John Howard Lawson

John Howard Lawson (born 25 September 1894 in New York; † August 11, 1977 in San Francisco, California ) was an American playwright and screenwriter.

Life

After studying at Williams College Lawson became one of the most influential playwrights of the 1920s and 1930s. He was the first president of the Screen Writers Guild, a predecessor organization of the Writers Guild of America. Between 1928 and 1947 he worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood. For blockade in 1939 he was nominated for an Oscar.

After the early expressionist pieces Roger Bloomer and Processional he wrote pieces that showed his Marxist convictions. He was one of the Hollywood Ten and was serving a one-year prison sentence in 1950-51 because he refused to testify before the Committee on Un-American Activities citing the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. After his release he could be active only under a pseudonym for the film industry.

Filmography (selection)

Works (selection)

• Roger Bloomer (1923 )
• Processional (1925 )
• Loud speaker (1927 )
• The International (1927 )
• Success story (1932 )
• Gentlewoman (1934 )
• Marching Song (1937 )