Oscar Profile #622: Irwin Shaw

Born February 27, 1913 in the Borough of the Bronx in New York, New York, Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff and his younger brother, David, were the sons of Russian-Jewish immigrants who changed their last name to Shaw when they entered college. He wrote several scripts for radio dramas in the 1930s, writing his first screenplay in 1935 when he was just 21 years old.

A prolific writer of short stories, novels, and plays as well as screenplays and teleplays for decades, his works are still being adapted for television predominantly in Europe.

Shaw’s first screenplay was for 1936’s The Big Gamble. He married actress-producer Marian Edwards in 1939. They had one child and would divorce in 1967 but they would remarry fifteen years later in 1982.

Shaw’s second screenplay was for 1941’s Out of the Fog based on his play of the same name. His third was for 1942’s The Talk of the Town for which he and co-writer Sidney Buchman were nominated for an Oscar for their screenplay.

After writing the screenplay for 1942’s The Commandos Strike at Dawn, Shaw was approached by William Wyler to join his film unit but unable to be commissioned as an officer, he joined the Regular Army. Sometime later, the Army, noting his background, sent him to work in the George Stevens film unit where he participated in Stevens’ war footage.

Shaw’s best-known novel, the autobiographical The Young Lions, was first published in 1948. It would be made into a film in 1958. In 1951, he testified before Congress on behalf of blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo only to find himself being accused of being a Communist and finding himself backlisted by the studios. Moving to Europe, his screen career continued to flourish.

Between the publication of The Young Lions as a novel and its film version ten years later, Shaw’ output included the screenplays for 1949’s Take One False Step and Easy Living, 1951’s I Want You, 1953’s Act of Love, 1954’s Ulysses, 1957’s Fire Down Below, 1956’s War and Peace (uncredited), and 1958’s Desire Under the Elms.

Shaw’s short story Tip on a Dead Jockey was made into a fim in 1957. His novel Two Weeks in Another Town was made into a film in 1962. In 1963 he wrote the screenplay for In the French Style based on two of his short stories. His 1970 novel, Rich Man, Poor Man was made into an award-winning TV miniseries in 1976 for which he co-wrote all nine episodes.

Much of Shaw’s later work was in Switzerland where he died on May 16, 1984 at 71, two years after remarrying his wife following their fifteen-year separation.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

THE TALK OF THE TOWN (1942), directed by George Stevens

Nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Picture, this philosophical comedy-drama featured Ronald Colman in one of two great performances he gave that year. The other one was Random Harvest opposite Greer Garson. He is one of two leading men to Jean Arthur in this one. Cry Grant is the other. All three are superb with Colman playing a Supreme Court designate renting a house from spirited schoolteacher Arthur. Grant plays a suspected arsonist. The outstanding supporting cast includes Charles Dingle, Edgar Buchanan and Glenda Farrell in one of her best roles as a beauty parlor owner.

TAKE ONE FALSE STEP (1949), directed by Chester Erskine

William Powell in one of his last starring roles plays an academic not unlike Ronald Colman in The Talk of the Town but unlike Shaw’s earlier screenplay, this one is straight drama, a film noir in which Powell is the suspect in the disappearance of Shelley Winters who inexplicably shares over-the-title billing with Powell even though she disappears from the film after the first twenty minutes. Third billed Marsha Hunt who recently passed away at 103 has the film’s most interesting role as a friend of Winters who helps Powell and eventually becomes a good friend to Powell’s wife, played by Dorothy Hart. See it for her.

I WANT YOU (1951), directed by Mark Robson

Produced Samuel Goldwyn whose The Best Years of Our Lives was the definitive film about returning World War II soldiers and indeed soldiers from every war since. Made as a follow-up to that film while dealing with familial conflicts during the Korean War draft, it stars Dana Andrews as a factory owner who refuses to write a letter stating his younger brother, Years’ similarly themed Till the End of Time’s Farley Granger is needed for the business and shouldn’t be drafted. Andrews’ wife is played by Dorothy McGuire (Granger’s girl in Time. Bright Victory’s Peggy Dow in his girl here.

IN THE FRENCH STYLE (1963), directed by Robert Parrish

Shaw both wrote and produced this film taken from two of his short stories. He handpicked close friend actor-director Parrish, an Oscar winner for editing 1947’s Body and Soul and a subsequent nominee in the same category for 1949’s All the King’s Men to direct Jean Seberg in one of her typical roles of the period in which she plays a young girl who can’t decide what she wants to do with her life. She falls in and out of love with handsome college student Philippe Forquet and then older man Stanley Baker. It would become Seberg’s most popular film between 1960’s Breathless and 1964’s Lilith.

RICH MAN, POOR MAN (1976), written by Irwin Shaw

Nominated for 23 Emmys including Outstanding Limited Series, and winner of 4, this miniseries from Shaw’s 1970 novel seemed to nominate everyone connected with it except for Shaw who co-wrote all 9 episodes. It won for directing (David Greene), score (Alex North), and the single episode performances of Ed Asner and Fionnula Flanagan. Also nominated were lead actors Nick Nolte and Peter Strauss, lead actress Susan Blakely; continuing supporting players Ray Milland, Robert Reed, and Dorothy McGuire; and single episode supporting players Bill Bixby, Norman Fell, Van Johnson, Kim Darby, and Kay Lenz.