Charles Schnee
Encyclopedia
Charles Schnee gave up law
to become a screenwriter
in the mid-1940s, crafting scripts for the classic Western
s Red River (1948) and The Furies
(1950), the social melodrama
They Live By Night
(1949), and the cynical Hollywood saga The Bad and the Beautiful
(1952), for which he won an Academy Award.
He worked primarily as a film producer
and production executive during the mid-1950s (credits include Until They Sail
), but he eventually turned his attention back to scriptwriting.
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
to become a screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
in the mid-1940s, crafting scripts for the classic Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
s Red River (1948) and The Furies
The Furies (film)
The Furies is a Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, and, in his last performance, Walter Huston.In 2008, the film was released on DVD in the U.S. by the Criterion Collection.-Plot:T.C...
(1950), the social melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
They Live By Night
They Live by Night
They Live by Night is a film noir, based on Edward Anderson's Depression era novel Thieves Like Us. The film was directed by Nicholas Ray and starred Farley Granger as "Bowie" Bowers and Cathy O'Donnell as "Keechie" Mobley...
(1949), and the cynical Hollywood saga The Bad and the Beautiful
The Bad and the Beautiful
The Bad and the Beautiful is a 1952 MGM melodramatic film that tells the story of a film producer who alienates all around him. It was directed by Vincente Minelli and stars Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame and Gilbert Roland. The film was...
(1952), for which he won an Academy Award.
He worked primarily as a film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and production executive during the mid-1950s (credits include Until They Sail
Until They Sail
Until They Sail is a 1957 American black and white CinemaScope drama film directed by Robert Wise. The screenplay by Robert Anderson, based on a story by James A. Michener included in his 1951 anthology Return to Paradise, focuses on four New Zealand sisters and their relationships with U.S...
), but he eventually turned his attention back to scriptwriting.