About

Known credits:
33
Birthday:
1914-05-04
Place of birth:
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Website:
N/A

Hugo Butler

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hugo D. Butler (4 May 1914 – 7 January 1968) was a Canadian born screenwriter working in Hollywood who was blacklisted by the film studios in the 1950s. Born in Calgary, Alberta, his father had acted and written scripts in silent films. Hugo Butler worked as a journalist and playwright before moving to Hollywood in 1937 where he wrote the first of his thirty-four screenplays. His work on Edison the Man (1940) led to his nomination (with Dore Schary) for the Best Writing, Original Story Academy Award.

In 1940 he married actress Jean Rouverol, later an author and screenwriter. Shortly thereafter Butler's career was interrupted when he served in the United States military during World War II.

After being blacklisted, he wrote under various pseudonyms as well as using a fellow member of the Writers Guild of America as a front to submit screenplays to the movie studios on his behalf. He and his wife went to Mexico where he worked on scripts for directors Luis Buñuel and Carlos Velo. He was a handful of blacklisted artists responsible for the Nuevo Cine movement in Mexico, according to Rebeca Shreiber's Cold War Exiles in Mexico. They did not return to the United States on a permanent basis for thirteen years.

Hugo Butler suffered from arteriosclerotic brain disease for several years before he died from a heart attack in 1968 in Hollywood, California. In 1997, the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America voted to posthumously give him official credit for scripts he had written.

He is survived by Becky Butler, Emily Butler, Mary Butler, Debbie Butler and screenwriter Michael Butler.

Known for

Directing
1960 The Perfect Game Directing Director 59
Average

Writing
1972 Running Scared Writing Adaptation N/A
N/A
1968 The Legend of Lylah Clare Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1963 A Face in the Rain Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1962 Sodom and Gomorrah Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1962 Eva Writing Writer 59
Average
1960 The Young One Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1957 Torero! Writing Writer 58
Average
1956 Autumn Leaves Writing Writer 59
Average
1954 Robinson Crusoe Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1954 World for Ransom Writing Writer 58
Average
1952 The First Time Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1951 The Big Night Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1951 He Ran All the Way Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1951 The Prowler Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1950 A Woman of Distinction Writing Story 58
Average
1950 Your Witness Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1949 Roughshod Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1946 Miss Susie Slagle's Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1946 From This Day Forward Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1945 The Southerner Writing Adaptation 59
Average
1943 Lassie Come Home Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1942 The Omaha Trail Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1942 A Yank on the Burma Road Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1941 Blossoms in the Dust Writing Writer 59
Average
1941 Barnacle Bill Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1940 Wyoming Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1940 Edison, the Man Writing Original Story 59
Average
1940 Young Tom Edison Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1939 Society Lawyer Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1939 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Writing Writer 59
Average
1938 A Christmas Carol Writing Screenplay 61
Fair
1937 Big City Writing Screenplay 59
Average