Seton I. Miller
Seton I. Miller | |
---|---|
Born |
Seton Ingersoll Miller May 3, 1902 Chehalis, Washington, U.S. |
Died |
March 29, 1974 71) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, U.S. | (aged
Other names | Hap (nickname) |
Education | Yale University |
Occupation | Screenwriter & Producer |
Spouse(s) |
Bonita J. Miller (divorced) Ann Evars |
Seton Ingersoll Miller (May 3, 1902 – March 29, 1974) was an American screenwriter and producer. During his career, he worked with many notable film directors such as Howard Hawks and Michael Curtiz. Miller received two Oscar nominations and won once for Best Screenplay for fantasy romantic comedy film Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) along with Sidney Buchman.
Career
Fox Films
A Yale graduate, Miller began writing stories for silent films in the late 1920s. He signed a contract at Fox Film Corporation where his credits included Paid to Love (1927), Two Girls Wanted (1927)[1], High School Hero (1927) and Wolf Fangs (1927).
A Girl in Every Port and Howard Hawks
Miller's first big hit was A Girl in Every Port (1928) directed by Howard Hawks, a crucial film in Hawks' career.
He was reunited with Hawks for Fazil (1928) then did two Rex Bell Westerns, The Cowboy Kid (1928) and Girl-Shy Cowboy (1928).
Miller wrote Hawks' first sound film, The Air Circus (1929) then did The Far Call (1929) for Allan Dwan and The Lone Star Ranger (1930). He did a comedy, Harmony at Home (1930) then left Fox.
Miller joined Hawks at First National and did The Dawn Patrol (1930). After working on Today (1930) he did three for Hawks: The Criminal Code (1931) at Columbia, Scarface (1932), and The Crowd Roars (1932).[2][3]
He did The Last Mile (1932) then adapted the comedy play Once in a Lifetime (1932).
Paramount
At Paramount, Miller wrote Hot Saturday (1932) and a horror film, Murders in the Zoo (1933).[4]
He did The Eagle and the Hawk (1933) for Hawks then Gambling Ship (1933). He went to Columbia for Master of Men (1933).
At Paramount he did Come On Marines! (1934) for Henry Hathaway then went back to Fox for Murder in Trinidad (1934), Marie Galante (1934) and Charlie Chan's Courage (1934).[5]
He worked on The Farrell Case for James Cagney and Jack Holt but it was not made.[6]
Warner Bros
Miller went to Warner Bros to write The St. Louis Kid (1934) for James Cagney. After doing Murder on a Honeymoon (1935) for RKO, Warners asked him back to do more for Cagney: G Men (1935), and Frisco Kid (1935). He wrote a sequel to G Men, G Women[7] that was not made.
Miller wrote It Happened in New York (1935) for Universal and Two in the Dark (1936) for RKO. At Republic he wrote The Leathernecks Have Landed (1936).
Miller went back to Warner Bros to do Bullets or Ballots (1937) for Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart.[8] He stayed at the studio to work on Marked Woman (1937), San Quentin (1937), Back in Circulation (1937), and Kid Galahad (1937). He wrote Kit Carson for Wayne Morris but it as not made.[9]
He worked on the Errol Flynn vehicle, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), a huge success. He was put on another Flynn film, a remake of The Dawn Patrol (1938).[10]
Miller wrote Valley of the Giants (1938), and two with John Garfield, Dust Be My Destiny (1939) and Castle on the Hudson (1939).[11] He did another Flynn swashbuckler, The Sea Hawk (1940).[12] He wrote a Western for Flynn, Tombstone[13] but it was not made.
He left Warners in July 1939 after four years.[14]
Post Warners
At Universal he adapted I James Lewis but it does not appear to have been made.[15]
At Columbia he cowrote Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) which won him an Oscar. At Universal he wrote This Woman is Mine (1942). Warners' Secret Enemies (1942) was based on his story.[16]
20th Century Fox
Miller went to Fox, where he worked on My Gal Sal (1942) and The Black Swan (1942).[17]
At Columbia he adapted the play Heart of City for Merle Oberon[18] but it was not made.
Paramount: Turning Producer
Miller signed a contract with Paramount to write and produce. He started with Ministry of Fear (1944), directed by Fritz Lang.[19]
He was assigned The Griswold Story but it was not made.[20]
He had written a script of Two Years Before the Mast for Edward Small in 1939.[21] The project was bought by Paramount, and Miller also produced. It was directed by John Farrow and he and Miller made two more films together, California (1947), and Calcutta (1947).[22][23]
Miller also produced The Bride Wore Boots (1946).[24]
Warners & Universal
Miller sold his script for Singapore (1947) to Universal in 1947. It was later remade as Istanbul (1957).[25]
In August 1947 he signed with Warner Bros to write and produce. He was to start with Colt 45 starring Wayne Morris.[26] It was not made. Instead he wrote and produced Fighter Squadron (1948)[27] and wrote The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950) originally known as The Gun.[28]
He associate produced The Sound of Fury (1950).[29]
In 1950 he formed a company with Irvin Rubin.[30]
He wrote and produced Queen for a Day (1951) at United Artists.[31] He wrote an adaptation of Island in the Sky[32] but is not credited on the final film.
