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W. R. Burnett

February 26, 2024

William Riley Burnett (November 25, 1899 – April 25, 1982) was an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for the crime novel Little Caesar, the film adaptation of which is considered the first of the classic American gangster movies.

W. R. Burnett
Burnett in 1935
Born
William Riley Burnett

(1899-11-25)November 25, 1899
Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 1982(1982-04-25) (aged 82)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Years active1931–1972
Spouse(s)
Marjorie Louise Barstow
​
​
(m. 1920)​
[1]
Whitney Forbes Johnston
​
​
(m. 1943)​
[2]
ChildrenJames, William

Early life edit

Burnett was born in Springfield, Ohio, and attended Miami Military Institute in Germantown, Ohio. He left his civil service job in Springfield to move to Chicago when he was 28, by which time he had written over 100 short stories and five novels, all unpublished.

Writing career edit

In Chicago, Burnett found a job as a night clerk in the seedy Northmere Hotel. He found himself associating with prize fighters, hoodlums, hustlers and hobos. They inspired Little Caesar (novel 1929, film 1931). The novel's overnight success landed him a job as a Hollywood screenwriter. Little Caesar became a classic movie, produced by First National Pictures (Warner Brothers) and starring then little known Edward G. Robinson. Burnett returned to the Al Capone theme in 1932 with Scarface. He won the 1930 O. Henry Award for his short story "Dressing-Up", published in Harper's Magazine in November 1929.

Burnett published a novel or more a year and turned most into screenplays (some as many as three times). Thematically Burnett was similar to Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain, but contrasting the corruption and corrosion of the city with the better life his characters yearned for. He portrayed characters who, for one reason or another, fell into a life of crime and were unable to climb out. They typically get one last shot at salvation but the oppressive system closes in and denies redemption.

Film work edit

Burnett wrote for many of the great actors and directors, including Raoul Walsh, John Huston, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Nicholas Ray, Douglas Sirk, and Michael Cimino, John Wayne (The Dark Command), Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Paul Muni, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood. He received an Oscar nomination for his script for Wake Island (1942) and a Writers Guild nomination for his script for The Great Escape. In addition to his film work he also wrote scripts for television and radio.

In High Sierra (1941), Humphrey Bogart plays Roy Earle, a hard-bitten criminal who rejects his life of crime to help a sexually appealing crippled girl. In The Asphalt Jungle (1949), the most perfectly masterminded plot falls apart as each character reveals a weakness. In The Beast of the City (1932) starring Walter Huston, the police take the law into their own hands when the criminals walk free due to legal incompetence.

Later years edit

In later years, with his vision declining, he stopped writing and turned to promoting his earlier work. On his death in 1982, in Santa Monica, California,[3] Burnett was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Critical reception edit

Heywood Broun described Burnett's novel Goodbye to the Past as "written with all the excitement of Little Caesar, and ten times the skill".[4]

Works edit

Novels edit

  • Little Caesar (Lincoln MacVeagh/The Dial Press - 1929)
  • Iron Man (Lincoln MacVeagh/The Dial Press - 1930)
  • Saint Johnson (Lincoln MacVeagh/The Dial Press - 1930)
  • The Silver Eagle (Lincoln MacVeagh/The Dial Press - 1931)
  • The Beast of the City (Grosset & Dunlap - 1932) [not properly a Burnett novel; credit on the book reads "novelized by Jack Lait, from the screen story by W.R. Burnett"; the book was published concurrently with the release of the M-G-M film, circa March 1932]
  • The Giant Swing (Harper - 1932)
  • Dark Hazard (Harper - 1933)
  • Goodbye to the Past: Scenes from the Life of William Meadows (Harper - 1934)
  • The Goodhues of Sinking Creek (Harper - 1934)
  • Dr. Socrates (O'Bryan House Publishing LLC - 2007) [Originally serialized in Colliers Weekly Magazine in 1935]
  • King Cole (Harper - 1936)
  • The Dark Command: A Kansas Iliad (Knopf - 1938)
  • High Sierra (Knopf - 1941)
  • The Quick Brown Fox (Knopf - 1943)
  • Nobody Lives Forever (Knopf - 1943)
  • Tomorrow's Another Day (Knopf - 1946)
  • Romelle (Knopf - 1947)
  • The Asphalt Jungle (Knopf - 1949)
  • Stretch Dawson (Gold Medal - 1950). The film Yellow Sky (1948) was based on an early version of the novel.
  • Little Men, Big World (Knopf - 1952)
  • Adobe Walls: A Novel of the Last Apache Rising (Knopf - 1953)
  • Vanity Row (Knopf - 1952)
  • Big Stan (Gold Medal - 1953) - written under pseudonym "John Monahan"
  • Captain Lightfoot (Knopf - 1954)
  • It's Always Four O'Clock (Random House - 1956) - written under pseudonym "James Updyke"
  • Pale Moon (Knopf - 1956)
  • Underdog (Knopf - 1957)
  • Bitter Ground (Knopf - 1958)
  • Mi Amigo: A Novel of the Southwest (Knopf - 1959)
  • Conant (Popular Library - 1961)
  • Round the Clock at Volari's (Gold Medal - 1961)
  • The Goldseekers (Doubleday - 1962)
  • The Widow Barony (Macdonald - 1962)
  • The Abilene Samson (Pocket Books - 1963)
  • Sergeants 3 (Pocket Books - 1963)
  • The Roar of the Crowd: Conversations with an Ex-Big-Leaguer (C.N. Potter - 1964)
  • The Winning of Mickey Free (Bantam Pathfinder - 1965)
  • The Cool Man (Gold Medal - 1968)
  • Good-bye, Chicago: 1928: End of an Era (St. Martin's - 1981)

