We look back at the Oscar-winning screenwriter who couldn’t get his award…
This article originally appeared onDen of Geek UK.
Back in 1953,Roman Holidaywas a raging success.
Furthermore, come the night of the Academy Awards, further riches were to be bestowed on the film.
The film collected a third Oscar too, for its screenplay.
The named writers were John Dighton and Ian McLellan Hunter.
Ian McLellan Hunter did not write a single word of the film.
When Robert Richs name was called on Oscar night, nobody came to the stage.
Trumbo would not get that gong until 1975.
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Trumbo was one of the best and most prolific screenwriters of his era.
In 1939 and 1940, six different movies bore his writing credit.
But for a long time, not his own.
Well, Trumbo was one of the victims of Senator Joseph McCarthys crackdown on communism in the United States.
Trumbo refused to hand over any information, and was duly convicted of Contempt Of Congress.
He was sent to prison, serving 11 months.
Trumbo, along with many others, found himself blacklisted, and unable to work on Hollywood films.
Or at least tell people he was.
It was Kirk Douglas who would prove instrumental.
Douglas was in a race against time to bring his planned production ofSpartacusto the screen.
That was eventually amicably resolved.
However, Douglas was still in trouble, and thus took a meeting with a man called Sam Jackson.
Within 48 hours, Douglas had an outline.
But again, this was resolved, with Douglas backing down.
But the question then arose: whose name to put down on the credits as a writer?
Dalton Trumbo was the writer ofSpartacus.
The problems didnt go away overnight, and nor did the blacklist.
Although its credibility had been hit,Spartacuswas still picketed by protesters on its initial release.
Many others who were blacklisted never did.