Miller wrote The Mississippi Gambler (1953) and Bengal Brigade (1954) for Universal. He did The Shanghai Story (1954) for Republic.
In 1955 he sold a Western script, The Staked Plains to Henry Fonda.[33] He wrote scripts for a Dennis O'Keefe TV series Hart of Honolulu.[34]
In 1957 he wrote The Willie Gordon Story for Ray Milland to be shot in England but it was not made.[35]
That year he sold a story Pete's Dragon for the Disney company to make as a vehicle for Kevin Corcoran.[36] It was not made until two decades later.
Miller was credited on the remake of The Last Mile (1959).[37]
He wrote Death Valley Days and created a series Rogue for Hire.
Later career
His later credits include Knife for the Ladies (1974).
An unpublished story of his was filmed as Pete's Dragon (1977).
Awards and nominations
He and Sidney Buchman won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay in 1941 for Here Comes Mr. Jordan.
He was also nominated with Fred Niblo, Jr. for their 1931 screen adaptation of Martin Flavin's play The Criminal Code.
Personal Life
Miller married Bonita and had two children, Keith and Bonita, but he and his wife divorced in 1940. She demanded $2,000 a month in alimony claiming Miller abused her verbally and physically.[38] He remarried in 1946, to actress Ann Evans[39] and had another child, a daughter, Catherine, who became an actor.
Partial filmography
- As writer, unless otherwise specified.
- Paid to Love (1927)
- Two Girls Wanted (1927)
- The High School Hero (1927)
- Wolf Fangs (1927)
- A Girl in Every Port (1928)
- Fazil (1928)
- The Cowboy Kid (1928)
- Girl-Shy Cowboy (1928)
- The Air Circus (1928)
- The Far Call (1929)
- The Lone Star Ranger (1930)
- Harmony at Home (1930)
- The Dawn Patrol (1930)
- Today (1930)
- The Criminal Code (1931)
- Scarface (1932)
- The Crowd Roars (1932)
- The Last Mile (1932)
- Once in a Lifetime (1932)
- Hot Saturday (1932)
- Murders in the Zoo (1933)
- Criminel (1933)
- The Eagle and the Hawk (1933)
- Gambling Ship (1933)
- Master of Men (1933)
- Come On, Marines! (1934)
- Murder in Trinidad (1934)
- Marie Galante (1934) (uncredited)
- A Perfect Weekend (1934)
- Charlie Chan's Courage (1934)
- The St. Louis Kid (1934)
- Murder on a Honeymoon (1935)
- G Men (1935)
- Frisco Kid (1935)
- It Happened in New York (1935)
- Two in the Dark (1936)
- The Marines Have Landed (1936)
- Bullets or Ballots (1936)
- Marked Woman (1937) (uncredited)
- San Quentin (1937) (uncredited)
- Back in Circulation (1937) (uncredited)
- The Great O'Malley (1937) (uncredited)
- Kid Galahad (1937)
- Penitentiary (1938)
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
- The Dawn Patrol (1938)
- Valley of the Giants (1938)
- Dust Be My Destiny (1939) (uncredited)
- Years Without Days (1940)
- Castle on the Hudson (1940)
- The Sea Hawk (1940)
- Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
- This Woman Is Mine (1941)
- Secret Enemies (1942) (based on his story "Mr Farrell")
- My Gal Sal (1942)
- The Black Swan (1942)
- Trial by Trigger (1944) (short, uncredited)
- Ministry of Fear (1944) - also associate producer
- Two Years Before the Mast (1946) - also associate producer
- The Bride Wore Boots (1946) (producer only)
- California (1947) (uncredited, also produced)
- Calcutta (1947) (also produced)
- Singapore (1947)
- Fighter Squadron (1948) (also produced)
- Convicted (1950)
- The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950)
- Try and Get Me! (1950) - associate producer only
- Queen for a Day (1951) - also associate producer
- The Mississippi Gambler (1953)
- Bengal Brigade (1954)
- The Shanghai Story (1954)
- Istanbul (1957)
- The Last Mile (1959), a remake of the 1932 film
- Rogue for Hire (1960) (TV series) - creator, writer of pilot, producer
- Death Valley Days (1963) - episode "Diamond Jim Brady"
- Knife for the Ladies (1974)
- Pete's Dragon (1977) (story)
References
- ↑ Babcock, M. (1927, Sep 18). Hilarious comedy offered in "TWO GIRLS WANTED". Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/162099343?accountid=13902
- ↑ ON THE CINEMA HORIZON. (1931, Jun 28). New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/99335691?accountid=13902
- ↑ SCREEN LIGHTS AND SHADOWS. (1932, Jan 03). New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/99773070?accountid=13902
- ↑ PICTURES AND PLAYERS IN HOLLYWOOD. (1932, Nov 20). New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/99761198?accountid=13902
- ↑ COMIC PAIR STARRED IN MUSIC FILM. (1934, Jan 23). Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/163228111?accountid=13902
- ↑ Schallert, E. (1935, Feb 19). Jack holt and jimmy cagney will team in seton miller's "the farrell case". Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/163365554?accountid=13902
- ↑ Schallert, E. (1935, Jun 14). Careers of two foreign actresses brighten as they sign new film contracts. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/163314885?accountid=13902
- ↑ Schallert, E. (1936, Jan 21). Rumors of movie deal again start following arrival of stokowsky on coast. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/164555263?accountid=13902
