Philip Dunne

Philip Dunne was one of the deans of Hollywood screenwriters from the 1930s into the 60s, scripting many a number of first-rate productions including "How Green Was My Valley" (1941), "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" (1947) and "The Robe" (1953). Directing from 1954, Dunne turned out a series of smoothly crafted, finely acted dramas, notably "Hilda Crane" (1956), the teen angst classic "Blue Denim" (1959) and the suspense-filled "Lisa" (1962). Dunne began his writing career after taking a brief stab as a banker. His first produced credit was "Student Tour" (1934), more remembered for the sight of Betty Grable swimming in front of the Taj Mahal than for its substantive content. But that same year, Dunne adapted "The Count of Monte Cristo" for the screen, and was on his way to a prestige career. His 1936 adaptation of "The Last of the Mohicans" may not have been entirely true to the book, but it remains a classic. Dunne received his first Academy Award nomination for the true classic "How Green Was My Valley" (1941), his second for "David and Bathsheba" (1951). His "The Ghost of Mrs. Muir" adaptation sparked a franchise, and "Pinky" (1949) starred Jeanne Crain as a high-yellow African American passing for white and remains, however dated, one of the classics of the post World War II cycle of socially-conscious Hollywood films, alongside "Crossfire" and "Gentleman's Agreement." His work in the 50s and 60s as a screenwriter often went towards epics, including "The Agony and the Ecstasy" about Michelangelo, and "The Robe." In 1997, it was determined that he had written the latter with blacklisted writer Albert Maltz, who would heretofore share screen credit. Dunne was not blacklisted himself, but he was involved with so-called left-wing and liberal causes and served as a speech writer on the presidential campaigns of Adlai Stevenson and John F. Kennedy.