John Paxton
{{Short description|American screenwriter (1911–1985)}}
{{other people}}
{{Infobox person
| name = John Paxton
| image =
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1911|05|21}}
| birth_place = Kansas City, Missouri, United States
| death_date = {{death date and age|1985|01|05|1911|05|21}}
| death_place = Santa Monica, California, United States
| other_names =
| occupation = Screenwriter
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
}}
John Paxton (May 21, 1911 – January 5, 1985) was an American screenwriter.
Some of his films include Murder, My Sweet in 1944, Cornered in 1945, Crossfire in 1947 (an adaptation of the controversial novel The Brick Foxhole that earned him his only Oscar nomination). He helped adapt the screenplay for the controversial film The Wild One in 1953, starring Marlon Brando.
Paxton's work twice received the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay, for Murder, My Sweet and Crossfire.
Biography
Paxton was born in Kansas City in 1911. He attended the University of Missouri where he studied journalism and was involved in college plays.
He went to New York. A cousin of Paxton's father did publicity for Katherine Cornell and got him a job organising a play-writing contest for the Theatre Guild.{{Cite news|author=Weaver, J. D.|title=John paxton still works on the mountain|date=Aug 6, 1978|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|158692182}}}} He went to work at Stage magazine as an assistant and ended up doing reviews . He became friends with a fellow reviewer, Adrian Scott with whom Paxton would later work in Hollywood.
When Stage magazine folded in 1943 Paxton moved to Hollywood and did a variety of jobs, including ghost writing. In 1943 Scott became established at RKO as a producer and got Paxton a job there was a writer.{{Cite news|title=John paxton, screenwriter of 'murder my sweet,' 'kotch'|date=Jan 11, 1985|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|154094285}}}}
=RKO=
Paxton's first credit was for My Pal Wolf (1944), a girl-and-dog film. Paxton gained critical praise for his adaptation of Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely, Murder, My Sweet (1944). This was produced by Adrian Scott and directed by Edward Dmytryk, and starred Dick Powell.
Paxton was reunited with Powell, Dmytryk and Scott on a film noir Cornered (1945). He worked on another noir, Crack-Up (1946) with Pat O'Brien, then made a third film with Scott and Dmytryk, So Well Remembered (1947).{{Cite news|title=HOLLYWOOD 'CODE' MISSIONARY|author=T. B.|date=May 26, 1946|work=New York Times|id={{ProQuest|107652264}}}}
The three men combined for a fourth time on Crossfire (1947), a thriller about anti-Semitism that was a huge critical and commercial success. The team broke up, however, when Dmytryk and Scott were blacklisted and fired from RKO. Paxton took over from Scott as producer of an adaptation of Scott's play The Great Man's Whiskers{{Cite news|title=GOTTLIEB TO MAKE TWO NEW MOVIES|author=THOMAS F BRADY|date=Feb 18, 1948|work=New York Times|id={{ProQuest|108309723}}}} but it was not made. The Boy with Green Hair which Paxton and Scott were going to make was made by others.{{Cite news|title=SCOTT WILL DIRECT OWN FILM AT RKO|author=THOMAS F BRADY|date=Sep 2, 1947|work=New York Times|id={{ProQuest|107994520}}}} Paxton quit RKO in July 1948.{{Cite news|title=COWBOY GROOMED FOR FILM STARDOM|author=THOMAS M PRYOR|date=Jul 21, 1948|work=New York Times|id={{ProQuest|108104615}}}}
Paxton did some work on the script for Rope of Sand (1948) for Hal Wallis and worked on the documentary Of Men and Music (1951).
Paxton went to 20th Century Fox where he wrote Fourteen Hours (1951).
=Columbia=
Paxton was hired by Stanley Kramer, who released through Columbia, to adapt the story for The Wild One (1953). He went to MGM to write The Cobweb (1955) then re-wrote R.C. Sheriff's script for A Prize of Gold (1955) for Warwick Films who released through Columbia.{{Cite news|title=MARILYN MONROE FAILS TO REPORT|author=THOMAS M PRYOR|date=Jan 26, 1954|work=New York Times|id={{ProQuest|112947341}}}}
Warwick liked Paxton's work and hired him to write Interpol (1957). He went on to write and produce How to Murder a Rich Uncle (1957) for Warwick.{{Cite news|title=ROLE IN COMEDY FOR MISS HILLER|author=THOMAS M PRYOR|date=Dec 15, 1956|work=New York Times|id={{ProQuest|113620678}}}}
Kramer hired Paxton to adapt the Nevil Shute novel On the Beach (1959) as a film.
Paxton went into television writing "Aftermath" for General Electric Theater.
=Later career=
Paxton had no feature film credits for the 1960s. However he won a Golden Globe and an award from the Writers Guild of America in 1971 for his screenplay to the Walter Matthau film Kotch.
Paxton adapted a play by Adrian Scott for television, The Great Man's Whiskers (1972).
He worked on the cartoon series I Am the Greatest!: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali (1977).
Personal life
Paxton married Sarah Jane Miles Dec. 4, 1948. She worked in public relations for 20th Century Fox.Truitt, Brian (August 19, 2014), "[https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2014/08/19/the-fade-out-comic-book-exclusive/14304173/ 'Fade Out' stars melodramatic noir of '40s Hollywood]", USA Today (accessed June 7, 2016) They had no children. He died of complications from emphysema.
Paxton was an uncle of comic book writer Ed Brubaker. Paxton's life inspired Brubaker's 2013 series The Fade Out.Sims, Chris (January 6, 2016), "[http://comicsalliance.com/ed-brubaker-fade-out-interview-one/ The Real Tragedy Is That He'll Never Leave: Ed Brubaker On 'The Fade Out,' Part One] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322231504/http://comicsalliance.com/ed-brubaker-fade-out-interview-one/ |date=2016-03-22 }}", Comics Alliance (accessed May 28, 2016)
References
- {{cite news |work=Los Angeles Times |title=John Paxton, Screenwriter of 'Murder My Sweet,' 'Kotch' |page=A6 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/680916322.html?dids=680916322:680916322&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103152759/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/680916322.html?dids=680916322:680916322&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 3, 2012 |date=January 11, 1985}}
- {{cite news |first=John D. |last=Weaver |work=Los Angeles Times |title=John Paxton: Mr. Fix-It to the End |page=26 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-03-10-ca-25664-story.html |date=March 10, 1985}}
Notes
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External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0668122|name=John Paxton}}
{{Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay}}
{{Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paxton, John}}
Category:American male screenwriters
Category:Deaths from emphysema
Category:20th-century American male writers