This Month in Filmmaking History - October 2022 Roundup

"Night of the Living Dead" debuted on this day in history in 1968. Screenwriters John A. Russo and George A. Romero were tired of making commercials for their production company, The Latent Image. They decided they wanted to try their hands at a horror film. They wrote several drafts of the script, including an early version that involved aliens, before settling on a three-part story that would later become "Night of the Living Dead," "Dawn of the Dead," and "Day of the Dead." Stars of the film have said in interviews that many of the scenes were ad-libbed entirely, and lead Duane Jones rewrote much of his dialogue to make his character sound more well-educated. The film cost just $114,000 to produce and earned 250 times that at the box office for a total of $18 million. Early critics said the movie was too gory, but it's since become a cult classic, and it's been remade several times.

"On the Waterfront," a crime drama that premiered on this day in history in 1954, is considered one of the best films of all time by expert organizations such as the American Film Institute and the US National Film Registry. Budd Schulberg's screenplay for the film is based on actual events, though the story ends on a more satisfying note than it did in real life. Robert Siodmak also contributed to the screenplay, though he is uncredited. While the movie won eight Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay for Schulberg, Marlon Brando's starring performance makes the film stick out in history for most people today. Filmmakers and actors hail Brando's acting as some of the best there ever was, and the role helped popularize method acting. Schulberg later adapted the story for Broadway and a novel.

Read the screenplay transcript for “On the Waterfront.”

The Korean crime-comedy "Attack at the Gas Station!" premiered on this day in history in 1999, launching the careers of the young cast and inspiring copycat crimes in Korea. The story centers on a group of thieves who rob a gas station because they're bored, but their plan goes out of control before the night is through. Park Jung-woo wrote the screenplay, which was one of his first big successes. He's now considered one of the most well-known screenwriters and directors in Korea.  

“The Twilight Zone,” created by Rod Serling, ran for five seasons and 156 episodes. Serling wrote or co-wrote 92 of the stories in the anthology, in all of which the protagonist faced some bizarre or fantastical situation with climactic twists. He also narrated the series. Still today, we say we’re in “The Twilight Zone” if something strange is happening to us. WGA ranked the show number three on its list of Best Written TV Series of all time, and it got a reboot in 2019 with Jordan Peele narrating. 

Robert William Paul, born on this day in history in 1869, is considered the father of British Film. When he realized Edison didn't patent his kinetoscope in Britain, Paul made several copies of the device, which allowed people to view film through a viewfinder. But he ran short on films, so he built his own cameras and began to make movies of his own. A trained electrician and scientific instruments builder, Paul later developed a projection system so films could be viewed on-screen. 

John Huston wrote the screenplay for and directed "The Maltese Falcon," released on this day in history in 1941. Huston based the story on a 1930 novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. It follows a private detective in San Francisco and his encounters with three people who are all trying to get their hands on a jewel-encrusted falcon statuette. The film is considered one of the first significant film noirs and is preserved in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry.

"The Last Emperor" premiered on this day in 1987. It was the winner of the Best Picture Oscar at the 60th Academy Awards, plus eight more statuettes that year, including Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. The story was based on the 1964 autobiography of Puyi, the last emperor of China and the final emperor of the Qing Dynasty. The film production was the first Western film ever permitted by Chinese authorities to shoot in The Forbidden City, and it required nearly 20,000 extras.

Paramount hired screenwriter George Axelrod to tailor the screenplay for "Breakfast at Tiffany's" to Marilyn Monroe, though the part eventually went to Audrey Hepburn. The film debuted on this day in 1961. The script is based on Truman Capote's novella, in which he described the lead character, Holly Golightly, as someone more like Monroe. Capote felt he had been double-crossed when Paramount cast Hepburn instead of Monroe. The film was a commercial success anyway, earning five Oscar nominations and more than $14 million at the box office. It's considered one of Hepburn's most famous roles.

On this day in history, in 1962, the world met Bond, James Bond on the silver screen. "Dr. No" was the first film in the James Bond series, although not the first of Ian Fleming's James Bond books. The adapted screenplay credits go to Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather, although Wolf Mankowitz was initially attached to an early draft. That draft was rejected because the writers had changed the villain, Dr. No, into a monkey. "Dr. No" established a look for the films, including the opening sequence and the theme music, which has carried on through 24 more Bond films.

