Richard Murphy (screenwriter)
Encyclopedia
Richard Murphy was an American
screenwriter
, film director
, and producer
.
in the 1930s before leaving in 1937 to work in the short film department at MGM. Murphy's first screenwriting credit was for providing the story for Back in the Saddle, a 1941 Gene Autry
western.
While in the Army Air Forces during WWII
, Murphy reached the rank of captain seeing action in the Pacific theater countries of New Guinea
and the Philippines
. Murphy returned to the States and started working for 20th Century Fox
. In 1947 he wrote the award winning film Boomerang!. He received the first of two Oscar nominations for this screenplay, with his second in 1953 for the WWII film The Desert Rats. He also directed a few films before moving into television
in the 1960s when he wrote and created television series. Murphy's last screenplay was for The Kidnapping of the President
in 1980.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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:...
, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, and 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...
.
Biography
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Murphy worked for Literary DigestLiterary Digest
The Literary Digest was an influential general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, Public Opinion and Current Opinion.-History:...
in the 1930s before leaving in 1937 to work in the short film department at MGM. Murphy's first screenwriting credit was for providing the story for Back in the Saddle, a 1941 Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
western.
While in the Army Air Forces during WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Murphy reached the rank of captain seeing action in the Pacific theater countries of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Murphy returned to the States and started working for 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. In 1947 he wrote the award winning film Boomerang!. He received the first of two Oscar nominations for this screenplay, with his second in 1953 for the WWII film The Desert Rats. He also directed a few films before moving into television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in the 1960s when he wrote and created television series. Murphy's last screenplay was for The Kidnapping of the President
The Kidnapping of the President
The Kidnapping of the President is a 1980 political thriller film made by Presidential Films and Sefel Films and distributed by Crown International Pictures. It was produced and directed by George Mendeluk and co-produced by John Ryan from a screenplay by Richard Murphy and Charles Templeton,...
in 1980.
Writer
- Life in Sometown, U.S.A. (1938)
- Back in the Saddle (1941)
- The Singing Hill (1941)
- Flying Blind (1941)
- The Apache Kid (1941)
- Jesse James, Jr. (1942)
- The Cyclone Kid (1942)
- I Live on Danger (1942)
- Wildcat (1942)
- X Marks the Spot (1942)
- Wrecking Crew (1942)
- Boomerang! (1947)
- Deep Waters (1948)
- Cry of the CityCry of the CityCry of the City is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Robert Siodmak based on the novel by Henry Edward Helseth, The Chair for Martin Rome. Veteran film noir-writer Ben Hecht worked on the film's script, but is not credited...
(1948) - Slattery's HurricaneSlattery's HurricaneSlattery's Hurricane is a 1949 drama film based on a story submitted by Herman Wouk to Twentieth Century Fox. The film tells the story of an anti-hero ex-navy pilot who discovers that he works for a dope-smuggling ring, but ultimately attempts to redeem himself during a violent hurricane. It stars...
(1949) - Panic in the StreetsPanic in the Streets (film)Panic in the Streets is a 1950 film noir directed by Elia Kazan. It was shot exclusively on location in New Orleans, Louisiana and features numerous New Orleans citizens in speaking and non-speaking roles....
(1950) - You're in the Navy NowYou're in the Navy NowYou're in the Navy Now is a Hollywood film released in 1951 by Twentieth Century Fox about the United States Navy in the first months of World War II. Its initial release was titled USS Teakettle...
(1951) - Les MisérablesLes Misérables (1952 film)Les Misérables is a 1952 American film adapted from the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. It was directed by Lewis Milestone, and featured Michael Rennie as Jean Valjean, Robert Newton as Javert, Sylvia Sidney as Fantine, Debra Paget as Cosette, Edmund Gwenn as the bishop, Cameron Mitchell as...
(1952) - The Desert RatsThe Desert Rats (film)The Desert Rats is a 1953 American war film about the World War II siege of Tobruk. It stars Richard Burton and was directed by Robert Wise.-Plot:...
(1953) - Broken LanceBroken LanceBroken Lance is a 1954 Western film made by Twentieth Century-Fox, directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Sol C. Siegel. The movie stars Spencer Tracy and features Katy Jurado, Richard Widmark, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Eduard Franz, Hugh O'Brian and Earl Holliman.Shot in color and...
(1954) - Three Stripes in the Sun (1955)
- CompulsionCompulsion (film)Compulsion, directed by Richard Fleischer, was a film made in 1959, based on the 1956 novel Compulsion by Meyer Levin, which in turn was based on the Leopold and Loeb trial. It was the first film Richard D. Zanuck produced.- Plot :...
(1959) - The Last Angry ManThe Last Angry ManThe Last Angry Man is a drama film which tells the story of a television producer who profiles the life of a physician. It stars Paul Muni, David Wayne, Betsy Palmer, Billy Dee Williams , and Godfrey Cambridge....
(1959) - The Wackiest Ship in the ArmyThe Wackiest Ship in the Army (film)The Wackiest Ship in the Army is a 1960 CinemaScope comedy-drama war film starring Jack Lemmon, Ricky Nelson and Chips Rafferty. It was filmed at Pearl Harbor and Kauai.-Plot summary:...
(1960) - The Mystery of the Chinese Junk (1967)
- Felony SquadFelony SquadFelony Squad is a half-hour television crime drama originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 12, 1966 to January 31, 1969, a span encompassing seventy-three episodes.-Overview:...
(73 episodes, 1966–1969) - The Kidnapping of the President (1980)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Nominated | Writers Guild of America Award Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949... |
The Robert Meltzer Award (Screenplay Dealing Most Ably with Problems of the American Scene) | Cry of the City |
| 1951 | Nominated | The Robert Meltzer Award (Screenplay Dealing Most Ably with Problems of the American Scene) | Panic in the Streets | |
| Nominated | Best Written American Drama | Panic in the Streets | ||
| 1952 | Nominated | Best Written American Comedy | You're in the Navy Now | |
| 1960 | Nominated | Best Written American Drama | Compulsion | |
| 1970 | Won | Valentine Davies Award | |
|
| 1948 | Nominated | Academy Award | Best Writing, Screenplay | Boomerang! |
| 1954 | Nominated | Best Writing, Story and Screenplay | The Desert Rats |