David Wolff

Screenwriter

About

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Also Known As

Benjamin Maddow, Ben Maddow

Born

August 07, 1909

Died

October 09, 1992

Biography

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Prolific screenwriter and documentarian from the 1930s through the 70s. Maddow began his career working within the American documentary movement in the 30s. In 1936 he co-founded the short-lived left-wing newsreel "The World Today." Under the pseudonym of David Wolff, Maddow co-wrote the screenplay to the Paul Strand-Leo Hurwitz documentary landmark, "Native Land" (1942). He earned his f...

Filmography

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An Affair of the Skin (1963)

The Savage Eye (1960)

Man on a String (1972)

The Mephisto Waltz (1971)

The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)

The Chairman (1969)

Photos & Videos

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Intruder In The Dust (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Ain't Seen One Darkie

Asphalt Jungle, The (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Occupation, None

Family & Companions

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Freda Flier

Wife

Dancer. Survived him.

Biography

Prolific screenwriter and documentarian from the 1930s through the 70s. Maddow began his career working within the American documentary movement in the 30s. In 1936 he co-founded the short-lived left-wing newsreel "The World Today." Under the pseudonym of David Wolff, Maddow co-wrote the screenplay to the Paul Strand-Leo Hurwitz documentary landmark, "Native Land" (1942). He earned his first feature screenplay credit with "Framed" (1947), and other screenplays include Clarence Brown's "Intruder in the Dust" (1949, an adaptation of the Faulkner novel), John Huston's "The Asphalt Jungle" (1950) and "The Unforgiven" (1960). As a documentarian he directed and wrote such films as "Storm of Strangers" and "The Stairs." Maddow made his solo feature directorial debut with the striking, offbeat feature "An Affair of the Skin" (1963), a well-acted story of several loves and friendships gone sour and marked by the rich characterizations which had distinguished his best screenplays. His final screenplay was for the horror melodrama "The Mephisto Waltz" (1970).

Filmography

Director (Feature Film)

An Affair of the Skin (1963)

The Savage Eye (1960)

Writer (Feature Film)

Man on a String (1972)

The Mephisto Waltz (1971)

The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)

The Chairman (1969)

The Way West (1967)

The Balcony (1963)

An Affair of the Skin (1963)

Two Loves (1961)

The Unforgiven (1960)

The Savage Eye (1960)

Shadow in the Sky (1952)

Intruder in the Dust (1950)

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

The Man from Colorado (1948)

Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948)

Native Land (1942)

Native Land (1942)

Return to Life (1938)

Commentary [wrt] by

Producer (Feature Film)

An Affair of the Skin (1963)

The Balcony (1963)

Film Production - Main (Feature Film)

The 400,000,000 (1939)

Life Events

1936

Co-created the leftist newsreel "The World Today"

1942

Wrote the screenplay to "Native Land" under the pseudonym David Wolff

1947

Debut screenplay credit under real name with "Framed"

1952

Wrote the novel "44 Gravel Street"

1954

Co-wrote the screenplay, but went uncredited, for "Johnny Guitar"

1963

Wrote, directed and produced the feature "An Affair of the Skin"

1971

Final screenplay credit with "The Mephisto Waltz"

Videos

Intruder In The Dust (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Ain't Seen One Darkie Joining producer/director Clarence Brown's opening after the credits, shooting in Oxford, Mississippi, the hometown of the original author William Faulkner, introducing Claude Jarman Jr. as "Chick" and Juano Hernandez as "Lucas," in Intruder In The Dust, 1950.

Asphalt Jungle, The (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Occupation, None Opening shot in Cincinnati, (the ending was shot on the same production trip, in Kentucky) introducing Dix (Sterling Hayden), Gus (James Whitmore) at the diner, Barry Kelley the cop at the line-up (featuing Strother Martin), Frank Cady the witness, in John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle, 1950.