- ↑ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1937, Nov 24). NEWS OF THE SCREEN. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/102160200?accountid=13902
- ↑ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1938, Jun 07). NEWS OF THE SCREEN. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/102547364?accountid=13902
- ↑ Schallert, E. (1939, Feb 20). Sing sing epic listed as garfield venture. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/164942555?accountid=13902
- ↑ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1938, Aug 04). SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/102505887?accountid=13902
- ↑ By DOUGLAS W CHURCHILL Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1939, May 31). SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/103036753?accountid=13902
- ↑ By DOUGLAS W CHURCHILL Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1939, Jul 12). SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/102759565?accountid=13902
- ↑ By DOUGLAS W CHURCHILL Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1940, Nov 12). SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/105301081?accountid=13902
- ↑ Fontaine, cooper win 'oscars'; crisp and astor best support. (1942, Feb 27). The Christian Science Monitor (1908-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/513767178?accountid=13902
- ↑ By DOUGLAS W CHURCHILLBy Telephone to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1941, Oct 29). SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/105697829?accountid=13902
- ↑ By Telephone to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1942, Jun 19). SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/106406367?accountid=13902
- ↑ Schallert, E. (1943, Mar 20). DRAMA AND FILM. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/165397717?accountid=13902
- ↑ Schallert, E. (1943, Aug 03). SCREEN AND STAGE. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/165468381?accountid=13902
- ↑ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1943, Dec 06). SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/106595638?accountid=13902
- ↑ Schallert, E. (1944, Feb 14). 'Two years before mast' personnel assembling. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/165477320?accountid=13902
- ↑ By, F. S. (1945, Sep 30). HOLLYWOOD HAPPENINGS. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/107267384?accountid=13902
- ↑ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1945, May 28). NEWS OF THE SCREEN. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/107307109?accountid=13902
- ↑ M'MURRAY TO PLAY LEAD IN 'SINGAPORE': Actor Is Signed by Universal- International for Picture-- Fox Engages Moss Hart By THOMAS F. BRADY. Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. New York Times (1923-Current file); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]03 Feb 1947: 22.
- ↑ By THOMAS F BRADYSpecial to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1947, Aug 14). BUCKNER TO MAKE A COMEDY FOR U-I. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/107812661?accountid=13902
- ↑ By, F. D. (1948, Jul 16). O'brien will star in film of war aces. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/516146759?accountid=13902
- ↑ By THOMAS F BRADY Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1950, May 01). BOGART AND LORD BUY 'BUTCHER BIRD'. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/111402475?accountid=13902
- ↑ By, R. S. (1950, Apr 23). NO COMPLAINTS. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/111416331?accountid=13902
- ↑ Drama: Beverly Tyler Signs for 'Challenge;' Dane Clark Launches Company Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File); Los Angeles, Calif. 05 Jan 1950: B9.
- ↑ By THOMAS F BRADY Special to THE NEW,YORK TIMES. (1950, Jan 25). METRO PLANNING NEW WAR PICTURE. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/111556795?accountid=13902
- ↑ By THOMAS F BRADY Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. (1950, Jan 26). STILLMAN TO MAKE NEW AVIATION FILM. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/111552121?accountid=13902
- ↑ By THOMAS M PRYORSpecial to The New,York Times. (1955, Nov 18). FONDA WILL FILM 'STAKED PLAINS'. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/113379091?accountid=13902
- ↑ Special to The New,York Times. (1955, Aug 20). DISNEY TO UNVEIL TV VARIETY SERIES. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/113390356?accountid=13902
- ↑ By THOMAS M PRYOR Special to The New,York Times. (1957, Feb 21). UNIVERSAL SUES ACTOR IT OUSTED. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/113899056?accountid=13902
- ↑ Hopper, H. (1957, Dec 17). Looking at hollywood. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/180210876?accountid=13902
- ↑ By THOMAS M PRYORSpecial to The New,York Times. (1959, Mar 20). LAST MILE' CREDIT IS BASIS FOR SUIT. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/114923385?accountid=13902
- ↑ Alimony of $2000 sought from writer. (1940, Jun 18). Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/165081048?accountid=13902
- ↑ Film Producer to Wed Actress Hopper, Hedda. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File); Los Angeles, Calif. [Los Angeles, Calif]25 Jan 1946: A2.