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Norman Corwin is a Actor and Scriptwriter American born on 3 may 1910 at Boston (USA)
Norman Lewis Corwin (May 3, 1910 – October 18, 2011) was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during the 1930s and 1940s.
Corwin was among the first producers to regularly use entertainment—even light entertainment—to tackle serious social issues. In this area he was a peer of Orson Welles and William N. Robson, and an inspiration to other later radio/TV writers such as Rod Serling, Gene Roddenberry, Norman Lear, J. Michael Straczynski and Yuri Rasovsky.
He was the son of Samuel and Rose Corwin and was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Corwin was a major figure during the Golden Age of Radio. During the 1930s and 1940s he was a writer and producer of many radio programs in many genres: history, biography, fantasy, fiction, poetry and drama. He was the writer and creator of series such as The Columbia Workshop, 13 By Corwin, 26 By Corwin and others. He recently was a lecturer at the University of Southern California.
Corwin won a One World Award, two Peabody Medals, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a duPont-Columbia Award; he was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for Lust for Life (1956). On May 12, 1990, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Lincoln College. In 1996 he received the Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from California Lutheran University. Corwin was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1993.
A documentary film on Corwin's life, A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, won an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Feature) in 2006. Les Guthman's feature documentary on Mr. Corwin's career, Corwin aired on PBS in the 1990s. He was inducted into the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Diamond Circle in 1994.
Corwin was married in 1947 to actress Katherine Locke. They had two children – an adopted son, Anthony Leon, and a daughter, Diane Arlene. Katherine Locke died in 1995.
Religious views
Corwin was Jewish, and his parents observed Judaism. (His father, Sam Corwin, attended holiday services until his death at 110). While not an observant Jew, Corwin has infused much of his work with the ideas of the Hebrew Prophets. One of the prayerbooks of American Reform Judaism, Shaarei Tefila: Gates of Prayer, contains a portion of the Prayer from the finale of Corwin's On a Note of Triumph (see link to full text below).
Lord God of test-tube and blueprint
Who jointed molecules of dust and shook them till their name was Adam,
Who taught worms and stars how they could live together,
Appear now among the parliaments of conquerors and give instruction to their schemes:
Measure out new liberties so none shall suffer for his father's color or the credo of his choice:
Post proofs that brotherhood is not so wild a dream as those who profit by postponing it pretend:
Sit at the treaty table and convoy the hopes of the little peoples through expected straits,
And press into the final seal a sign that peace will come for longer than posterities can see ahead,
That man unto his fellow man shall be a friend forever.
Early career
Corwin worked as a newspaper journalist for the Greenfield Recorder and the Springfield Republican, and later read news over WBZA in Massachusetts. He moved to New York City in 1936 and created a program for independent station WQXR. In 1938, he began working for the CBS Radio Network. CBS scheduled Norman Corwin's Words Without Music, the first usage of a writer's name in a program title; the series included two of his more famous works, The Plot to Overthrow Christmas, a fantasy in rhyme, and They Fly Through The Air, an impassioned reaction to the Spanish Civil War. In 1941 Corwin was given the timeslot and resources of the Columbia Workshop program for a full six months, under the title 26 By Corwin, which required him to conceive, write, cast, direct and produce a completely new play every seven days.
We Hold These Truths was first broadcast on December 15, 1941, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the United States Bill of Rights. It was written at the "invitation" (Corwin's word) of the U.S. Office of Facts and Figures. Corwin reports being on a train on his way to California to produce the program when news of the attack on Pearl Harbor came to him. He sent a telegram to Washington at the next stop, asking if the OFF still wanted the program done. When he got to Albuquerque, a telegram was waiting for him: "the President says, 'now more than ever.'" Many radio and movie stars of the day featured, along with an epilogue by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. With an audience of 60 million listeners it became one of the most famous ever produced on radio.
