Ring Lardner Jr.

Screenwriter

About

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Also Known As

Ringgold Wilmer Lardner Jr., Philip Rush

Birth Place

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Born

August 19, 1915

Died

October 31, 2000

Cause of Death

Cancer

Biography

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A Hollywood publicist and New York reporter who turned script doctor before having his own screenplays produced in the 1940s, Ring Lardner Jr.'s notable contributions include the acid satire, "Nothing Sacred" (1937), the effervescent comedy, "Woman of the Year" (1942), which earned him his first Oscar, and the noir classic, "Laura" (1944). One of the "Hollywood Ten," Lardner served a ter...

Filmography

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My Name Is Bertolt Brecht - Exile in U.S.A. (1988)

Hollywood On Trial (1976)

The Hollywood Ten (1950)

The Greatest (1977)

Woman Of The Year (1976)

Lady Liberty (1972)

Photos & Videos

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Woman Of The Year (1942) -- (Movie Clip) Should We Abolish Baseball?

M*A*S*H (1970) -- (Movie Clip) And Then There Was Korea

Biography

A Hollywood publicist and New York reporter who turned script doctor before having his own screenplays produced in the 1940s, Ring Lardner Jr.'s notable contributions include the acid satire, "Nothing Sacred" (1937), the effervescent comedy, "Woman of the Year" (1942), which earned him his first Oscar, and the noir classic, "Laura" (1944). One of the "Hollywood Ten," Lardner served a term in prison before circumventing his blacklisting by using fronts or writing under the pseudonym Philip Rush. He resurfaced under his own name with Norman Jewison's excellent drama "The Cincinnati Kid" (1965). Lardner won a second Oscar for his script for Robert Altman's brilliant black comedy "M*A*S*H" (1970). His last produced script was the 1977 biopic of boxer Muhammad Ali, "The Greatest."

He is the son of humorist Ring Lardner and brother of writers John, James and David Lardner.

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

My Name Is Bertolt Brecht - Exile in U.S.A. (1988)

Hollywood On Trial (1976)

The Hollywood Ten (1950)

Writer (Feature Film)

The Greatest (1977)

Woman Of The Year (1976)

Lady Liberty (1972)

Lady Liberty (1972)

Writer (Adaptation)

The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

Virgin Island (1960)

The Big Night (1951)

The Hollywood Ten (1950)

The Forbidden Street (1949)

Swiss Tour (1949)

The Brasher Doubloon (1947)

Contract Writer

Forever Amber (1947)

Cloak and Dagger (1946)

Brotherhood of Man (1946)

Tomorrow, the World! (1944)

The Cross of Lorraine (1944)

Woman of the Year (1942)

Original Screenplay

Thieves Fall Out (1941)

Contract Writer

Arkansas Judge (1941)

The Courageous Dr. Christian (1940)

Original Screenplay

Meet Dr. Christian (1939)

The Kid from Kokomo (1939)

Contract Writer

Nothing Sacred (1937)

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

My Name Is Bertolt Brecht - Exile in U.S.A. (1988)

Hollywood On Trial (1976)

La Maison Sous les Arbres (1971)

Cast (Special)

Spencer Tracy: Triumph and Turmoil (1999)

Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial (1996)

Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey (1990)

Life Events

1935

Worked as reporter for DAILY MIRROR

1937

First screen work, uncredited work on "Nothing Sacred"

1937

Provided the ending for "A Star Is Born"

1939

First screen credit as co-writer with Ian McLellan Hunter and Harvey Gates, "Meet Dr. Christian"

1942

Provided story and co-wrote screenplay for "Woman of the Year"; won Oscar

1947

Subpoenaed before the House Committee on Un-American Activities

1950

Blacklisted in Hollywood

1951

Provided uncredited work on the screenplay for Joseph Losey's "The Big Night"

1958

With Ian McLellan Hunter, wrote screenplay to "Virgin Island"; jointly credited as Philip Rush

1965

Received co-screenwriter credit (with Terry Southern) on Norman Jewison's "The Cincinnati Kid"

1970

Wrote the screenplay adaptation for Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H"; won second Oscar

1977

Last feature film to date "The Greatest"

1985

Began involvement with Sundance Institute

Videos

Woman Of The Year (1942) -- (Movie Clip) Should We Abolish Baseball? Opening scene, sports writer Sam (Spencer Tracy) joins pals (Roscoe Karns, William Tannen) and barkeep (William Bendix), as they hear high-brow columnist Tess (Katharine Hepburn) on the radio, in Woman Of The Year, 1942, original screenplay by Michael Kanin and Ring Lardner Jr.

