
(1941) - Thousands CheerThousands CheerThousands Cheer is a 1943 American comedy musical film released by MGM. Produced at the height of the Second World War, the film was intended as a morale booster for American troops and their families.-Plot:The film is essentially a two-part program...
(1943) - Song of RussiaSong of RussiaSong of Russia is a 1944 American war film made and distributed by MGM Studios. The picture was credited as being directed by Gregory Ratoff, though Ratoff collapsed near the end of the five-month production, and was replaced by László Benedek, who completed principal photography; the credited...
(1943) - The SearchThe SearchThe Search is a 1948 film directed by Fred Zinnemann which tells the story of a young Auschwitz survivor and his mother who search for each other across post-World War II Europe...
(1948) - Not Wanted (1949)
- The White TowerThe White TowerThe White Tower is a 1945 novel by James Ramsey Ullman. It was the fourth best-selling novel in the US in 1945.It was filmed in 1950 under the direction of Ted Tetzlaff and starring Glenn Ford, Alida Valli, Claude Rains, Lloyd Bridges, Cedric Hardwicke, and Oskar Homolka.-See also:*List of...
(1950) - The Las Vegas Story (1952)
- The Man who Watched the Trains Go By (1953)
- Salt of the EarthSalt of the EarthSalt of the Earth is an American drama film written by Michael Wilson, directed by Herbert J. Biberman, and produced by Paul Jarrico. All had been blacklisted by the Hollywood establishment due to their alleged involvement in communist politics....
(1954) - Jovanka e l’Altr (1960)
- All Night Long (1961)
- Call Me BwanaCall Me BwanaCall Me Bwana is a 1963 farce film starring Bob Hope and Anita Ekberg, and directed by Gordon Douglas. It is largely set in Africa. It is the only film made by EON Productions which is not about the Ian Fleming spy character, James Bond and was made by most of the same film crew as Dr...
(1963) - Der Schatz der Azteken (1965)
- Die Pyramide des Sonnegottes (1965)
- La Balada de Johnny Ringo (1966)
- Le Rouble a deux faces (1969)
- Atentat u Sarajevu (1976)
- Bilitis (film)Bilitis (film)Bilitis is a 1977 French romantic drama film directed by photographer David Hamilton with film score by composer Francis Lai. It stars Patti D'Arbanville and Mona Kristensen as the title characters Bilitis and Melissa respectively.-Synopsis:...
(1977) - Messenger of Death (1988)
Additional reading
- Larry Ceplair, The Marxist and the Movies: A Biography of Paul Jarrico. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2007.