When it was released on this day in history in 1956, "The Ten Commandments" was the most expensive film ever made. The story is a dramatized version of the biblical story of Moses, and it featured one of the biggest sets ever built for a movie. Adjusted for inflation, it also lands on the top 10 list of the most financially successful films ever made. Æneas MacKenzie, Jesse Lasky Jr., Jack Gariss, and Fredric M. Frank wrote the final shooting script for the religious epic, which has a running time of more than four hours.

Read the final shooting script for “The Ten Commandments.”

"The Jazz Singer" premiered on this day in 1927. The screenplay, written by screenwriter Alfred A. Cohn based on a play of the same name by Samson Raphaelson, follows a Jewish boy who sings Jazz music against his Cantor father's wishes, often putting on blackface to disguise his Jewish heritage and assimilate into American culture. The film is one of the movies that ended the silent era and ushered in the use of dialogue and singing using the Warner Bros. Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. While it is ranked as one of the American Film Institute's best American films of all time, the movie's use of blackface is an early example of racist imagery that would continue to appear in American films.

The narrator's voiceover was nearly omitted from the "Fight Club" screenplay, adapted by Jim Uhls, which premiered on this day in 1999. Industry experts at the time viewed the narration technique as hokey. It later became an integral part of the film's ability to convey the story, which followed an unhappy white-collar worker who starts a fight club with a soap salesperson. Five revisions and one year later, and with lots of feedback from lead characters Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, Uhls finalized the script, based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk.

"Spartacus" premiered on this day in history in 1960. It was one of Universal Studios' highest-grossing films until 1970 when "Airport" beat it. The screenplay was adapted by Dalton Trumbo, based on the original novel by Howard Fast, and followed a slave revolt against the Roman Republic. Trumbo was one of the Hollywood Ten, and Hollywood had blacklisted him for his involvement in the Communist Party, but Bryna Productions, owned by the film's star Kirk Douglas, hired him anyway. It was the beginning of the end of blacklisting in Hollywood when President-elect John F. Kennedy crossed picket lines to see the film.

Screenwriter Ernest Tidyman won an Oscar, a Golden Globe nomination, a Writers Guild of America Award, and an Edgar Award for his screenplay "The French Connection," which debuted on this day in history in 1971. Tidyman started his career as a journalist at age 15 (he lied about his age to get the job), working for The New York Post and the New York Times before deciding to become a screenwriter just three years before the release of "The French Connection." He also wrote "Shaft," and his portrayal of black men as intelligent and courageous protagonists earned him a spot as one of Hollywood's most sought-after screenwriters at the time.

The 90s produced some of the best cartoon content on network television, and "Hey Arnold," created by Craig Bartlett, is part of that nostalgia. The show premiered on this day in history in 1996. Bartlett made the show for kids, yet it dealt with real adult issues, including family, love, and friendship. Bartlett said he wanted the show to feature magic realism, where characters made the most out of a not-so-good situation. He didn't want to dampen a child's experiences or talk down to his audience. "Hey Arnold" ran for eight years on Nickelodeon.

"Lincoln," written by Tony Kushner based on a biography by Doris Kearns Goodwin, premiered on this day in history in 2012 at the New York Film Festival. Kushner focused the events in the script on the last several months of Abraham Lincoln's life and his efforts to abolish slavery. Kushner was the third screenwriter to work on the project. John Logan wrote the first draft, which playwright Paul Webb was hired to rewrite. Spielberg still wasn't happy with it, so Kushner came on board. His first version of the script was more than 500 pages long, so he narrowed in on the final two months of Lincoln's life while Lincoln was focused on adopting the Thirteenth Amendment.

Read the final shooting script for “Lincoln.”

John Logan wrote the adapted screenplay for the adventure drama film "Hugo," which premiered on this day in history in 2011. It was director Martin Scorsese's first foray into 3D movies. While a box-office failure, the film was praised by critics and was nominated for 11 Oscars, eight BAFTAs, and three Golden Globes. Based on Brian Selznick's book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," the story is about an orphan in 1930s Paris who becomes wrapped up in a mystery surrounding his late father and an automaton.

Read the screenplay for “Hugo.”

Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, "Giant" was adapted by screenwriters Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffett for the screen. It premiered on this day in history in 1956. The pair earned a Best Screenplay nomination at the Oscars that year. As with Ferber's other novels (including Show Boat and Cimarron), "Giant" dealt with themes of racism, specifically, the discrimination Mexican Americans dealt with at the hands of wealthy landowners in Texas. The movie broke records for Warner Brothers, earning $35 million at the box office.