M*A*S*H (1970) -- (Movie Clip) And Then There Was Korea Immediately after the opening, a graphic citing General MacArthur and the introduction of Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye, encountering a testy sergeant (Jerry Jones) then meeting his fellow new surgeon Duke (Tom Skerritt), from director Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H, 1970.

M*A*S*H (1970) -- (Movie Clip) He Was Drafted New head nurse Major Houlihan (Sally Kellerman), who has allied herself with the martinet Major Burns, confronts unorthodox surgeon Hawkeye (Donald Sutherland) in the mess tent, Rene Auberjonois commenting, in director Robert Altman’s counter-culture Korean War comedy M*A*S*H, 1970.

M*A*S*H (1970) -- (Movie Clip) Scratch My Nose Radar (Gary Burghoff) conducts new Korean War surgeons Hawkeye (Donald Sutherland) and Duke (Tom Skerritt) to their tent, meeting colleague Frank Burns (Robert Duvall) and local Ho-Jon (Kim Atwood), before director Robert Altman’s first operating room scene, in M*A*S*H, 1970.

M*A*S*H (1970) -- (Movie Clip) It Worked For Hitler And Eva Braun Trapper (Elliott Gould) and Hawkeye (Donald Sutherland) et al discuss dentist Waldowski (John Schuck), who’s contemplating suicide because he thinks he’s a latent homosexual, improvising a counter-measure in which Father Mulcahy (Rene Auberjonois) is reluctant to assist, in M*A*S*H, 1970.

M*A*S*H (1970) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Suicide Is Painless The opening from Robert Altman, including the rarely-heard lyric from the song, which became the TV title theme, which made writer Mike Altman (the director’s son) rich, and a brief introduction of Colonel Blake (Roger Bowen) and Radar (Gary Burghoff), from M*A*S*H, 1970,

Elmer The Great (1933) -- (Movie Clip) Don't Tell Nobody! Donna Mae Roberts on the switchboard, Charles Wilson the big-shot calling from Chicago, Patricia Ellis as Nellie at the store, various other characters in the Indiana home town, in a script based on a Broadway play by Ring Lardner and George M. Cohan, opening the First National Joe E. Brown vehicle, Elmer The Great, 1933.

Woman Of The Year (1942) -- (Movie Clip) He Hit Me First Sports writer Sam (Spencer Tracy) summoned by the editor (Reginald Owen) to meet columnist Tess (Katharine Hepburn) with whom he's been feuding, both quick to adjust their attitudes, in George Stevens' Woman Of The Year, 1942.

Woman Of The Year (1942) -- (Movie Clip) No Women In The Press Box Famous scene, executing their enforced truce, sports writer Sam (Spencer Tracy) brings baseball-illiterate columnist Tess (Katharine Hepburn) to Yankee Stadium, his pals (Roscoe Karns, William Tannen) sniping, in George Stevens' Woman Of The Year, 1942.

Woman Of The Year (1942) -- (Movie Clip) Here's Your Hat Sportswriter Sam (Spencer Tracy), having gallantly left the apartment of columnist Tess (Katharine Hepburn), despite her vulnerable state and his growing attraction, at work the next morning receives the hat he forgot, and attitudes from colleagues, in George Stevens’ Woman Of The Year, 1942.

Nothing Sacred (1937) -- (Movie Clip) Hello Hazel! Reporter Wally Cook (Fredric March) and Hazel Flagg (Carole Lombard) from Vermont, now famous for being near-death from radium poisoning, fly into New York City, in director William A. Wellman's Nothing Sacred, 1937.

Nothing Sacred (1937) -- (Movie Clip) Pneumonia! Reporter Wally (Fredric March) resorts to violence as he tries to convince Hazel (Carole Lombard) that she can't quit faking radium-poisoning just yet in Nothing Sacred, 1937, directed by William A. Wellman.

M-A-S-H - (Original Trailer) The staff of a Korean War field hospital use humor to keep their sanity during wartime in Robert Altman's breakthrough movie M-A-S-H (1970).

Nothing Sacred - (Original Trailer) When a small-town girl is diagnosed with a rare, deadly disease, an ambitious newspaper man turns her into a national heroine in Nothing Sacred (1937).

Cincinnati Kid, The - (Original Trailer) Card sharks try to deal with personal problems during a big game in New Orleans in The Cincinnati Kid (1965), starring Steve McQueen.

Cross of Lorraine, The - (Original Trailer) Allied POWs fight to survive torture and loss of faith in The Cross of Lorraine (1944) starring Gene Kelly and Peter Lorre.

Bibliography

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