Short stories edit

  • Round Trip (1929)
  • Dressing-Up (1930)
  • Travelling Light (1935)
  • Vanishing Act (1955)

Filmography edit

References edit

  1. ^ Franklin County, Ohio, Marriage Records, vol. 1918–1922, p. 604 – via Ancestry.com
  2. ^ Obituary in the New York Times: W.R. BURNET, 82, THE AUTHOR OF 'LITTLE CAESAR' AND 40 FILMS
  3. ^ . Time. Time Inc. May 10, 1982. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  4. ^ Advertisement for "Goodbye to the Past", The American Mercury, November 1934, (p. 225).

External links edit

February 26, 2024
burnett, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, june, 2023, learn,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources W R Burnett news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message William Riley Burnett November 25 1899 April 25 1982 was an American novelist and screenwriter He is best known for the crime novel Little Caesar the film adaptation of which is considered the first of the classic American gangster movies W R BurnettBurnett in 1935BornWilliam Riley Burnett 1899 11 25 November 25 1899Springfield Ohio U S DiedApril 25 1982 1982 04 25 aged 82 Santa Monica California U S Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale Years active1931 1972Spouse s Marjorie Louise Barstow m 1920 wbr 1 Whitney Forbes Johnston m 1943 wbr 2 ChildrenJames William Contents 1 Early life 2 Writing career 3 Film work 4 Later years 5 Critical reception 6 Works 6 1 Novels 6 2 Short stories 6 3 Filmography 7 References 8 External linksEarly life editBurnett was born in Springfield Ohio and attended Miami Military Institute in Germantown Ohio He left his civil service job in Springfield to move to Chicago when he was 28 by which time he had written over 100 short stories and five novels all unpublished Writing career editIn Chicago Burnett found a job as a night clerk in the seedy Northmere Hotel He found himself associating with prize fighters hoodlums hustlers and hobos They inspired Little Caesar novel 1929 film 1931 The novel s overnight success landed him a job as a Hollywood screenwriter Little Caesar became a classic movie produced by First National Pictures Warner Brothers and starring then little known Edward G Robinson Burnett returned to the Al Capone theme in 1932 with Scarface He won the 1930 O Henry Award for his short story Dressing Up published in Harper s Magazine in November 1929 Burnett published a novel or more a year and turned most into screenplays some as many as three times Thematically Burnett was similar to Dashiell Hammett and James M Cain but contrasting the corruption and corrosion of the city with the better life his characters yearned for He portrayed characters who for one reason or another fell into a life of crime and were unable to climb out They typically get one last shot at salvation but the oppressive system closes in and denies redemption Film work editBurnett wrote for many of the great actors and directors including Raoul Walsh John Huston John Ford Howard Hawks Nicholas Ray Douglas Sirk and Michael Cimino John Wayne The Dark Command Humphrey Bogart Ida Lupino Paul Muni Frank Sinatra Marilyn Monroe Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood He received an Oscar nomination for his script for Wake Island 1942 and a Writers Guild nomination for his script for The Great Escape In addition to his film work he also wrote scripts for television and radio In High Sierra 1941 Humphrey Bogart plays Roy Earle a hard bitten criminal who rejects his life of crime to help a sexually appealing crippled girl In The Asphalt Jungle 1949 the most perfectly masterminded plot falls apart as each character reveals a weakness In The Beast of the City 1932 starring Walter Huston the police take the law into their own hands when the criminals walk free due to legal incompetence Later years editIn later years with his vision declining he stopped writing and turned to promoting his earlier work On his death in 1982 in Santa Monica California 3 Burnett was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale California Critical reception editHeywood Broun described Burnett s novel Goodbye to the Past as written with all the excitement of Little Caesar and ten times the skill 4 Works editNovels edit Little Caesar Lincoln MacVeagh The Dial Press 1929 Iron Man Lincoln MacVeagh The Dial Press 1930 Saint Johnson Lincoln MacVeagh The Dial Press 1930 The Silver Eagle Lincoln MacVeagh The Dial Press 1931 The Beast of the City Grosset amp Dunlap 1932 not properly a Burnett novel credit on the book reads novelized by Jack Lait from the screen story by W R Burnett the book was published concurrently with the release of the M G M film circa March 1932 The