World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Albert Maltz

アルバート・モルツ

Arubāto Morutsu

Pen Names: John B. Sherry（Pseudonym used on some later film credits (screenwriting)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1908-10-28 （Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States）
Died
1985-04-26 （Los Angeles, California, United States） age 76
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Brooklyn (New York) → Los Angeles (California)

Career

Occupations
Fiction writer, Screenwriter, Playwright
Active Years
1930-1974
Influenced By
James T. Farrell, Marxist thought (Karl Marx)
Influenced
Hollywood screenwriters community (influenced anti-blacklist and credit-correction efforts)
Nominations
1946 Academy Award nomination for Writing Adapted Screenplay (Pride of the Marines)

Education

Columbia University
Degree: BA
Period: 1926–1930
Year of Graduation: 1930
Country: United States
Graduated Columbia College (class of 1930)
Yale School of Drama
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
Attended Yale School of Drama (exact graduation year unknown)

Awards

O. Henry Award
1938
Work: The Happiest Man on Earth (short story)
Organization: O. Henry Memorial Awards
Result: 受賞
O. Henry Award
1941
Work: Afternoon in the Jungle (short story)
Organization: O. Henry Memorial Awards
Result: 受賞
Academy Award for Best Documentary
1942
Work: The Defeat of German Armies Near Moscow (documentary)
Organization: The Academy (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
Result: 受賞
Special Academy Award
1945
Work: The House I Live In (short film, featuring Frank Sinatra)
Organization: The Academy (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
Result: 受賞（特別賞）
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Western
1951
Work: Broken Arrow (originally uncredited due to blacklist)
Organization: Writers Guild of America
Result: 受賞（当初クレジットは別名義、後に修正認定）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Happiest Man on Earth

1938 Short story

A short story depicting working-class life and personal struggles; winner of the O. Henry Award.

working-class lifeeveryday struggle

The Underground Stream

1940 Novel (proletarian literature)

A novel addressing workers and social issues, regarded in the context of proletarian literature.

social justiceclass issues

The Cross and the Arrow

1944 Novel (wartime literature)

A best-selling novel chronicling German resistance to the Nazi regime; issued as an Armed Services Edition for US troops.

anti-fascismresistance

Pride of the Marines (screenplay)

1945 Film screenplay (biographical drama)

Screenplay for a film about a returning WWII marine; nominated for an Academy Award for writing (adapted screenplay).

war veteranadaptation and disability
Adaptations
  • [Film] Pride of the Marines / ルイス・R・フォスター (1945)

The House I Live In (short film)

1945 Short film (anti-discrimination)

An 11-minute film featuring Frank Sinatra opposing anti-Semitism; received a special Academy Award.

anti-Semitismhuman rights

The Naked City (screenplay)

1948 Film screenplay (film noir/crime)

Screenplay for a crime film set in New York; named among top screenplays of the 1947–48 season by critics' poll.

crimeurban life

Bibliography

  • Merry-Go-Round (play, 1932)
  • The Way Things Are (short story collection, 1938)
  • The Underground Stream (novel, 1940)
  • The Cross and the Arrow (novel, 1944)
  • The Journey of Simon McKeever (novel, 1949)
  • Afternoon in the Jungle (short story collection, 1970)
  • Numerous film screenplays (This Gun for Hire, The Naked City, Broken Arrow, etc.)

Adaptations

  • Merry-Go-Round → adapted for film (early 1930s)
  • The House I Live In → short film (1945)
  • Broken Arrow → film (1950)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
proletarian realistrealistic, socially engaged prosecinematic scene-focused screenwriting style
Recurring Motifs
class and laborsocial injusticeanti-fascism and human rights

Health

  • Stroke
    1984–1985（死の9か月前に発症）
    Suffered a stroke in late 1984 and died in 1985 from complications related to the stroke.

Legacy

Albert Maltz was a writer and screenwriter active from the 1930s to the 1970s, known for proletarian themes and socially engaged works. As a member of the Hollywood Ten he was jailed and blacklisted in 1947, losing work and screen credits for years; later his achievements were reassessed and some credits were officially corrected.

Academic Societies

  • Columbia University-related scholarly groups

Archives

  • Columbia University Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Albert Maltz papers)
  • American Heritage Center (Albert Maltz papers)

In Popular Culture

  • In the film Trumbo (2015) aspects of his story are reflected in a composite character

Quotes

  • I also read the Marxist classics. I still think it to be the noblest set of ideals ever penned by man ... (excerpt)
    Source: 1983 interview, "The Citizen Writer in Retrospect" (1983)

Trivia

  • Member of the Hollywood Ten.
  • Won the O. Henry Award twice (1938, 1941).
  • Used the pseudonym John B. Sherry on some later screenwriting credits.
  • The Writers Guild of America officially recognized him for Broken Arrow in 1991.