Columbia Presents Corwin (1944) offered stories ranging from serious to whimsical. His most famous work is On a Note of Triumph, a celebration of the Allied victory in Europe, first broadcast on VE Day, May 8, 1945. Not knowing where he would be when the end came, broadcast historian Erik Barnouw wrote, Corwin had performers ready in both New York City and Los Angeles. The program went on (from the Los Angeles studios of CBS Radio Station KNX), with Martin Gabel as host/narrator and with William L. Shirer (via cable from New York) re-creating his role as reporter in the Compeigne forest covering the French surrender to Germany. Corwin wrote a similar program for CBS, Fourteen August, which was broadcast on V-J Day.
Corwin was the first winner of the One World Award established by the Common Council for American Unity along with the (Wendell) Willkie Memorial of Freedom House. The award's winner was given an around the world trip. He won the award for his contributions in the field of mass communication to the concept of the world becoming more unified. In June 1946, he set out from New York for a 4 month journey. He interviewed both world leaders and ordinary citizens, accompanied by a CBS recording engineer with 225 pounds of magnetic wire recording equipment. His 100 hours of recorded interviews was transcribed and took up 3700 pages. The CBS network then molded his work into a 13 part documentary that was aired in the Winter and Spring of 1947. Programs featured Great Britain, Western Europe, Sweden and Poland, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Egypt and India, Shanghai and Cities of the Far East, The Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand.
Corwin wrote and directed two plays produced on Broadway, The Rivalry (1959) and The World of Carl Sandburg (1960). According to Ray Bradbury, Corwin was responsible for the eventual publication of Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles.
Composer David Raksin's "reverent orchestral theme" for the 1950 MGM film The Next Voice You Hear... was later published with original lyrics by Corwin as a hymn, "Hasten the Day".
Middle career
Corwin wrote a number of motion picture screenplays, including The Blue Veil (1951), Scandal at Scourie (1953), Lust for Life (1956), and The Story of Ruth (1961).
In the early 1970s Corwin produced and hosted the television show Norman Corwin Presents. In 1979 he hosted Academy Leaders, a weekly showcase for short films which had won or been nominated for an Adademy Award.
Corwin wrote several books, which include Trivializing America; plus many essays, letters, articles and plays.
Later career
In the 1980s Corwin was one of the writing teachers of J. Michael Straczynski, creator of the television series Babylon 5. Stracyzynski named a recurring character in the series, David Corwin
, after Norman; on the rec.arts.babylon5.moderated Usenet newsgroup, Stracyzynski wrote a series of posts on Norman Corwin's work.
During the 1990s, Corwin returned to radio drama, producing a series of radio plays for National Public Radio. In 1993, Corwin was finally inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame after a long career.
And in 2001, NPR aired six new plays by Corwin under the title More By Corwin. He also lectured at USC as a visiting professor [1] and was also on the Advisory Board of the National Audio Theatre Festival. Corwin celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2010. Corwin died at the age of 101 on October 18, 2011.
(1956)
(Scriptwriter)
Source : Wikidata
Norman Corwin
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Birth name Norman Lewis Corwin
Nationality USA
Birth 3 may 1910 at Boston (USA)
Death 18 october 2011 (at 101 years) at Los Angeles (USA)
Awards Peabody Award
Nationality USA
Birth 3 may 1910 at Boston (USA)
Death 18 october 2011 (at 101 years) at Los Angeles (USA)
Awards Peabody Award
Corwin was among the first producers to regularly use entertainment—even light entertainment—to tackle serious social issues. In this area he was a peer of Orson Welles and William N. Robson, and an inspiration to other later radio/TV writers such as Rod Serling, Gene Roddenberry, Norman Lear, J. Michael Straczynski and Yuri Rasovsky.
He was the son of Samuel and Rose Corwin and was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Corwin was a major figure during the Golden Age of Radio. During the 1930s and 1940s he was a writer and producer of many radio programs in many genres: history, biography, fantasy, fiction, poetry and drama. He was the writer and creator of series such as The Columbia Workshop, 13 By Corwin, 26 By Corwin and others. He recently was a lecturer at the University of Southern California.
Corwin won a One World Award, two Peabody Medals, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a duPont-Columbia Award; he was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for Lust for Life (1956). On May 12, 1990, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Lincoln College. In 1996 he received the Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from California Lutheran University. Corwin was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1993.
