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Daniel Taradash
Daniel Taradash
Daniel Taradash
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Daniel Taradash (January 29, 1913 – February 22, 2003) was an American screenwriter.

Key Information

Taradash's credits include Golden Boy (1939), Rancho Notorious (1952), Don't Bother to Knock (1952), From Here to Eternity (1953), Désirée (1954), Picnic (1955), Storm Center (1956), which he also directed, Bell, Book and Candle (1958), Morituri (1965), Hawaii (1966), Castle Keep (1969), Doctors' Wives (1971), and Bogie (1980), a film biography of Humphrey Bogart.

Early years

[edit]

Daniel Taradash was born to a Jewish family[1] in Kentucky and raised in Chicago and Miami Beach. He attended Harvard University, where he met his future producing partner Jules Blaustein. He graduated with a law degree and passed the New York State bar. But when his play The Mercy won the 1938 Bureau of New Plays contest (the two previous winners were Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams), a career in theater was launched. He moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a scripter. His first assignment was as one of four credited writers on the screen version of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy (1939).

His theater career was interrupted when, during World War II, Taradash served in the U.S. Army. He eventually underwent training in the Signal Corps Officer Candidate program. He was assigned to the Signal Corps Photo Center, where he worked as a writer and producer on training films.[2]

Post World War II career

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After the war, Taradash attempted to find success on Broadway with an American version of Jean-Paul Sartre's Red Gloves, but the show folded quickly and he returned to Hollywood. He had more success as the co-writer (with John Monks Jr) of the Humphrey Bogart vehicle Knock on Any Door (1949). The Fritz Lang Western Rancho Notorious and the psychodrama Don't Bother to Knock (both 1952). Performers included Marlene Dietrich and Arthur Kennedy in the former, Richard Widmark and Marilyn Monroe in the latter. His adaptation of James Jones' massive novel From Here to Eternity (1953) starring Burt Lancaster was a big success and earned Taradash an Oscar. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann. His subsequent film work was generally in adaptations, including Desiree (1954), about Napoleon and Joséphine; Picnic (1955), from the William Inge play; and Bell, Book and Candle (1958), from John Van Druten's stage comedy.

In the mid-1950s, Taradash and Jules Blaustein formed Phoenix Corporation. He also tried his hand at directing with Storm Center (1956), starring Bette Davis as a librarian fighting censorship and book banning. Taradash and Zinnemann had planned to make two films from James Michener's massive novel Hawaii but were unable to raise the financing. When George Roy Hill did make the film in 1965, he utilized Taradash's script with emendations by Dalton Trumbo. By the 1970s, Taradash's efforts produced his final two scripts for the soap operas Doctors' Wives (1971) and The Other Side of Midnight (1977).

Taradash won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Drama for From Here to Eternity, and he received a WGA nomination for Picnic.

Taradash served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1970 to 1973. He was AMPAS's 20th president. In 1972, he introduced Charlie Chaplin at Chaplin's appearance at the 44th Academy Awards and presented him with an honorary award.

In 2003, Taradash died of pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles at age 90.

Achievements

[edit]
  • 1938 - Passed New York bar exam
  • 1938 - Won the Bureau of New Plays nationwide playwrighting contest previously won by Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams
  • 1939 - First feature credit as one of four credited screenwriters on the film adaptation of Golden Boy
  • 1941 - Served in the US Army
  • 1948 - Debut as a Broadway playwright, Red Gloves, adapted from the work by Jean-Paul Sartre
  • 1949 - Breakthrough screen credit as co-writer of Knock on Any Door
  • 1953 - Earned Academy Award for his screenplay for From Here to Eternity, adapted from the James Jones novel
  • 1956 - Adapted William Inge's Picnic
  • 1956 - Directorial debut, Storm Center (also wrote)
  • 1958 - Wrote the screenplay adaptation of Bell, Book and Candle
  • 1959 - Made one-shot return to Broadway as playwright of There Was a Little Girl, starring Jane Fonda
  • 1966 - Received co-writer credit on Hawaii; originally he and director Fred Zinnemann had hoped to make two films based on the James Michener novel but financing could not be raised
  • 1971 - Scripted Doctors Wives
  • 1977 - Final screenplay credit, The Other Side of Midnight[3]
  • 1996 - Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement

Sources

[edit]
  1. ^ Erens, Patricia (August 1988). The Jew in American Cinema. Indiana University Press. p. 392. ISBN 978-0-253-20493-6.
  2. ^ WGAW President, 1977-1979: Daniel Taradash Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  3. ^ Yahoo Movies Daniel Taradash biography https://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d-hc&id-1800034078&cf-biog&intl-us
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Daniel Taradash

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Daniel Taradash was an American screenwriter known for his Academy Award-winning adaptation of From Here to Eternity (1953). Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1913, he earned a law degree from Harvard University and passed the New York bar exam but never practiced law, instead turning to writing after his play The Mercy won a national contest in 1938, leading to a contract with Columbia Pictures. His Hollywood career began with the screenplay for Golden Boy (1939), adapted from Clifford Odets's play, and continued through World War II service in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, where he wrote and produced training films. Taradash achieved his greatest acclaim for From Here to Eternity, which earned him the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and helped the film win eight Academy Awards overall. He adapted other notable works, including William Inge's Picnic (1955) and James A. Michener's Hawaii (1966), and wrote or co-wrote films such as Bell, Book and Candle (1958) and Castle Keep (1969). He also directed one feature, Storm Center (1956), starring Bette Davis. Beyond screenwriting, Taradash was a prominent industry leader, serving as president of the Writers Guild of America West from 1977 to 1979 and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1970 to 1973. He received numerous honors from the Writers Guild, including the Laurel Award for Screen Writing Achievement in 1996. Taradash died in Los Angeles in 2003 at the age of 90.

