Alvah Bessie

Author, Screenwriter

About

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Birth Place

New York City, New York, USA

Born

June 04, 1904

Died

July 21, 1985

Cause of Death

Heart Attack

Biography

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Warner Bros. screenwriter whose career was ended when he was named one of the "Hollywood Ten." Bessie was sentenced to one year in prison and, unlike most of his fellow victims, never worked in the US film industry again. His son Dan wrote and directed the feature film, "Hard Traveling" (1986), adapted from Bessie's book "Bread and a Stone."...

Filmography

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Hollywood On Trial (1976)

The Sex Symbol (1974)

Passage West (1951)

Smart Woman (1948)

Ruthless (1948)

Hotel Berlin (1945)

Photos & Videos

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Northern Pursuit (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Of German Descent

Northern Pursuit (1943) -- (Movie Clip) You Think This Is Cold?

Family & Companions

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Sylviane Bessie

Wife

Bibliography

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"Spain Again"

Alvah Bessie (1975)

"Inquisition in Eden"

Alvah Bessie (1965)

"Men in Battle"

Alvah Bessie

Biography

Warner Bros. screenwriter whose career was ended when he was named one of the "Hollywood Ten." Bessie was sentenced to one year in prison and, unlike most of his fellow victims, never worked in the US film industry again. His son Dan wrote and directed the feature film, "Hard Traveling" (1986), adapted from Bessie's book "Bread and a Stone."

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Hollywood On Trial (1976)

Writer (Feature Film)

The Sex Symbol (1974)

Passage West (1951)

Smart Woman (1948)

Ruthless (1948)

Hotel Berlin (1945)

Objective, Burma! (1945)

The Very Thought of You (1944)

Northern Pursuit (1943)

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Hard Traveling (1986)

Source Material (From Novel)

Hollywood On Trial (1976)

The Sex Symbol (1974)

Source Material (From Novel)

Life Events

1935

Published first novel, "Dwell in the Wilderness"

1943

Wrote first screenplay, "Northern Pursuit"

1947

Refused to answer House Committee on Un-American Activities on Communist issue

1948

Convicted of contempt of Congress; sentenced to one year in prison; served prison term in 1950

1976

Appeared in feature-length documentary, "Hollywood on Trial"

Videos

Northern Pursuit (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Of German Descent We know that von Keller (Helmut Dantine) has just survived an avalanche that killed all his fellow Nazi infiltrators, but this is the first scene for Canadian Mounties Steve (Errol Flynn) and Jim (John Ridgely), in director Raoul Walsh's Northern Pursuit, 1943.

Northern Pursuit (1943) -- (Movie Clip) You Think This Is Cold? End of the opening narration (by Lou Marcelle (as in Casablanca, 1942), impressive simulated submarine, emergence of Nazi spy von Keller (Helmut Dantine), and seemingly unrelated Canadian skullduggery between Wills (Gene Lockhart) and Dagor (Bernard Nedell), from Raoul Walsh's Northern Pursuit, 1943, starring Errol Flynn.

Very Thought Of You, The (1944) -- (Movie Clip) The First Dame I Meet Only in the movies, it still mostly works, in Pasadena on leave, GI "Fixit" (Dane Clark) makes a reckless vow, so he and buddy Dave (Dennis Morgan), a local, get stuck with Cora (Faye Emerson) and Janet (Eleanor Parker), early in Delmer Daves' The Very Thought Of You, 1944.

Very Thought Of You, The (1944) -- (Movie Clip) The Japs Obliged Him On-leave soldier Dave (Dennis Morgan), invited home by friendly stranger Janet (Eleanor Parker), observes home-front mendacity, as 4-F brother Cal (John Alvin) bites married sister Molly (Andrea King), the parents (Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi) also at odds, in The Very Thought Of You, 1944.

Very Thought Of You, The (1944) -- (Movie Clip) Found A Blonde Eskimo Cheery opening from director Delmer Daves, soldiers Dave (Dennis Morgan) and "Fixit" (Dane Clark) find out they're being transferred from the Aleutians, in The Very Thought Of You, form a story by Lionel Wiggan, also starring Eleanor Parker.

Objective, Burma! -- (Movie Clip) Feed Your Men Some Raw Meat Narration, news footage, maps and character actor Erville Alderson in a brief appearance as General Stilwell, opening Raoul Walsh's rousing actioner Objective, Burma!, 1945, starring Errol Flynn.

Northern Pursuit (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Our Country, Isn't It? German-descended RCMP man Wagner (Errol Flynn), who wants to quit for personal reasons, must explain to his commanding officer (Tom Tully) why he wasn't quicker to turn over the Nazi pilot (Helmut Dantine) he captured, later with fiancee' (Julie Bishop), in Northern Pursuit, 1943.

Objective, Burma! -- (Movie Clip) I Froze In The Door Before the big jump, Captain Nelson (Errol Flynn) first with reporter Williams (Henry Hull), then with Gabby (George Tobias) and worried comrade Miggleori (Tony Caruso), in Raoul Walsh's Objective, Burma!, 1945.

Objective, Burma! -- (Movie Clip) Burmese Dancing Girls Errol Flynn as American army captain Nelson, laying out the mission for his paratroopers (Tony Caruso, Richard Erdman, George Tynes et al) and meeting crusty reporter Williams (Henry Hull), early in Raoul Walsh's Objective, Burma!, 1945.

Hotel Berlin - (Original Trailer) During World War II's final days, people with a variety of problems converge on Hotel Berlin (1945) starring Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre.

Very Thought of You, The - (Original Trailer) For the wartime romance The Very Thought Of You (1944), director Delmar Daves shot on location at Cal Tech and the San Diego Navy Yards.

Objective, Burma! -- (Original Trailer) An American platoon parachutes into Burma to take out a strategic Japanese outpost in Objective, Burma! (1945) starring Errol Flynn.

Northern Pursuit - (Original Trailer) Errol Flynn is a Mountie tracking a downed Nazi flyer through the Canadian wilderness in Raoul Walsh's Northern Pursuit (1943).

Family

David Bessie

Son

Dan Bessie

Son

Director, screenwriter. Feature writing and directing debut with adaptation of father's book, "Bread and a Stone".

Eva Wilson

Daughter

Companions

Sylviane Bessie

Wife

Bibliography

"Spain Again"

Alvah Bessie (1975)

"Inquisition in Eden"

Alvah Bessie (1965)

"Men in Battle"

Alvah Bessie

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