Frank Nugent facts for kids

Frank Stanley Nugent (born May 27, 1908 – died December 29, 1965) was an American screenwriter, journalist, and film reviewer. He wrote 21 movie scripts, with 11 of them for the famous director John Ford. Before he started working in Hollywood, he wrote almost a thousand movie reviews for The New York Times newspaper.

Frank Nugent was nominated for an Academy Award in 1953. He also won the Writers Guild of America Award twice for Best Written American Comedy. The Writers Guild of America, West considers his script for the movie The Searchers (1956) to be one of the top 101 screenplays ever written.

Frank Nugent's Film Career

When Frank Nugent first moved to Hollywood, he still wrote for the Times sometimes. He worked for a studio boss named Zanuck. His job was to review other people's movie scripts and give his thoughts. He once said that Zanuck wanted him to criticize movies before they were even made, hoping to save money.

In 1944, Frank Nugent left the studio and became a freelance writer. His strong opinions, which were great for a journalist, didn't always make it easy to work with other writers. He once sent a script back to Zanuck, saying it was so bad it belonged in the trash.

Working with Director John Ford

Frank Nugent met film director John Ford in Mexico while working on a magazine article about the movie The Fugitive (1947). This meeting started a long and important partnership between them. Ford hired Nugent to work on his next movie, Fort Apache (1948).

Nugent went on to write scripts for many of Ford's western movies. These included 3 Godfathers (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Wagon Master (1950), and The Searchers. Out of the 21 movie scripts Nugent wrote, 11 were for John Ford.

Their working relationship could be tough, as it was for many who worked with Ford. But Nugent later said it was worth it to work with "the best director in Hollywood."

Changing Western Movies

Frank Nugent helped John Ford make westerns more complex. He created more interesting relationships between male and female characters. He also helped to reduce the negative way Native Americans were shown in western movies.

For example, in his script for Fort Apache, Nugent changed the original story. He showed Native American characters as victims of unfair actions by the government. He also created different types of Native American leaders, like a hot-headed young warrior and a wise older one. This idea became common in Hollywood westerns.

Famous Screenplays and Awards

Frank Nugent's script for The Searchers (1956) is highly praised. The Writers Guild of America, West, ranks it among the top 101 screenplays ever. The American Film Institute named it the Greatest Western of all time in 2008. It also ranked 12th on the list of the 100 Greatest American Films in 2007.

Nugent also wrote other westerns for directors like Stuart Heisler (Tulsa), Robert Wise (Two Flags West), Raoul Walsh (The Tall Men), and Phil Karlson (They Rode West and Gunman's Walk). He also worked on the script for Mister Roberts.

His scripts for other types of movies include The Red Beret, North West Frontier, Trouble in the Glen, The Quiet Man, The Rising of the Moon, and Donovan's Reef.

For his work on The Quiet Man, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay. The Quiet Man won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy in 1953. He won the same award again in 1956 for Mister Roberts (1955).

Frank Nugent once joked about why John Ford chose him to write cavalry films:

I often wondered why Ford picked me. I had only ridden a horse once, and it didn't go well. I had never seen a Native American. My knowledge of the Civil War was very basic. I did know that Remington was a painter, not just a gun. So, I guess Ford chose me for Fort Apache as a challenge.

Frank Nugent was the President of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) from 1957 to 1958. He also helped oversee the building of their headquarters in Beverly Hills.

Frank Nugent's Personal Life

On January 3, 1939, Frank Nugent married Dorothy J. Rivers. New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia performed their wedding ceremony. They divorced in 1952. In 1953, he married his second wife, Jean Lavell.

Frank Nugent had heart problems for several years. He passed away from a heart attack on December 29, 1965, in Los Angeles.

Movies Written by Frank Nugent

Here is a list of movies Frank Nugent wrote or helped write. He was credited as Frank S. Nugent or Frank Nugent.

Table key

Indicates films directed by John Ford