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John L. Balderston is a Director and Scriptwriter American born on 22 october 1889 at Philadelphia (USA)

John L. Balderston

John L. Balderston
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Nationality USA
Birth 22 october 1889 at Philadelphia (USA)
Death 8 march 1954 (at 64 years) at Los Angeles (USA)

John L. Balderston est un scénariste américain, né le 22 octobre 1889 à Philadelphie, en Pennsylvanie, et mort le 8 mars 1954 à Los Angeles, en Californie (États-Unis).

Best films

The Mummy (1999)
(Scriptwriter)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
(Adaptation)
Gaslight (1944)
(Scriptwriter)

Usually with

Source : Wikidata

Filmography of John L. Balderston (30 films)

Display filmography as list

Director

The Last of the Mohicans, 1h31
Directed by George B. Seitz, John L. Balderston, Edward Small
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Adventure, Historical, Western
Themes Political films
Actors Randolph Scott, Heather Angel, Bruce Cabot, Phillip Reed, Binnie Barnes, Henry Wilcoxon
Rating65% 3.295693.295693.295693.295693.29569
During the French and Indian War, Alice (Barnes) and Cora Munro, the two daughters of the British commander of a fort, set out from Albany to join him. They are escorted by Major Duncan Heyward (Wilcoxon), who has loved Alice for a long time, and by the Huron Indian Magua. Magua is secretly an enemy of the British. Magua betrays them, but they are rescued by a colonial scout named Hawkeye (Scott) and his friends, the last two members of the Mohican tribe, Chingachgook and his son Uncas. On their way to the fort, Uncas falls in love with Cora, while Hawkeye and Alice are attracted to each other.