A documentary film on Corwin's life, A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, won an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Feature) in 2006. Les Guthman's feature documentary on Mr. Corwin's career, Corwin aired on PBS in the 1990s. He was inducted into the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Diamond Circle in 1994.
Biography
Marriage and childrenCorwin was married in 1947 to actress Katherine Locke. They had two children – an adopted son, Anthony Leon, and a daughter, Diane Arlene. Katherine Locke died in 1995.
Religious views
Corwin was Jewish, and his parents observed Judaism. (His father, Sam Corwin, attended holiday services until his death at 110). While not an observant Jew, Corwin has infused much of his work with the ideas of the Hebrew Prophets. One of the prayerbooks of American Reform Judaism, Shaarei Tefila: Gates of Prayer, contains a portion of the Prayer from the finale of Corwin's On a Note of Triumph (see link to full text below).
Lord God of test-tube and blueprint
Who jointed molecules of dust and shook them till their name was Adam,
Who taught worms and stars how they could live together,
Appear now among the parliaments of conquerors and give instruction to their schemes:
Measure out new liberties so none shall suffer for his father's color or the credo of his choice:
Post proofs that brotherhood is not so wild a dream as those who profit by postponing it pretend:
Sit at the treaty table and convoy the hopes of the little peoples through expected straits,
And press into the final seal a sign that peace will come for longer than posterities can see ahead,
That man unto his fellow man shall be a friend forever.
Early career
Corwin worked as a newspaper journalist for the Greenfield Recorder and the Springfield Republican, and later read news over WBZA in Massachusetts. He moved to New York City in 1936 and created a program for independent station WQXR. In 1938, he began working for the CBS Radio Network. CBS scheduled Norman Corwin's Words Without Music, the first usage of a writer's name in a program title; the series included two of his more famous works, The Plot to Overthrow Christmas, a fantasy in rhyme, and They Fly Through The Air, an impassioned reaction to the Spanish Civil War. In 1941 Corwin was given the timeslot and resources of the Columbia Workshop program for a full six months, under the title 26 By Corwin, which required him to conceive, write, cast, direct and produce a completely new play every seven days.
We Hold These Truths was first broadcast on December 15, 1941, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the United States Bill of Rights. It was written at the "invitation" (Corwin's word) of the U.S. Office of Facts and Figures. Corwin reports being on a train on his way to California to produce the program when news of the attack on Pearl Harbor came to him. He sent a telegram to Washington at the next stop, asking if the OFF still wanted the program done. When he got to Albuquerque, a telegram was waiting for him: "the President says, 'now more than ever.'" Many radio and movie stars of the day featured, along with an epilogue by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. With an audience of 60 million listeners it became one of the most famous ever produced on radio.
Columbia Presents Corwin (1944) offered stories ranging from serious to whimsical. His most famous work is On a Note of Triumph, a celebration of the Allied victory in Europe, first broadcast on VE Day, May 8, 1945. Not knowing where he would be when the end came, broadcast historian Erik Barnouw wrote, Corwin had performers ready in both New York City and Los Angeles. The program went on (from the Los Angeles studios of CBS Radio Station KNX), with Martin Gabel as host/narrator and with William L. Shirer (via cable from New York) re-creating his role as reporter in the Compeigne forest covering the French surrender to Germany. Corwin wrote a similar program for CBS, Fourteen August, which was broadcast on V-J Day.
Corwin was the first winner of the One World Award established by the Common Council for American Unity along with the (Wendell) Willkie Memorial of Freedom House. The award's winner was given an around the world trip. He won the award for his contributions in the field of mass communication to the concept of the world becoming more unified. In June 1946, he set out from New York for a 4 month journey. He interviewed both world leaders and ordinary citizens, accompanied by a CBS recording engineer with 225 pounds of magnetic wire recording equipment. His 100 hours of recorded interviews was transcribed and took up 3700 pages. The CBS network then molded his work into a 13 part documentary that was aired in the Winter and Spring of 1947. Programs featured Great Britain, Western Europe, Sweden and Poland, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Egypt and India, Shanghai and Cities of the Far East, The Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand.