Giant Swing Harper 1932 Dark Hazard Harper 1933 Goodbye to the Past Scenes from the Life of William Meadows Harper 1934 The Goodhues of Sinking Creek Harper 1934 Dr Socrates O Bryan House Publishing LLC 2007 Originally serialized in Colliers Weekly Magazine in 1935 King Cole Harper 1936 The Dark Command A Kansas Iliad Knopf 1938 High Sierra Knopf 1941 The Quick Brown Fox Knopf 1943 Nobody Lives Forever Knopf 1943 Tomorrow s Another Day Knopf 1946 Romelle Knopf 1947 The Asphalt Jungle Knopf 1949 Stretch Dawson Gold Medal 1950 The film Yellow Sky 1948 was based on an early version of the novel Little Men Big World Knopf 1952 Adobe Walls A Novel of the Last Apache Rising Knopf 1953 Vanity Row Knopf 1952 Big Stan Gold Medal 1953 written under pseudonym John Monahan Captain Lightfoot Knopf 1954 It s Always Four O Clock Random House 1956 written under pseudonym James Updyke Pale Moon Knopf 1956 Underdog Knopf 1957 Bitter Ground Knopf 1958 Mi Amigo A Novel of the Southwest Knopf 1959 Conant Popular Library 1961 Round the Clock at Volari s Gold Medal 1961 The Goldseekers Doubleday 1962 The Widow Barony Macdonald 1962 The Abilene Samson Pocket Books 1963 Sergeants 3 Pocket Books 1963 The Roar of the Crowd Conversations with an Ex Big Leaguer C N Potter 1964 The Winning of Mickey Free Bantam Pathfinder 1965 The Cool Man Gold Medal 1968 Good bye Chicago 1928 End of an Era St Martin s 1981 Short stories edit Round Trip 1929 Dressing Up 1930 Travelling Light 1935 Vanishing Act 1955 Filmography edit Little Caesar 1930 script The Finger Points 1931 script Iron Man 1931 based on novel Law and Order 1932 based on novel Saint Johnson Beast of the City 1932 script Scarface 1932 script Dark Hazard 1934 based on novel The Whole Town s Talking 1935 script and based on short story Jail Break Dr Socrates 1935 based on short story 36 Hours to Kill 1936 based on short story Across the Aisle Wine Women and Horses 1937 based on novel Dark Hazard Wild West Days 1937 from novel Saint Johnson Some Blondes Are Dangerous 1937 based on novel Iron Man King of the Underworld 1939 based on short story Dr Socrates The Westerner 1940 uncredited contribution The Dark Command 1940 from his novel Law and Order 1940 from his novel High Sierra 1941 novel co script The Get Away 1941 script Dance Hall 1941 from his novel The Giant Swing This Gun for Hire 1942 script Bullet Scars 1942 uncredited remake of Dr Socrates Wake Island 1942 script Crash Dive 1943 story Action in the North Atlantic 1943 script Background to Danger 1943 script San Antonio 1945 story script Nobody Lives Forever 1946 based on novel script The Man I Love 1946 uncredited contribution to script Belle Starr s Daughter 1948 story script Yellow Sky 1948 based on novel Colorado Territory 1950 uncredited remake of High Sierra The Asphalt Jungle 1950 based on novel uncredited contribution Iron Man 1951 based on novel The Racket 1951 script Vendetta 1951 script Law and Order 1953 based on novel Saint Johnson Arrowhead 1953 based on novel Dangerous Mission 1954 script Night People 1954 uncredited contribution to script Captain Lightfoot 1955 based on novel script Illegal 1955 script I Died a Thousand Times 1956 based on novel High Sierra script Accused of Murder 1957 based on novel Vanity Row script Short Cut to Hell 1957 remake of This Gun for Hire The Badlanders 1958 based on novel The Asphalt Jungle The Hangman 1959 uncredited contribution to script September Storm 1960 script The Asphalt Jungle television series 13 episodes 1961 scripts The Lawbreakers 1961 script Sergeants Three 1962 story script Cairo 1963 from novel The Asphalt Jungle The Great Escape 1963 script Four for Texas 1963 uncredited contribution to script The Jackals 1967 remake of Yellow Sky Ice Station Zebra 1968 uncredited contribution to script Stiletto 1969 uncredited contribution to script Cool Breeze 1972 from novel The Asphalt JungleReferences edit Franklin County Ohio Marriage Records vol 1918 1922 p 604 via Ancestry com Obituary in the New York Times W R BURNET 82 THE AUTHOR OF LITTLE CAESAR AND 40 FILMS Milestones May 10 1982 Time Time Inc May 10 1982 Archived from the original on December 2 2008 Retrieved May 24 2010 Advertisement for Goodbye to the Past The American Mercury November 1934 p 225 External links editWilliam R Burnett at IMDb W R Burnett bibliography W R Burnett bio by John Strausbaugh at The Chiseler W R Burnett at detnovel com W R Burnett at Find a Grave Pretty Big Once W R Burnett s Cynical Americana by Cullen Gallagher at the Los Angeles Review of Books Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title W R Burnett amp oldid 1200050620, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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