Early life and education

Daniel Taradash was born on January 29, 1913, in Louisville, Kentucky. He was raised in Chicago, Illinois, and Miami Beach, Florida. Taradash attended Harvard University, where he earned a B.A. in 1933 and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1936. He passed the New York State bar examination in 1938 but never practiced law. Taradash wrote the play The Mercy, which won the Bureau of New Plays nationwide contest in 1938, an award previously given to Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. This victory launched his writing career and prompted his move to Hollywood.

Military service and early career

Military service and early screenwriting credits

Taradash's first film credit was as one of four writers on Golden Boy (1939), an adaptation of Clifford Odets' play. In 1941, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in the Signal Corps during World War II, writing and producing training and motivational films at the Signal Corps Photo Center. After the war, Taradash returned to writing with co-credit on the screenplay for Knock on Any Door (1949). He also adapted Jean-Paul Sartre's Les Mains sales for the Broadway stage as Red Gloves (1948), though the production closed after a brief run. In 1952, he received co-writing credits on the western noir Rancho Notorious, directed by Fritz Lang, and the psychological thriller Don't Bother to Knock.

Acclaimed period and Oscar win

Breakthrough films and Academy Award success

Daniel Taradash's breakthrough came with his screenplay adaptation of James Jones' novel From Here to Eternity (1953), directed by Fred Zinnemann. The film became one of the most acclaimed productions of its era, receiving 13 Academy Award nominations and winning 8 Oscars. Taradash received the Academy Award for Writing (Screenplay), recognizing his work in adapting the novel into a compelling cinematic narrative. This success solidified his reputation as a top screenwriter capable of translating literary works to the screen with fidelity and dramatic impact. In the years following this triumph, Taradash continued to contribute to major studio films through adaptations and original work. He wrote the screenplay for the historical drama Désirée (1954), centered on Napoleon and Joséphine. He next adapted William Inge's play Picnic (1955), earning a nomination from the Writers Guild of America. In 1956, he provided the original story and screenplay for Storm Center, a drama addressing book censorship and starring Bette Davis, which also served as his directorial debut. His 1950s period concluded with the screenplay adaptation of John Van Druten's play Bell, Book and Candle (1958). These projects highlighted his versatility in handling diverse genres from war drama to romance and social commentary during Hollywood's postwar era.

Later career and directing

Directing debut and subsequent screenplays

Taradash made his sole directorial effort with Storm Center (1956), a drama he co-wrote with Elick Moll and which starred Bette Davis as a small-town librarian resisting pressure to remove a book on communism from the library shelves amid McCarthy-era paranoia. The film addressed controversial themes of censorship, book banning, and intellectual freedom during a period of political conformity. Taradash's direction emphasized the personal and societal conflicts surrounding the librarian's stand, though the script drew mixed reviews for moments of stilted dialogue despite strong passages. In the mid-1950s, Taradash formed the Phoenix Corporation with producer Julian Blaustein as a vehicle for independent film development, providing context for his shift toward selective projects after his early successes. Following Storm Center, he focused primarily on screenwriting, contributing to a series of varied films across genres. He wrote the screenplay for Morituri (1965), a World War II espionage thriller released as The Saboteur: Code Name Morituri in some markets. Taradash co-wrote the screenplay for Hawaii (1966), an epic adaptation of James Michener's novel initially planned as two separate films under director Fred Zinnemann but restructured into a single feature during production. He subsequently penned the screenplays for Castle Keep (1969), a surreal World War II drama directed by Sydney Pollack; Doctors' Wives (1971), a medical melodrama; and The Other Side of Midnight (1977), an adaptation of Sidney Sheldon's bestselling novel of romance and revenge. His last credited work was the teleplay for the television movie Bogie (1980), a biographical drama about Humphrey Bogart's life and career.

Industry leadership

Roles in the Writers Guild of America and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Daniel Taradash held numerous leadership positions in the Writers Guild of America and its predecessor organizations, as well as in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He served as president of the Screen Branch of the Guild from 1955 to 1956, first vice president in 1957, and president of the Writers Guild of America West from 1977 to 1979. He also served on more than 30 Guild committees over the course of his career. For his contributions to the Guild, Taradash received several major honors, including the Valentine Davies Award in 1971, the Morgan Cox Award in 1988, the Edmund H. North Award in 1991, and the Screen Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement in 1996. In the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Taradash was vice president from 1968 to 1970 and president from 1970 to 1972. He later served as a member of the Board of Governors from 1990 to 1993. During his presidency, he personally introduced Charles Chaplin at the 44th Academy Awards in 1972 and presented him with an honorary Oscar for the incalculable effect he had on making motion pictures an art form of the century, an appearance that drew a prolonged standing ovation.

Personal life and death

Family and final years

Taradash married Madeleine Forbes after meeting her on a blind date in New York while he was posted to the Signal Corps Photographic Center during World War II, with the couple marrying six weeks later. They remained married for 58 years until his death. The couple had three children—daughters Jan and Meg, and son Bill—and two grandchildren. Taradash lived in Los Angeles during his later years and retirement. In his final years, he remained a private man who enjoyed visiting museums, traveled to New York twice a year to attend live theater, and watched up to 100 films a year, as many as two or three per week, continuing this routine until shortly before his death. He died of pancreatic cancer on February 22, 2003, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 90. His survivors included his wife Madeleine, children Jan of Berkeley, Meg of Los Angeles, and Bill of New York, and two grandchildren. The funeral was private, with no public services scheduled.
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