Scriptwriter

The Mummy
The Mummy (1999)
, 2h5
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Origin USA
Genres Fantastic, Comedy, Adventure
Themes Films set in Africa, Films based on mythology, Mythologie égyptienne
Actors Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Amy Jackson, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Kevin J. O'Connor
Rating70% 3.548433.548433.548433.548433.54843
In Thebes, Egypt, 1290 BC, high priest Imhotep engages in an affair with Anck-su-Namun, the mistress of Pharaoh Seti I. When the Pharaoh discovers their tryst, Imhotep and Anck-su-Namun kill him. As Seti's guards arrive, Imhotep flees while Anck-su-Namun kills herself, intending for Imhotep to resurrect her. After Anck-su-Namun's burial, Imhotep and his priests steal her corpse and travel to Hamunaptra, the city of the dead, where they begin the resurrection ceremony. However, the group is intercepted by Seti's bodyguards, the Medjai, before the ritual could be completed, and Anck-su-Namun's soul is sent back to the Underworld. Imhotep's priests are all mummified alive. Imhotep himself is sentenced to immortal agony, condemned to suffer the Hom Dai curse: having his tongue removed and then being buried alive with flesh eating scarab beetles. Imhotep is buried under high security, sealed away in a sarcophagus at the feet of a statue of the Egyptian god Anubis, and kept under strict surveillance by the Medjai, since if Imhotep were ever to resurrect, the entire world would be doomed.
The Last of the Mohicans, 1h52
Directed by Michael Mann
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Action, Adventure, Historical, Romance, Western
Themes Political films, Children's films
Actors Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Jodhi May, Eric Schweig, Steven Waddington
Roles Adaptation
Rating75% 3.798283.798283.798283.798283.79828
The action of the story takes place in 1757 during the French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years' War) in the Adirondack Mountains in what was then the British colony of New York. Three frontiersmen are traveling west to find a new home. The oldest is Chingachgook, the last chief of the Mohican tribe. With him is his son, Uncas, and an adopted son, a white man named Nathaniel Poe, who also goes by the name “Nathaniel Hawkeye”.
Dracula
Dracula (1979)
, 1h49
Directed by John Badham
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Horror, Romance
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Théâtre, Dracula films, Vampires in film, Films based on plays
Actors Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Kate Nelligan, Sylvester McCoy, Trevor Eve
Roles Theatre Play
Rating64% 3.248643.248643.248643.248643.24864
In Whitby, England in 1913, Count Dracula (Frank Langella) arrives from Transylvania via the ship Demeter one stormy night. A sickly Mina Van Helsing (Jan Francis), who is visiting her friend Lucy Seward (Kate Nelligan), discovers Dracula's body after his ship has run aground. The Count visits Mina and her friends at the household of Lucy's father, Dr. Jack Seward (Donald Pleasence), whose clifftop mansion also serves as the local asylum. At dinner, he proves to be a charming guest and leaves a strong impression on the hosts, Lucy especially. Less charmed by this handsome Romanian count is Jonathan Harker (Trevor Eve), Lucy's fiancé.
The Prisoner of Zenda, 1h36
Directed by John Cromwell, Richard Thorpe
Origin USA
Genres Adventure
Themes Monde imaginaire, Politique, Théâtre, L'usurpation d'identité, Political films, Films based on plays, Escroquerie, Films about royalty
Actors Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, Louis Calhern, Robert Douglas, Jane Greer
Rating68% 3.447643.447643.447643.447643.44764
Rodolphe Rassendyll, un touriste anglais, arrive à Strelsau, capitale d'un pays imaginaire d'Europe Centrale, la Ruritanie. Il y rencontre un lointain cousin dont il est le parfait sosie, le prince héritier Rodolphe V. Celui-ci doit être couronné Roi le lendemain, mais à l'issue de la soirée que les deux parents éloignés passent ensemble, le futur souverain ne peut être ranimé : il a bu un vin drogué par une complice de son demi-frère, Michael de Strelsau, lequel escompte se proclamer Régent du Royaume, en l'absence à la Cérémonie du Couronnement de Rodolphe V, puis faire assassiner ce dernier pour accéder ainsi au Trône. Mais deux fidèles du prince légitime, le Colonel Zapt et Fritz von Tarlenheim, font accepter par Rassendyll qu'il joue le rôle de souverain au couronnement, grâce à cette providentielle ressemblance. Les choses se compliquent lorsque Rodolphe V, toujours endormi, est enlevé le même jour par le mercenaire Rupert de Hentzau ; en outre, Rassendyll tombe amoureux de la Princesse Flavia, promise en mariage au prince héritier.
Red Planet Mars, 1h27
Directed by Harry Horner
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction
Themes Space adventure films, Mars in film, Films based on plays, Space opera
Actors Peter Graves, Andrea King, Walter Sande, Marvin Miller, Herbert Berghof, Marvin Miller
Roles Writer
Rating49% 2.455782.455782.455782.455782.45578
An American astronomer obtains images of Mars suggesting large-scale environmental changes are occurring at a pace that can only be accomplished by intelligent beings with advanced technology. At the same time a colleague claims to have been contacting Mars by radio, using technology stolen from the Nazis after World War II. He communicates first through an exchange of mathematical concepts, like the value of pi, and then through answers to specific questions about Martian life. The transmissions claim that Mars is a utopia fueled by nuclear power, which has led to great technological advancement and the elimination of scarcity, but that there is no fear of nuclear war.
The House in the Square, 1h30
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Fantastic, Fantasy, Romance
Themes Théâtre, Time travel films, Films based on plays, Children's films
Actors Tyrone Power, Ann Blyth, Michael Rennie, Dennis Price, Beatrice Campbell, Kathleen Byron
Roles Theatre Play
Rating69% 3.4927853.4927853.4927853.4927853.492785
Peter Standish is an American atomic scientist who is working in a nuclear laboratory in London. His co-worker Roger Forsyth, who is worrying about Peter's lack of social activities, takes him to a house in Berkeley Square he inherited. It is there where Peter announces his wishes of living in the 18th century among the high-class family Petigrew he has studied the last years. Because of a lightning strike, he is brought back to 1784, where he is thought to be the first Peter Standish, the American cousin of the Petigrews who, according to history, will soon romance and marry Kate Petigrew.
Gaslight
Gaslight (1944)
, 1h54
Directed by George Cukor
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Themes Films based on plays
Actors Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, May Whitty, Angela Lansbury, Maude Fealy
Rating77% 3.8975153.8975153.8975153.8975153.897515
World-famous opera singer Alice Alquist has just been murdered. The perpetrator bolted, without the jewels he sought, after being interrupted by a child—Paula (Terry Moore)—Alice's niece, who was raised by her aunt following her mother's death.
Tennessee Johnson, 1h43
Directed by William Dieterle
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Historical
Themes Politique, Political films
Actors Van Heflin, Lionel Barrymore, Ruth Hussey, Marjorie Main, Regis Toomey, J. Edward Bromberg
Rating64% 3.2449053.2449053.2449053.2449053.244905
Runaway tailor's apprentice Andrew Johnson (Van Heflin) wanders into the Tennessee town of Greeneville. He is persuaded to settle there. He barters his services to the librarian, Eliza McCardle (Ruth Hussey), in return for her teaching him to read and write and eventually marries her.
Stand by for Action, 1h49
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Comedy, Action
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Political films, United States Armed Forces in films
Actors Robert Taylor, Brian Donlevy, Charles Laughton, Walter Brennan, Marilyn Maxwell, Henry O'Neill
Rating64% 3.247393.247393.247393.247393.24739
During World War II, well-connected, Harvard-educated Lieutenant Gregg Masterman (Robert Taylor) enjoys his cushy posting as junior aide to Rear Admiral Stephen "Old Ironpants" Thomas (Charles Laughton), playing tennis and arranging social events. During a chance encounter, he gives bad advice to up-from-the-ranks Lieutenant Commander Martin J. Roberts (Brian Donlevy) out of spite. As a result, Thomas gives Roberts command of an obsolete, World War I-vintage destroyer, the Warren. To his dismay however, Masterman finds himself assigned by Thomas as Roberts' new executive officer. When Masterman learns that Henry Johnson (Walter Brennan), the ship's civilian caretaker, was a member of the Warren's original crew, he helps him reenlist and serve aboard his beloved ship.
Smilin' Through, 1h40
Directed by Frank Borzage, Sidney Franklin
Origin USA
Genres War, Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Films based on plays
Actors Jeanette MacDonald, Brian Aherne, Gene Raymond, Ian Hunter, Wyndham Standing
Rating63% 3.1937053.1937053.1937053.1937053.193705
Vieil aristocrate veuf, le solitaire John Carteret finit par adopter la délicieuse Kathleen, âgée de cinq ans, une nièce de sa femme décédée ..... Au fil des années, il retrouve dans les traits de l'orpheline grandissante, le souvenir de son amour qui fut tuée lors de la cérémonie nuptiale, par un prétendant jaloux. Et lorsque la demoiselle se sent bien des inclinaisons pour un fringant soldat Kenneth Wayne, qui s'avère être le fils du meurtrier, Carteret se braque ...
Scotland Yard
Directed by Norman Foster
Genres Crime
Actors Nancy Kelly, Edmund Gwenn, John Loder, Henry Wilcoxon, Melville Cooper, Gilbert Emery
Roles Writer
Rating64% 3.220013.220013.220013.220013.22001
When bank robber Dakin Barrolles is on the run from the police, he manages to sneak into the house of respectable Sir John Lasher and his wife Sandra. He finds the drunken Sir Lasher in the course verbally abusing his wife, fearing his upcoming military service.
Little Old New York, 1h34
Directed by Henry King, Robert D. Webb
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Historical, Romance
Themes Théâtre, Films based on plays
Actors Alice Faye, Fred MacMurray, Richard Greene, Brenda Joyce, Andy Devine, Henry Stephenson
Roles Story
Rating64% 3.2319753.2319753.2319753.2319753.231975
Engineer and inventor Robert Fulton (Richard Greene) comes to New York in 1807, where he meets tavern keeper Pat O'Day (Alice Faye). O'Day comes to strongly support Fulton and his visionary steamship after lodging at her establishment. O'Day's longtime suitor, Charles Browne (Fred MacMurray), opens his own shipyard to assist the dapper engineer by building Fulton's innovative steamboat. With financial assistance from Chancellor Robert L. Livingstone (Henry Stephenson) and additional investments from O'Day and her business acquaintances, Fulton eventually obtains all the financing needed to finish his revolutionary paddle steamer. After a shipwright named Regan (Ward Bond) has a run-in with Fulton, Regan attempts to turn every local deck hand and sail-powered passenger boat operator against the engineer, exploiting their fear of losing their livelihoods to a steam-powered vessel. In the end, against much adversity and additional interference from Regan, Fulton finally completes his steamboat and launches her to great success, silencing the critics and doubters who had previously labeled his venture "Fulton's Folly".
Victory
Victory (1940)