Decorated Filipino screenwriter Jun R. Lana was born on this day in 1972. Lana is perhaps best known for his films "Kalel, 15," "Die Beautiful," and "Bwakaw," which was selected as the Filipino entry for Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 2012 Academy Awards. He's also earned two FAMAS Best Screenplay Awards, the Best Screenplay Award from the Brussels European Film Festival, and 11 Palanca Awards for his screenplays, which are considered the Pulitzer Prize awards of the Philippines.

Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Elizabeth Reinhardt wrote the adapted screenplay for "Laura," an American film noir based on Vera Caspary's novel by the same name that premiered on this day in 1944. The writing team earned a nomination for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. "Laura" follows the story of a police detective who becomes enamored with the dead woman whose murder he was assigned to solve. The mystery also earned a spot on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" series and was named one of the top mystery films of all time by the American Film Institute.

Tina Fey created "30 Rock" in 2006 based on her experiences as a writer and performer for Saturday Night Live. It premiered on this day in 2006 and aired until 2013, earning more than 100 Emmy nominations and 16 wins. The Writers Guild of America West named the show one of the best-written television series of all time. When Fey first pitched the idea, the show revolved around a cable newsroom, but the president of NBC Entertainment encouraged her to write what she knew. Hence, she revised the concept to take place at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, where SNL was written and produced.

"Badlands" marked Terrence Malick's directorial debut and the first film he had written for himself to direct. The film premiered on this day in 1973. The story is loosely based on actual events involving Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, a couple who went on a murder spree in the 50s. Malick said that while he was writing the screenplay, he was simultaneously assembling a pitch deck and videotape with actors to help him sell the idea to financiers. He ultimately raised half the money to make the film from doctors, dentists, and the like, and the executive producer raised the other half. The film's star, Martin Sheen, said in an interview that it was the best script he had ever read. screenplay by

The Roundhay Garden Scene was recorded by French inventor Louis Le Prince on this day in history in 1888, cementing itself as the oldest surviving film in existence. Le Prince recorded the footage of his son Adolph, his mother-in-law Sarah Whitley, his father-in-law Joseph Whitely, and Annie Hartley in the garden at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, Leeds in England. Sarah is seen walking in the 2.11-second long clip while Joseph's coattails fly as he turns.

Watch The Roundhay Garden Scene.

American screenwriter Dorothy Kingsley was born on this day in 1909 and passed away in 1997 at 87. Her father was a journalist and her mother an actor, so storytelling was in Kingsley's blood. But without having experienced a severe case of measles, Kingsley may have never known. While recovering, she reportedly listened to hours upon hours of radio programming and felt she could write better content. So, during a visit to Los Angeles to see a friend, she met with agents to show them her writing work. While she didn't find an agent, she did end up writing for several radio personalities before being hired by MGM to fix up scripts on set. She went on to write for "Angels in the Outfield," "Kiss Me Kate," "A Date with Judy," "Pal Joey," and many, many more, though she's uncredited on several films.

Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" premiered on this day in history in 2000. It is praised equally for its writing and its improv, a unique and hilarious combination that has earned nearly 50 Primetime Emmy nominations and two wins, and five Golden Globe nominations and one win since its premiere on this day in 2000. David uses retroscripting for the TV show, which allows him to write an outline to detail the plot and subplot while leaving room for dialogue improvisation. The show is about a fictionalized version of David's life, comedically exploring his annoyance with certain social norms and other people's behavior. 

The American Western "My Darling Clementine," written by Samuel G. Engel and Winston Miller, premiered on this day in history in 1946. Engel and Miller based the screenplay on the fictionalized biography of "Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshall," written by Stewart Lake. It's the story of the events leading up to the OK Corral gunfight. Though based on actual events, the final screenplay heavily dramatized the historical facts and added characters that did not exist in real life. Experts consider the movie one of the best American Westerns of all time and director John Ford's best film.

Read the dialogue transcript for "My Darling Clementine."

The car chase to end all car chases debuted on this day in history in 1968. "Bullitt," written by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, is best known for its extended car chase scene featuring the star of the film, Steve McQueen. The screenplay was adapted from the novel "Mute Witness," written by Robert L. Fish (Pike). The 1968 Mustang Fastback that stars in the chase just sold in early 2020 for $3.7 million and inspired several "Bullitt" editions of the Ford Mustang in the 21st century.