Asphalt Jungle, The (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Left-Handed Form Rich lawyer Emmerich (Louis Calhern) is questioned by two cops (Don Haggerty, James Seay) about a murder in which we know he was directly involved, then calls his mistress to arrange an alibi, and rejoins his invalid wife (Dorothy Tree) for a famous line, in The Asphalt Jungle, 1950.

Asphalt Jungle, The (1950) -- (Movie Clip) You Gotta Learn To Carry Matches Stick-up man Dix (Sterling Hayden), laying low after beating a legitimate arrest, greets anxious Doll (Jean Hagen), whom he doesn’t know well, except that the clip-joint where she worked got raided, early in John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle, 1950, from the W.R. Burnett novel.

Asphalt Jungle, The -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Dix Opening title sequence from John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle, 1950, sees thug Dix (Sterling Hayden) finding shelter in the diner run by pal Gus (James Whitmore) before the cops arrive.

Asphalt Jungle, The (1950) -- (Movie Clip) You'll Have Plenty Of Trips Critical scene as the Commissioner (John McIntire) confronts lawyer Emmerich (Louis Calhern) and girlfriend Angela (Marilyn Monroe) cracks under questioning in John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle, 1950.

Framed (1947) -- (Movie Clip) How Wrong You Are Drifter, truck-driver and engineer Mike (Glenn Ford) resists the friendly approach of scheming bombshell Paula (Janis Carter), who rescued him and got him blackout-drunk the night before, in Columbia's Framed, 1947.

Framed (1947) -- (Movie Clip) I'll Let The Judge Tell You Mike (Glenn Ford), who’s done well to cause nothing more than a small wreck after the truck he was hired to drive somewhere east of LA proved to have no brakes, enters the local cafe and meets Paula (Janis Carter), the barkeep (Sid Tomack) and the cops, the second scene, in Framed, 1947.

Framed (1947) -- (Movie Clip) An Angel In Furs We’ve no idea why waitress Paula (Janis Carter) has paid to keep our hero (Glenn Ford, not seen), whom she just met, out of jail and left him drunk in a hotel room and quit her job, nor exactly why she’s meeting Stephen (Barry Sullivan, his first scene), but it’s sinister for sure, early in Framed, 1947.

Asphalt Jungle, The (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Don't Call Me Uncle Lon Louis Calhern, as rich lawyer Alonzo Emmerich, is being asked by bookie Cobby (Marc Lawrence) and brainy ex-con Doc (Sam Jaffe) to bankroll a heist, showing interest then ushering them out, then visiting Angela (Marilyn Monroe), whose position we infer, in The Asphalt Jungle, 1950.

Asphalt Jungle, The (1950) -- (Movie Clip) No, I Don't Know How It Is Freelance gangster and losing gambler Dix (Sterling Hayden) pays off nervous bookie Cobby (Marc Lawrence), who tries to apologize for insisting, then meets his newly-paroled heist partner Doc (Sam Jaffe), before crooked cop Ditrich (Barry Kelley) drops by, in The Asphalt Jungle, 1950.

Intruder In The Dust (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Catamounts And Panthers Mississippi jailer (Harry Antrim) conducts doubtful lawyer Stevens (David Brian), who's been brought by his nephew Chick (Claude Jarman Jr.), to see accused murder Lucas Beauchamp (Juano Hernandez), covering some of the background from William Faulkner's novel, in Intruder In The Dust, 1950.

Two Loves - (British Trailer) Shirley MacLaine stars as an American teacher who struggles with her values while teaching natives in New Zealand in Two Loves (1961), released in England as Spinster.

Asphalt Jungle, The - (Original Trailer) A gang of small-time crooks plots an elaborate jewel heist in The Asphalt Jungle (1950), directed by John Huston.

Family

Ellen Zimet

Daughter

Survived him.

Emily Dawson

Daughter

Survived him.

Companions

Freda Flier

Wife

Dancer. Survived him.

Bibliography

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