By Lee Pfeiffer
Budd Schulberg, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of
On the Waterfront, has died at age 95. The prolific Schulberg came from a show business family - his father was head of production for Paramount. However, he was never enamored of the industry and his sensational novel
What Makes Sammy Run? exposed the seamier side of the business. Schulberg also exposed corruption on the New York docks in the 1954 film
On the Waterfront (although the movie was shot entirely in Hoboken, New Jersey). Many felt the character of punch-drunk ex-boxer Terry Malloy (played by Marlon Brando) was an alter-ego for Schulberg himself. This was due to the fact that the character is presented as a hero for informing on his friends in the interest of the greater public good. Schulberg was dogged throughout his life by the fact that both he and the film's director Elia Kazan were friendly witnesses during the McCarthy hearings. Both named names and implicated fellow writers and filmmakers as being Communist sympathizers.
Although Schulberg never equaled the success of Waterfront, he did win acclaim for the novel The Harder They Fall, which blew the lid off crime infiltration in the world of boxing. The book was made into a film in 1956. It was to be Humphrey Bogart's final role.Schulberg also wrote A Face in the Crowd, which was directed by Kazan. The film traces the rags-to-riches career of a country singer who becomes increasingly monstrous as fame goes to his head Although not a commercial success at the time, the movie is regarded today as a classic - due in no small part to a ferocious, star-making performance by Andy Griffith.For more click here