Millard Kaufman
Encyclopedia
Millard Kaufman was an American screenwriter and novelist. His works include the Academy Award-nominated Bad Day at Black Rock
(1955). He was also one of the creators of Mr. Magoo
.
after work as a merchant seaman. After that, he moved to New York City
, taking a job as copyboy for the New York Daily News
. At some point he married Lorraine Paisley.
He enlisted in the Marines in 1942, served on Guadalcanal
, landed at Guam with the 1st Marine Brigade (Provisional) where he wrote an article for the Marine Corps Gazette
about the battle, then participated in the Okinawa
with the 6th Marine Division.
While serving in the Pacific, Kaufman had contracted malaria
and dengue fever
, and upon his return to the United States felt he could no longer deal with the extremes of the New York City climate. He and his wife moved to California
where he took up screenwriting
. In 1949
, Kaufman wrote the screenplay for the short film Ragtime Bear, which was the first appearance of Mr. Magoo
. He followed this up in 1950
with another Mr. Magoo film, Punchy de Leon.
In 1950
, Kaufman lent his name to screenwriter Dalton Trumbo
, who had been blacklisted after investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee
, for the screenplay for Gun Crazy
.
In 1953
he received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for Take the High Ground!
. In 1955
he received another nomination for his screenplay for Bad Day at Black Rock
. Although he usually worked as a writer, he also directed Convicts 4
(1962
) and served as associate producer
for Raintree County (1957
).
McSweeney's
published Kaufman's first novel, titled Bowl of Cherries, in October 2007
. Kaufman was 86 years old when he began work on the novel and 90 when it was published. His second novel, Misadventure, will be published posthumously.
Bad Day at Black Rock
Bad Day at Black Rock is a 1955 thriller film directed by John Sturges that combines elements of Westerns and film noir. It tells the story of a mysterious stranger who arrives at a tiny isolated town in a desert of the southwest United States in search of a man...
(1955). He was also one of the creators of Mr. Magoo
Mr. Magoo
Quincy Magoo is a cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Quincy Magoo is a wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of sticky situations as a result of his nearsightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem...
.
Life
Kaufman was born and raised in Baltimore, and eventually graduated from Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
after work as a merchant seaman. After that, he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, taking a job as copyboy for the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
. At some point he married Lorraine Paisley.
He enlisted in the Marines in 1942, served on Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, landed at Guam with the 1st Marine Brigade (Provisional) where he wrote an article for the Marine Corps Gazette
Marine Corps Gazette
Marine Corps Gazette is a professional journal for U.S. Marines founded in 1916 at Marine Corps Base Quantico for members of the United States Marine Corps. Begun by then Col John A. Lejeune as the vehicle to launch the Marine Corps Association , the journal is known as "The Professional Journal...
about the battle, then participated in the Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
with the 6th Marine Division.
While serving in the Pacific, Kaufman had contracted malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and dengue fever
Dengue fever
Dengue fever , also known as breakbone fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles...
, and upon his return to the United States felt he could no longer deal with the extremes of the New York City climate. He and his wife moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he took up screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
. In 1949
1949 in film
The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
, Kaufman wrote the screenplay for the short film Ragtime Bear, which was the first appearance of Mr. Magoo
Mr. Magoo
Quincy Magoo is a cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Quincy Magoo is a wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of sticky situations as a result of his nearsightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem...
. He followed this up in 1950
1950 in film
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
with another Mr. Magoo film, Punchy de Leon.
In 1950
1950 in film
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
, Kaufman lent his name to screenwriter Dalton Trumbo
Dalton Trumbo
James Dalton Trumbo was an American screenwriter and novelist, and one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of film professionals who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 during the committee's investigation of Communist influences in the motion picture industry...
, who had been blacklisted after investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
, for the screenplay for Gun Crazy
Gun Crazy
Gun Crazy is a 1950 film noir feature film starring Peggy Cummins and John Dall in a story about the crime-spree of a gun-toting husband and wife. The film was directed by Joseph H. Lewis, and produced by Frank King and Maurice King...
.
In 1953
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
he received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for Take the High Ground!
Take the High Ground!
Take the High Ground! is a film about the Korean War, starring Richard Widmark and Karl Malden as drill instructors who must transform a batch of everyday civilians into soldiers.-Plot:...
