Ben Markson
| Ben Markson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 6, 1892 Creston, Iowa, United States |
| Died | October 20, 1971 (aged 79) Los Angeles County, California, United States |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1928–59 |
Ben Markson was an American screenwriter active from the very beginning of the sound film era through the end of the 1950s. During his 30-year career he was responsible for the story and/or screenplay of 45 films, as well as writing the scripts for several episodic television shows in the 1950s.
Markson was born on August 6, 1892 in Creston, Iowa. Prior to writing screenplays, Markson worked as a journalist, and then was part of the publicity department for Paramount Pictures. He would break into the film industry as the co-screenwriter on the 1928 film The River Pirate, a silent film with sound sequences starring Victor McLaglen. In the pre-code era of the early 1930s, Markson was known for his racy scripts. Some of his early successes include: The Half-Naked Truth, a 1932 comedy directed by Gregory LaCava and starring Lupe Velez and Lee Tracy;Is My Face Red? (1932), which Markson and co-screenwriter Casey Robinson based on Markson's play which he co-wrote with Allen Rivkin; co-wrote the screenplay (with Jane Murfin) for What Price Hollywood?, also in 1932, directed by George Cukor, and starring Constance Bennett and Lowell Sherman;Lady Killer (1933), starring James Cagney; and 1934's Here Comes the Navy, a romantic comedy again starring Cagney. Other notable films on which Markson contributed to the script included: 1937's screwball comedy, Danger – Love at Work, directed by Otto Preminger, for which he co-wrote the screenplay; the 1938 classic Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, starring Shirley Temple; and Mr. District Attorney (1947), starring Dennis O'Keefe and Adolphe Menjou. Markson served on the Board of Directors of the Screen Writers Guild in the latter half of the 1930s.
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