John L. Balderston
Nascimento : 1889-10-22,
Morte : 1954-03-08
História
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
John L. Balderston (October 22, 1889 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - March 8, 1954 Los Angeles, California) was an American playwright and screenwriter best known for his horror and fantasy scripts.
Balderston began his career as a journalist. He worked as European war correspondent during World War I. He was the editor of Outlook magazine and a correspondent for the New York World.
In 1927, he was retained by Horace Liveright to revise Hamilton Deane's stage adaptation of Dracula for its American production. His 1929 play Berkeley Square later formed the basis of the musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. His Dracula subsequently formed the basis of the 1931 film version, leading Balderston into a screenwriting career, initially for Universal Pictures horror films: in addition to Dracula, he contributed to Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy, and Dracula's Daughter. He spent much of his career adapting novels for the screen, including The Prisoner of Zenda in 1937 and 1944's Gaslight, which earned him his second Academy Award nomination (the first was for 1935's The Lives of a Bengal Lancer). He was also one of the team of writers who collaborated on the 1939 film adaptation of Gone with the Wind.
His 1932 play Red Planet was filmed as Red Planet Mars in 1952.
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Screenplay
Documentary featured on the Classic Monster Collection and Monster Legacy Collection for The Mummy (1932).
Adaptation
No período colonial, durante a guerra entre Inglaterra e França, o homem criado por índios Hawkeye luta pela justiça e segue os valores moicanos. Ele se apaixona por Cora Munro, a filha de um oficial britânico e deve enfrentar o desacordo deste.
Theatre Play
Uma escuna naufraga na costa da Inglaterra em 1913, e o único sobrevivente é o Conde Drácula. Charmoso e educado, ele faz amigos e procura uma noiva, mas Van Helsing não dá tréguas e continua sua obcecada caça ao Senhor das Trevas.
Screenplay
An Englishman vacationing in Ruritania is recruited to impersonate his cousin, the soon-to-be-crowned king after the monarch is drugged and kidnapped.
Writer
Husband-and-wife scientists (Peter Graves, Andrea King) pick up a pie-in-the-sky TV message supposedly from Mars.
Theatre Play
Atomic scientist Peter Standish travels back in time to 1784, an era he has read about in his forefather's diaries. He falls in love with his forefather's cousin Helen but his contemporaries of 1784 are perplexed by his strange talk and the odd knowledge he possess.
Screenplay
Anos depois de sua tia ser assassinada em sua casa, uma jovem se muda de volta para casa com seu novo marido. No entanto, ele tem um segredo e fará qualquer coisa para protegê-lo mesmo que isso signifique enlouquecer sua esposa.
Screenplay
U. S. Navy Lieutenant Gregg Masterman, of The Harvard and Boston Back Bay Mastermans, learned about the sea while winning silver cups sailing his yacht. He climbs swiftly in rank, and is now Junior Aide to Rear Admiral Stephen Thomas.
Screenplay
The tumultuous presidency of 19th-president Andrew Johnson is chronicled in this biopic. The story begins with Johnson's boyhood and covers his early life. During the Civil War, Johnson stays a staunch Unionist and upon Lincoln's reelection in 1864, becomes his Vice President. After Lincoln's assassination, Johnson becomes the President and became the first U.S. president ever to be impeached.
Screenplay
John Carteret has long been depressed and lonely, because, at his wedding years ago, his bride, Moonyean, was murdered. He accepts into his house Kathleen, the 5 year old orphaned niece of Moonyean, and she quickly grows up to look just like her aunt. Kathleen meets and falls in love with a mysterious stranger from America, Kenneth Wayne. When John hears of this he is furious, and we learn that it was Kenneth's father, Jeremy, who had killed Moonyean years before. John carries his grudge against Jeremy to the new generation, and threatens to ruin his niece's happiness, but he softens in the end.
Writer
Inspector Cork pursues a bank robber who serves in the army and receives facial injuries. After plastic surgery he shows up as a bank president planning an enormous robbery.
Screenplay
A hermit's idyllic life on an island is disturbed by the arrival of a bunch of cutthroats.
Story
Inventor Robert Fulton receives support from a tavern owner and a shipyard worker to help realize his dream of a high-powered steamboat.
Screenplay
An Englishman who resembles the king of a small European nation gets mixed up in palace intrigue when his look-alike is kidnapped.