Considered one of the most creative people in Hollywood, David Twohy was born on this day in 1955. His early career successes include his screenplay for "The Fugitive," and later "Waterworld," "GI. Jane," and "Terminal Velocity." Twohy is also a director, having led films including "Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles of Riddick," which he also wrote. His newest project, "Running with Lions," will be a Formula One racing drama.

The classic Shakespearean tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" hit theaters in a fresh way when "West Side Story" premiered on this day in history in 1961. Ernest Lehman wrote the screenplay, which pits the Jets and Sharks against each other in 50s New York while two people from the rival gangs fall in love. The script is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, which was based on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Critics say the film is the best musical ever made, and the Academy agreed. It won 10 of the 11 Oscars it was nominated for that year, including Best Picture. A Steven Spielberg remake debuted in December 2021.

Read the dialogue transcript for "West Side Story."

Ingmar Bergman wrote and directed "Persona," which premiered on this day in history in 1966. The Swedish psychological drama ranks on Sight & Sound's best-of list. It's about a young nurse assigned to care for a mute actress, and their personas soon begin to meld. The script is full of monologues, given that one of the stars has no lines and deals with themes of isolation, suffering, and reality. Bergman is said to have written the screenplay while confined in a hospital.

HBD, John Favreau! Favreau, born on this day in 1966, is an accomplished screenwriter, producer, and director, with an impressive roster of projects. He created the TV series "The Mandalorian," a Star Wars spinoff show for Disney +, and wrote films including "Swingers," "Couples Retreat," and "Chef." He also executive produced several movies in the Marvel Comics Universe and directed the 2019 version of "The Lion King" and "Elf," as well as many more. Favreau is also the first person to act in a Marvel Comic film and direct one.

Though much of the dialogue and comedic elements were reportedly improvised, screenwriter Viña Delmar is credited with the script for the screwball comedy "The Awful Truth," which premiered on this day in 1937. After several other screenwriters drafted versions of their own, Delmar and her husband Eugene were brought on by director Leo McCarey. The couple wrote a script more in line with the original play, including musical numbers. There are reports that McCarey abandoned most of the Delmars' version, writing his own draft instead, though Viña remains the sole credited writer on the movie. The film was a box office success, earning six Oscar nominations and catapulting Cary Grant's career.

Read the dialogue transcript for "The Awful Truth.”

“Donnie Darko,” written and directed by Richard Kelly, had a disastrous start when it premiered on this day in 2001. While it only cost $4.5 million to produce, the film only grossed just over $7 million at the box office. It received little marketing because the trailer showed a crashing plane, and the September 11 attacks happened just one month before. It wasn’t until the film was released on DVD and VHS a year later that it finally found success. Now, the movie has a cult following and has been named on many best-of lists. It centers on a teenager who finds friendship with an imaginary demon rabbit and is convinced that the world will end in 28 days. It also took 28 days to shoot the film, which was pure coincidence.

The screenplay for “The Last Picture Show” was written by Peter Bogdanovich and adapted from the novel by Larry McMurty. The film premiered on this day in 1971. The story is a coming-of-age tale and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It was shot in black and white, which was unusual for the time, to portray the story’s time period. To this day, it maintains a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 100 percent.

The 23rd James Bond film, "Skyfall," premiered on this day in history in 2012. Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan wrote the screenplay, picking up where screenwriter Peter Morgan left off after MGM went bankrupt. The film's release on this day coincided with the 50th anniversary of the series. "Skyfall" is the first James Bond film to gross more than a billion dollars at the box office. It was nominated for five Academy Awards and won two, including Best Song ("Skyfall," written and performed by Adele) and Best Sound Editing.

Read the screenplay for “Skyfall.”

The heartwarming story of "Dumbo," the elephant who could fly, premiered on this day in history in 1941. It was Disney's fourth animated feature, based on the story by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl and adapted for the screen by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer. "Dumbo" was first meant to be a short film because the studio was struggling financially after "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia." Still, Disney felt the only way to tell the story correctly was through a feature. Grant and Huemer outlined the story using chapters and a 102-page outline, and while it's still considered feature-length, it is one of Disney's shortest films at just 64 minutes long. A live-action adaption of the story debuted in 2019.