Directed by John Cromwell
Origin USA
Genres Adventure
Actors Fredric March, Cedric Hardwicke, Betty Field, Jerome Cowan, Sig Ruman, Margaret Wycherly
Rating69% 3.4642053.4642053.4642053.4642053.464205
Un intellectuel britannique s'est juré de rompre avec le monde civilisé en vivant sur une île paradisiaque de Nouvelle Zélande. Mais sa quiétude va être troublée par l'arrivée d'une danseuse poursuivie par trois malfrats.
The Prisoner of Zenda, 1h41
Directed by John Cromwell, W. S. Van Dyke
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Swashbuckler, Adventure, Romance
Themes Monde imaginaire, Politique, L'usurpation d'identité, Political films, Escroquerie, Films about royalty
Actors Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor
Rating75% 3.796913.796913.796913.796913.79691
English gentleman Rudolf Rassendyll (Ronald Colman) takes a fishing vacation in a small middle European country (unnamed in the film; Ruritania in the novel). While there, he is puzzled by the odd reactions of the natives to him. Rassendyll discovers why when he meets Colonel Zapt (C. Aubrey Smith) and Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim (David Niven). Zapt introduces him to the soon-to-be-crowned king, Rudolf V (Colman again), who turns out to be not only his distant relative, but also in facial features close enough to be his double. Rudolf is astounded and takes a great liking to the Englishman.