Harlan Thompson

Harlan Thompson (24 September 1890 – 29 October 1966) was an American theatre director, screenwriter, lyricist, film director, and film and television producer. He wrote the Broadway hit Little Jessie James (1923–24), and several other Broadway musicals. He moved to Hollywood, where he was in turn a writer, director and producer.

Harlan Thompson was born in Hannibal, Missouri, on 24 September 1890. He went to high school in Kansas City, Missouri, and then attended the University of Kansas. He studied chemical engineering. Thompson became a reporter and editor for The Kansas City Star and Kansas City Post. During World War I (1914–18) he was in the 167th Aero Squadron of the American Expeditionary Forces. After the war he worked for the New York World.

In 1923 Harlan Thompson wrote the book and lyrics for the musical comedy Little Jessie James, with music by Harry Archer. It was staged by Walter Brooks and produced by L. Lawrence Weber. The musical played at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway from 15 August 1923 to 27 January 1924, then moved to the Little Theatre where it played until 19 July 1924. The show played for a total of 385 performances on Broadway. Nan Halperin played Jessie Jamieson, in pursuit of Jay Velie as Paul Revere. Supporting roles were played by Miriam Hopkins and Allen Kearns. The show was low-cost, with a single set and only eight chorus girls. Halperin and Jay Velie introduced the song I Love You by Thompson and Archer. Little Jessie James was the biggest hit of the season and I Love You was the biggest hit of all the songs from that season's musicals.

After their success with Little Jessie James, Thompson and Archer created the musical farce My Girl that opened at the Vanderbilt Theatre on 24 November 1924 and starring Jane Taylor and Russell Mack. The show included catchy numbers like You And I, and ran for six months. Thompson and Archer collaborated again on Merry, Merry, which opened on 24 September 1925 at the Vanderbilt. The musical starred Marie Saxon and Harry Puck. Although not exceptional, it ran for five months. In 1926 Thompson and Harry Archer launched the musical comedy Twinkle Twinkle, which opened at the Liberty Theatre on 16 November 1926. Thompson wrote the libretto while Archer wrote the score, with help from Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. The stars were Ona Munson and Alan Edwards, while Joe E. Brown played a comic detective. Twinkle Twinkle ran for twenty one weeks.

Thompson began to work for Fox as a writer. He combined and adapted the operettas Married in Hollywood (1928) and Ein Waltzertraum (1907) to create the dialog for the film Married in Hollywood (Fox, 21 September 1929) directed by Marcel Silver. The stars were J. Harold Murray and Norma Terris. The New York Times said the film was "adroitly interspersed with joviality and extremely clever photographic embellishments". However, it was a box office failure. Only twelve minutes from the last reel have survived.

In 1929 the German director F. W. Murnau began filming Our Daily Bread for Fox, one of studio's the last silent movies. He aimed for great realism in depicting the transition from the fields where wheat was harvested to the dark rooms in Chicago where the bread was consumed. Filming started late, and on 2 August Murnau came down with appendicitis. With a deadline set by the harvest season, filming on location in Oregon began without him. The rushes looked unpromising. Thompson was sent to Oregon early in September to try to add some comedy to the scenario. Eventually a mutilated version of the film was released as City Girl (Fox, 16 February 1930).

Thompson wrote the scenario and dialog for the romantic drama Women Everywhere (Fox, 1 June 1930) starring J. Harold Murray and directed by Alexander Korda. According to Variety it was "one of those gems occasionally found in the herd of program pictures". The film was quickly forgotten. Thompson wrote the dialog for the musical Are You There? (Fox, 30 November 1930) directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Beatrice Lillie. The film was unusual as a musical about a female detective. Release was delayed from the end of 1930 to early summer of 1931. The film received mixed reviews. Variety panned it, but Exhibitors Herald-World described Lillie as "smart-looking, clever and mirth-provoking... Her personality and grace are registered superbly upon the screen." Thompson wrote the screenplay for Girls Demand Excitement (Fox, 1931) directed by Seymour Felix and starring Virginia Cherrill, John Wayne and Marguerite Churchill.

After moving to Paramount, Thompson collaborated with Walter de Leon on the screenplay for the musical The Phantom President (Paramount, 25 September 1932) directed by Norman Taurog. In 1933, David O. Selznick, a producer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, was negotiating with Walt Disney for co-production of a cartoon version of Baron Munchausen starring Mickey Mouse. Thompson and Victor Heerman prepared a script for the film, to be called Vas You Dere, Sharlie, but the project was abandoned.