. In 1955
1955 in film
The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
he received another nomination for his screenplay for Bad Day at Black Rock
Bad Day at Black Rock
Bad Day at Black Rock is a 1955 thriller film directed by John Sturges that combines elements of Westerns and film noir. It tells the story of a mysterious stranger who arrives at a tiny isolated town in a desert of the southwest United States in search of a man...
. Although he usually worked as a writer, he also directed Convicts 4
Convicts 4
Convicts 4 is a 1962 prison film drama starring Ben Gazzara and directed by Millard Kaufman. A true story, it is based on the autobiography of John Resko, Reprieve.- Plot summary :...
(1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
) and served as associate 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...
for Raintree County (1957
1957 in film
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
).
McSweeney's
McSweeney's
McSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...
published Kaufman's first novel, titled Bowl of Cherries, in October 2007
2007 in literature
The year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books.-Events:*November 19 - First Kindle e-book reader released.*December 11 - Terry Pratchett informs fans on-line that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.-Literature:...
. Kaufman was 86 years old when he began work on the novel and 90 when it was published. His second novel, Misadventure, will be published posthumously.
Films
- The Big Blow (1948)
- Ragtime Bear (1949)
- Punchy de Leon (1950)
- Unknown WorldUnknown WorldUnknown World is a 1951 independent, science fiction, adventure film, directed by Terry O. Morse and starring Bruce Kellogg, Marilyn Nash, Jim Bannon and Otto Waldis...
(1951) - Aladdin and His Lamp (1952)
- Take the High Ground!Take the High Ground!Take the High Ground! is a film about the Korean War, starring Richard Widmark and Karl Malden as drill instructors who must transform a batch of everyday civilians into soldiers.-Plot:...
(1953) - Bad Day at Black RockBad Day at Black RockBad Day at Black Rock is a 1955 thriller film directed by John Sturges that combines elements of Westerns and film noir. It tells the story of a mysterious stranger who arrives at a tiny isolated town in a desert of the southwest United States in search of a man...
(1955) - Raintree CountyRaintree County (film)Raintree County is a 1957 Technicolor film drama about the American Civil War. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk. The film stars Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Eva Marie Saint, and Lee Marvin....
(1957) (also associate producer) - Never So FewNever So FewNever So Few 1959 CinemaScope war film directed by John Sturges and starring Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lawford, Charles Bronson, Dean Jones and Steve McQueen with uncredited roles by renowned Asian actors Mako, George Takei and James Hong. The script was loosely based on an actual OSS...
(1959) - Convicts 4Convicts 4Convicts 4 is a 1962 prison film drama starring Ben Gazzara and directed by Millard Kaufman. A true story, it is based on the autobiography of John Resko, Reprieve.- Plot summary :...
(1962) (also directed) - The War LordThe War LordThe War Lord is a 1965 film starring Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth, Guy Stockwell, Maurice Evans, Niall MacGinnis, Henry Wilcoxon and James Farentino, with Jon Alderson, Allen Jaffe, Sammy Ross, and Woodrow Parfrey. The film was directed by the future Oscar winning Director...
(1965) - Living FreeBorn FreeBorn Free is a 1966 British drama film starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, a real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her into the wilds of Kenya. The movie was produced by Open Road Films Ltd. and Columbia...
(1972) - The KlansmanThe KlansmanThe Klansman is a 1974 American motion picture drama based on the book of the same name by William Bradford Huie. It was directed by Terence Young and starred Lee Marvin, Richard Burton, O.J. Simpson,Lola Falana and Linda Evans.-Plot:...
(1974)
Television
- Police Story (1973)
- The NativityThe Nativity (television film)The Nativity is a 98-minute long 1978 television film set around the Nativity of Jesus and based on the accounts in the canonical Gospels of Matthew and Luke, in the apocryphal gospels of Pseudo-Matthew and James, and in the Golden Legend. It was directed by Bernard L. Kowalski, written by Morton S...
(1978) - Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb (1980)
Novels
- Bowl of Cherries (2007)
- Bowl of Cherries paperback (2008)
- "Misadventure" (2010)
Image
External links
- Rebecca Mead, "The Literary Life: First at Ninety", The New Yorker, September 17, 2007
- McSweeney's Internet Tendency: Bowl of Cherries: A Novel by Millard Kaufman.
- Grimes, William. "Millard Kaufman, 92, a Creator of Mr. Magoo, Dies," The New York Times, Thursday, March 19, 2009.
- Interview with Kaufman http://www.jhu.edu/jhumag/0408web/kaufman.html