Charles Schnee

Screenwriter

About

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Birth Place

Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Born

August 06, 1916

Died

November 29, 1963

Cause of Death

Heart Attack

Biography

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Gave up law to become a screenwriter in the mid-1940s, crafting scripts for such excellent works as the classic western, "Red River" (1948), the driving social melodrama "They Live By Night" (1949) and the cynical Hollywood saga, "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952). Schnee worked primarily as a producer and production executive during the mid-1950s but eventually turned his attention back...

Filmography

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Red River (1988)

Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)

The Crowded Sky (1960)

BUtterfield 8 (1960)

The Bad and the Beautiful (1953)

Westward the Women (1952)

Photos & Videos

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They Live By Night (1949) -- (Movie Clip) They're Thieves, Just Like Us

Two Weeks In Another Town (1962) -- (Movie Clip) I Thought I Had It Made

Biography

Gave up law to become a screenwriter in the mid-1940s, crafting scripts for such excellent works as the classic western, "Red River" (1948), the driving social melodrama "They Live By Night" (1949) and the cynical Hollywood saga, "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952). Schnee worked primarily as a producer and production executive during the mid-1950s but eventually turned his attention back to scriptwriting.

Filmography

Writer (Feature Film)

Red River (1988)

Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)

The Crowded Sky (1960)

BUtterfield 8 (1960)

The Bad and the Beautiful (1953)

Westward the Women (1952)

When in Rome (1952)

Bannerline (1951)

The Next Voice You Hear (1950)

Right Cross (1950)

The Furies (1950)

Born to Be Bad (1950)

Paid in Full (1950)

Scene of the Crime (1949)

They Live by Night (1949)

Easy Living (1949)

The Accused (1949)

Contract Writer

I Walk Alone (1948)

Red River (1948)

Cross My Heart (1947)

Additional Dialogue

From This Day Forward (1946)

Producer (Feature Film)

Until They Sail (1957)

The Wings of Eagles (1957)

House of Numbers (1957)

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

The Prodigal (1955)

Desperate Search (1953)

Executive Producer

Rogue's March (1953)

Executive Producer

Torch Song (1953)

Executive Producer

Jeopardy (1953)

Executive Producer

You For Me (1952)

Executive Producer

Life Events

1946

Screenwriting debut "From This Day Forward"

1953

Production debut "Torch Song"

Photo Collections

The Bad and the Beautiful - Complete Shooting Script

Here is a copy of the complete shooting script (141 pages) for MGM's The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), written by Charles Schnee and produced by John Houseman. This a version dated 4-17-52. Note that the original title was to be Tribute To a Bad Man.

Videos

They Live By Night (1949) -- (Movie Clip) They're Thieves, Just Like Us Keechie (Cathy O'Donnell) fetches Bowie (Farley Granger), injured and left behind after the jailbreak, to his fellow thieves, her uncle Chickamaw (Howard da Silva) and T-Dub (Jay C. Flippen), and her own crook father (Will Wright), the first meeting of the principals, in Nicholas Ray's They Live by Night, 1949.

Two Weeks In Another Town (1962) -- (Movie Clip) I Thought I Had It Made On a Rome-area beach after a night out with new girlfriend Veronica (Dahlia Lavi), movie star Jack (Kirk Douglas), fresh off three years in a sanitarium, reflects on his career, in Vincente Minnelli's Two Weeks In Another Town, 1962.

Bad And The Beautiful, The (1953) -- (Movie Clip) Doom Of The Cat Men Barry Sullivan narrating as young director Fred, about his rise along with producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) through the Hollywood ranks, echoes of the career of producer Val Lewton included, in Vincente Minnelli's The Bad And The Beautiful, 1953.

Trial (1955) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, San Juno Village Beach All-out "ripped from the headlines" scene-setting featuring Rafael Campos (as "Angel") in the dramatic opening of director Mark Robson's Trial, 1955, starring Glenn Ford and Arthur Kennedy.

Trial (1955) -- (Movie Clip) This Young Man's Voice Is A Mighty Weapon Glenn Ford as David Blake, law professor who signed on to gain trial experience, and is arguing the case for big time attorney Castle (Arthur Kennedy), grumbling about the publicity operation, which is illustrated with scenes at the LA Shrine Auditorium, with Katy Jurado, Barry Kelley et al, in Trial, 1955, from writer Don Mankiewicz and director Mark Robson.

