Login
Login

Aeneas MacKenzie

{{Short description|Scottish-American screenwriter}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}

{{more citations needed|date=May 2019}}

Aeneas MacKenzie, or Æneas MacKenzie (August 15, 1889 in Stornoway, Scotland – June 2, 1962 in Los Angeles), was a Scottish-American screenwriter. MacKenzie wrote many notable Hollywood films, including: The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), They Died with Their Boots On (1941), Ivanhoe (1952), and The Ten Commandments (1956).

Career

MacKenzie came from England to work on a film of East Lynne.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety99-1930-07/page/n272/mode/1up/search/%22aneas+mackenzie%22?q=%22aneas+mackenzie%22|magazine=Variety|date=July 30, 1930|title=Bobbing East Lynne|page=3}}

In January 1938, he was under contract to Warner Bros. to write what would become Juarez.{{cite news |title=Maximilian Story is in Line for Muni |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 18, 1938}} In February 1939, he was working on a biopic of John Paul Jones for James Cagney.{{cite news |title=Karloff Plays Sorcerer in 'Witches' Sabbath' |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=February 9, 1939}} He also wrote a biopic of Disraeli for Claude Rains.{{cite news |title=Screen News Here and in Hollywood |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 24, 1939}} Neither were made, but by July 1940, he was working on a biopic of George Custer which became They Died with Their Boots On.{{cite news |title=Screen News Here and in Hollywood |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 18, 1940}} MacKenzie wrote The Widow of Devil's Island for Bette Davis.{{cite news |title=News From Hollywood |date=February 4, 1941}} In March 1942, he was working on a movie about "Sing Sing" prison.{{cite news |title=Jean Arthur May Be Featured in 'Another Dawn |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 19, 1942}}

In October 1943, RKO announced they would make a film from his original story, The Spanish Main.{{cite news |title=Screen News Here and in Hollywood |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 13, 1943}}

In July 1946, he wrote a script of Ivanhoe for Paramount.{{cite news |title=Paramount to Do Film on 'Ivanhoe' |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 19, 1946}} The project was postponed due to the Palestine Cris{{clarify|date=August 2020}} and instead MacKenzie was assigned to do a biopic on Ludwig II for producer Robert Fellows.{{cite news |title=Few Changes Made in Tailoring 'Mourning Becomes Electra' For the Camera |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 16, 1947}} A year later, his Ivanhoe script was sold to RKO.{{cite news |title=RANK-RKO to Film Scott's 'Ivanhoe' |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 17, 1947}} They sold it to MGM who filmed it several years later.

He worked on the script for The Black Book (1949).

In January 1950, he sold a script to Douglas Fairbanks Jr which became Against All Flags.{{cite news |title=Drama: Pirate Picture Shapes for Fairbanks |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 20, 1950}} Several months later, MacKenzie sold this story to Universal, who hired him to write the script.{{cite news |title=Production Chief Quits Paramount. |work=The New York Times |date=July 6, 1950}} Also at Universal, he did The Prince Who Was a Thief.{{cite news |title=U.-I. Will Do Film on Genghis Khan |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 10, 1950}}

MacKenzie later headed the script team on The Ten Commandments.{{cite news |title=DeMille Scribes Scour History for Latest 'Commandments' By Aeneas MacKenzie. |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 31, 1955}}

In July 1957, he was writing Peter and Catherine about Russia in the 18th century for Ross Hunter at Universal.{{cite news |title=Stage Director Signs Film Pact: Martin Ritt in Two-Picture Deal With Fox--Universal Reactivates 'Katrina' Pearl Buck to Visit Hollywood |author=Thomas M. Pryor |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 22, 1957}}

In late 1958, MacKenzie was reported to be working on a biopic of William the Conqueror for Evyan Perfumes.{{cite news |title=Evyan Perfumes Forms Movie Firm |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 6, 1958}}{{cite news |title='Tanglewood' Pair Chosen by Ephron |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=August 22, 1958}}

Filmography

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{IMDb name |id=0533418}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackenzie, Aeneas}}

Category:1889 births

Category:1962 deaths

Category:People from Stornoway

Category:20th-century British dramatists and playwrights

Category:20th-century Scottish screenwriters

Category:British emigrants to the United States