Screenplay
In 1921, British Lord Athleigh arrives in Dublin with his daughter, Helen, to engage in peace talks. As wanted Irish rebel leader Dennis Riordan is not recognized in public, he is able to move about freely and saves the Athleighs from an assassination attempt by a radical faction. Dennis and Helen meet again and, unaware of his position, Helen falls in love with him. Later when Dennis admits his identity, Helen must make a fateful decision.
Screenplay
Dr. Laurence, a once-respectable scientist, begins to research the origin of the mind and the soul. The science community rejects him, and he risks losing everything for which he has worked. He begins to use his discoveries to save his research and further his own causes, thereby becoming... a Mad Scientist, almost unstoppable...
Writer
A bored millionaire wagers his doctor that he can support himself at a working class job for year without touching his inheritance.
Adaptation
The story is set in the British province of New York during the French and Indian War, and concerns—in part—a Huron massacre (with passive French acquiescence) of between 500 to 1,500 Anglo-American troops, who had honorably surrendered at Fort William Henry, plus some women and servants; the kidnapping of two sisters, daughters of the British commander; and their rescue by the last Mohicans.
Screenplay
An insane surgeon's obsession with an actress leads him to replace her wounded pianist husband's hands with the hands of a knife murderer--hands which still have the urge to throw knives.
Writer
Sir Borotyn, a prominent Prague resident, is discovered murdered in his home, with all indications pointing to a vampire assault. The victim's friend, Baron Otto, and the physician who analyzes the body are certain that the vampire is the mysterious Count Mora, or perhaps his daughter, but receive little help from the law. Professor Zelen, an expert in the occult, is called in to assist with the investigation.
Adaptation
O filme começa de onde o original, de 1931, terminou: Frankenstein escapa do cerco ao moinho vivo, enquanto Dr. Frankenstein tem sua noiva sequestrada por outro lunático cientista. O objetivo dele é convencer o doutor a criar uma companheira para o monstro.
Screenplay
A choirmaster addicted to opium and obsessed with a beautiful young woman will stop at nothing to possess her.
Screenplay
In the Northwest Frontier of India, the 41st Bengal Lancers leaded by the harsh Colonel Tom Stone are having trouble with the rebellious leader Mohammed Khan. After two casualties, the experienced but insubordinate Lieutenant Alan McGregor receives as replacement, the arrogant Lieutenant Forsythe and the immature son of Colonel Stone, Lieutenant Donald Stone. With the intention to prove that he will not have any privilege in the troop, the reception of Colonel Stone to his son is absolutely cold, but he becomes the protégé of McGregor. When Lieutenant Stone is kidnapped by Mohammed Khan, McGregor and Forsythe disobey the direct order of their commander, disguise as Indian peddlers and go to Khan's fortress to attempt to rescue their friend
Screenplay
A young American man is transported back to London in the time of the American Revolution and meets his ancestors.
Theatre Play
A young American man is transported back to London in the time of the American Revolution and meets his ancestors.
Screenplay
Em 1921, uma equipe de arqueologistas no Egito, liderados por Sir Joseph Whemple, descobre a múmia do príncipe Imhotep, que vivera há 3.700 anos e teve como castigo ser enterrado vivo. Também foram encontrados manuscritos com o poder de fazer mortos ressuscitarem, e uma noite, um dos membros da expedição traz o príncipe de volta à vida. Agora, Imhotep vive e se passa por Ardath Bay, um egípcio contemporâneo que persegue uma mulher que acredita ser a reencarnação de sua adorada princesa.
Scenario Writer
Henry Frankenstein, um cientista louco, vive obcecado pela ideia de criar um ser, com partes de corpos humanos que vai roubando, e ao qual tenciona dar vida usando a electricidade. O que ele desconhece é que o seu ajudante, o corcunda Fritz, roubou o cérebro de um psicopata para a criatura, que assim se tornará num monstro que usa da violência sem qualquer critério.
Theatre Play
Drácula (Bela Lugosi) é um conde vindo dos Cárpatos que aterroriza Londres por carregar uma maldição que o obriga a beber sangue humano para sobreviver. Após transformar uma jovem em vampira, ele concentra suas atenções em uma amiga dela, mas o pai da próxima vítima se chama Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan), um cientista holandês especialista em vampiros que pode acabar com seu reinado de terror.