"Hero," written by Yimou Zhang and Bin Wang, is the first Chinese-language film to reach number one at the US box office, and it did so two years after its premiere in China on this day in 2002. The movie was one of the most expensive and highest-grossing in Chinese history. Miramax bought the distribution rights to bring the film to America but delayed its premiere at least six times over two years because of conflicts over dubbing versus subtitling until Disney and Quentin Tarantino stepped in to secure its release. Tarantino saw how huge the movie was in other markets and had a history of re-releasing foreign films in America that he felt deserved attention. He went so far as to lend his name to the film, shown as "Quentin Tarantino Presents," to ensure its success.

The French neo-noir crime thriller "Le Samouraï" premiered on this day in history in 1967. Jean-Pierre Melville wrote and directed the movie, with co-writing credit going to Georges Pellegrin. The story centers on Jef Costello, a hired hitman who witnesses see commit a crime. Melville won praise from critics for the screenwriting and the direction. The movie inspired many after it, including "The American" by Rowan Joffe and "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" by Jim Jarmusch.

Stewart Stern and Irving Shulman developed the screenplay and adaptation, respectively, for "Rebel Without a Cause," which premiered on this day in 1955. The film's star, James Dean, had passed away a month prior. The movie's theme centered on generational gaps, parenting styles, and the moral decay of American youth. The title came from psychiatrist Robert M. Lindner's book of the same name, though the screenplay doesn't mention the book otherwise. The production initially began in black and white until the studio realized Dean was becoming a hot commodity, and filming was switched to CinemaScope color.

Read the screenplay for “Rebel Without a Cause.”

It was all a dream. Did you know that's where James Cameron's original idea for "The Terminator" came from? The movie premiered on this day in 1984. While Cameron was recovering from being sick, he dreamt about a silver torso holding kitchen knives emerging from an explosion. He used that dream as a starting point in the first draft of his screenplay and finished the final draft while staying at the home of science fiction writer Randall Frakes. He enlisted the help of his friend William Wisher to write some of the scenes and took some suggested edits from Gale Anne Hurd, although Cameron said she did not write anything in the script. Cameron later sold the rights to the script to Hurd for just a dollar, on the promise that if Hurd produced the movie, Cameron would get to direct it. Cameron eventually secured funding for the film by having a friend dress up and act the part of the Terminator ahead of his pitch.

John Carpenter and Debra Hill wrote the screenplay for “Halloween,” which premiered on this day in history in 1978. It’s about a serial killer who escapes an insane asylum and returns to his hometown to stalk a babysitter and her friends. The pair completed the script in just a couple of weeks, drawing on their own childhood experiences for the setting, street names, and characters. It cost just $300,000 to produce the movie and grossed $70 million. It inspired seven more films later, which gave viewers a more in-depth look into the antagonist, Michael Myers.

"Trouble in Paradise," written by Samson Raphaelson with adaptation and story input by Grover Jones, premiered on this day in history in 1932. The pre-Hays Code romantic comedy is about a thief and a pickpocket who work together to con a perfume company owner, only to have romance and jealousy get in the way. The screenplay featured adult themes and sexual innuendo, so when the studio applied to reissue the movie in 1935, the Motion Picture Production Code barred it. The code, which was in place from approximately 1934 to 1968, prevented studios from publishing morally questionable content such as crude language, sexual content, and religious ridicule. Paramount attempted to make a musical version of the film in 1943 but was again denied.

Read the screenplay for “Trouble in Paradise.”

The black and white fantasy film "Peter Ibbetson" premiered on this day in history in 1935. Vincent Lawrence and Waldemar Young are credited with most of the screenplay, though many other writers contributed. The story is based loosely on the novel of the same name by George du Maurier. It's about a man who falls in love with a woman, only to realize it is a now-grown childhood friend. The man goes to prison, but the pair live out their love affair through each other's dreams. The film was praised for its beautiful cinematography.

Read the dialogue transcript for “Peter Ibbetson.”

Happy birthday, Sir Peter Jackson! It's hard to believe that Jackson began his filmmaking career in the horror-comedy genre before writing, producing, and directing the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy and the "Hobbit" trilogy. But even before that, he had an early interest in filmmaking. A family friend gave him a camera when he was nine years old, and his earliest film was an attempted remake of "King Kong" using stop-motion. He'd later remake "King Kong" in 2005, starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black, and Adrian Brody. Jackson was knighted in New Zealand in 2010.