Trial (1955) -- (Movie Clip) That Meant Me Keep Out! Everybody fighting over young suspect Angel (Rafael Campos) including lawyer Barney (Arthur Kennedy), professor David (Glenn Ford) and mom (Katy Jurado) in an early scene from director Mark Robson's Trial, 1955.

Right Cross (1950) -- (Movie Clip) He's A Good Boy Second scene, we meet the leading man, boxer Johnny (Ricardo Montalban) who, it turns out, is not only professionally involved with Pat (June Allyson), the daughter of his manager, and who himself has other prospects (Barry Kelley), early in MGM's Right Cross, 1950, directed by John Sturges.

Right Cross (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Nice Future Picking Lettuce Injured boxer Johnny (Ricardo Montalban) is sharing about family back in Mexico with writer pal Rick (Dick Powell) when his girlfriend Pat (June Allyson, who was also Mrs. Powell), the daughter of Johnny's manager arrives, bringing some tension, in MGM's Right Cross, 1950.

Scene Of The Crime (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Stop Tossing That Gun Around Opening with a straight-up murder, characters not identified (G. Pat Collins plays the victim whom, we’ll learn, is a plainclothes cop), we then meet cover-girl Gloria (Arlene Dahl) and her husband, cop Mike Conovan (Van Johnson), about to celebrate their anniversary, in the rare MGM-Noir, Scene Of The Crime, 1949.

Scene Of The Crime (1949) -- (Movie Clip) If You Never Try To Stop L-A cop Conovan (Van Johnson) chasing a lead, explains to wife Gloria (Arlene Dahl) then, hardly noticing one performer (Jean Carter) and not revealing himself, earns some time with stripper Lili (Gloria DeHaven, in a role evoking the famous Burlesque entertainer Lili St. Cyr), in MGM’s Scene Of The Crime, 1949.

Scene Of The Crime (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Only Fools Bet Horses Three L-A cops (Van Johnson as Mike Conovan, with John McIntire and Tom Drake) investigating a colleague’s murder have followed the car that just picked up a suspect they were watching, to learn that he’s been grabbed by syndicate crook “Umpire” (Tom Powers), looking to set up a larger operation, in Scene Of The Crime, 1949.

Easy Living (1949) -- (Movie Clip) I Just Follow My Heart Of Gold First scene for Lucille Ball as football team secretary Anne, getting hustled for a loan by quarterback Pete (Victor Mature) who passed out during practice earlier that day, and for Lizabeth Scott as his wife Liza, whose motives are iffy, Lloyd Nolan everybody’s boss, in Easy Living, 1949.

They Live By Night (1949) -- (Original Trailer) RKO’s trailer is not far off the mark for director Nicholas Ray’s eventually-acclaimed debut feature, They Live By Night, starring Farley Granger and Cathy O’Donnell.

Torch Song - (Original Trailer) Joan Crawford suffers while she sings after she falls for a blind pianist in Torch Song (1953).

Bannerline - (Original Trailer) An idealistic small-town reporter (Keefe Brasselle) tries to fight corruption in Bannerline (1951).

Two Weeks in Another Town - (Original Trailer) A recovering alcoholic film director tries for a comeback in Rome in Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) starring Kirk Douglas & Edward G. Robinson.

Scene of the Crime - (Original Trailer) A detective (Van Johnson) tries to solve a policeman's murder at the Scene of the Crime (1949).

BUtterfield 8 -- (Original Trailer) Elizabeth Taylor won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Butterfield 8 (1960).

Prodigal, The - (Original Trailer) The Prodigal Son of The Bible gets a chance to be really prodigal with sexy pagan princess Lana Turner in The Prodigal (1955).

Wings of Eagles, The - (Original Trailer) John Wayne stars in John Ford's The Wings Of Eagles (1957), the film biography of Frank "Spig" Wead, who started the air wing of the US Navy.

Until They Sail - (Original Trailer) Four sisters in New Zealand fall for Allied sailors en route to World War II but can only have them Until They Sail (1957) starring Paul Newman.

Next Voice You Hear, The - (Original Trailer) The voice of God mystically appears on the radio, changing all who hear it in The Next Voice You Hear (1950), directed by William A. Wellman.

House of Numbers - (Original Trailer) Jack Palance plays twins in House of Numbers (1957) with one trying to spring the other from San Quentin Prison.

Somebody Up There Likes Me - (Original Trailer) Paul Newman stars in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), the true story of champion boxer Rocky Graziano.

Family

Abraham Schnee

Father

Survived him.

Bibliography

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