(1897-1977) American screenwriter,
director and
producer. Originally a journalist and writer of
short stories, he moved to
Hollywood in 1932 and became one of the most productive and respected screenwriters of his
day. He was known for his
literate and skillfully constructed scripts; among them are such film classics as Jesse James (1939) and The
Grapes of Wrath (1940). By 1967 he had written, or assisted in writing, scripts for more than sixty movies.