Corwin wrote and directed two plays produced on Broadway, The Rivalry (1959) and The World of Carl Sandburg (1960). According to Ray Bradbury, Corwin was responsible for the eventual publication of Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles.
Composer David Raksin's "reverent orchestral theme" for the 1950 MGM film The Next Voice You Hear... was later published with original lyrics by Corwin as a hymn, "Hasten the Day".
Middle career
Corwin wrote a number of motion picture screenplays, including The Blue Veil (1951), Scandal at Scourie (1953), Lust for Life (1956), and The Story of Ruth (1961).
In the early 1970s Corwin produced and hosted the television show Norman Corwin Presents. In 1979 he hosted Academy Leaders, a weekly showcase for short films which had won or been nominated for an Adademy Award.
Corwin wrote several books, which include Trivializing America; plus many essays, letters, articles and plays.
Later career
In the 1980s Corwin was one of the writing teachers of J. Michael Straczynski, creator of the television series Babylon 5. Stracyzynski named a recurring character in the series, David Corwin
, after Norman; on the rec.arts.babylon5.moderated Usenet newsgroup, Stracyzynski wrote a series of posts on Norman Corwin's work.
During the 1990s, Corwin returned to radio drama, producing a series of radio plays for National Public Radio. In 1993, Corwin was finally inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame after a long career.
And in 2001, NPR aired six new plays by Corwin under the title More By Corwin. He also lectured at USC as a visiting professor [1] and was also on the Advisory Board of the National Audio Theatre Festival. Corwin celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2010. Corwin died at the age of 101 on October 18, 2011.
Best films
(1956)(Scriptwriter)
Usually with
Filmography of Norman Corwin (14 films)
Actor
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, 1h35Origin USA
Genres Documentary
Themes Films about writers, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry
Actors Orson Welles, Peter Bogdanovich, Julie Taymor, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Elvis Mitchell
Roles Self - Pioneer Radio Producer (archive footage)
Rating68%
, 39minutesOrigin USA
Genres Documentary
Themes Films about writers, Documentary films about war, Documentary films about historical events, Documentaire sur une personnalité, Political films, Documentary films about World War II
Actors Robert Altman, Norman Corwin, Walter Cronkite, Norman Lear
Rating69%
Origin USA
Genres Documentary
Themes Films about music and musicians, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentary films about music and musicians, Documentaire sur une personnalité, Musical films
Actors Elmer Bernstein, Philip Bosco, Claude Chabrol, Norman Corwin, Lucille Fletcher, Bernard Herrmann
Roles Self
Rating74%
Scriptwriter
Metamorphoses (1978)
, 1h20Genres Fantasy, Musical, Animation
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films based on mythology, Musical films, Films based on Greco-Roman mythology, Films based on Greco-Roman mythology
Actors Peter Ustinov
Rating61%
Madison Avenue (1961)
, 1h30Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Romance
Actors Dana Andrews, Eleanor Parker, Jeanne Crain, Eddie Albert, Howard St. John, David White
Rating59%
Clint Lorimer (Dana Andrews) works for an advertising company run by J.D. Jocelyn (Howard St. John). He is fired after Jocelyn finds out that Clint intends to form his own ad agency and steal a top client.
The Story of Ruth (1960)
, 2h12Directed by Henry Koster
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Historical, Peplum
Themes Films about religion, Films based on the Bible, Films about Jews and Judaism, Children's films
Actors Stuart Whitman, Tom Tryon, Peggy Wood, Viveca Lindfors, Jeff Morrow, Elana Eden
Roles Writer
Rating67%
The first part of the film revolves around Ruth, visualized as a pagan idolatress in her youth who serves as the spiritual teacher of a young Moabitess girl, Tebah, who is being prepared to be sacrificed to Chemosh, a Moabite deity. High-priestess Eleilat, along with Ruth, instruct Mahlon, a Judean artisan, to polish Tebah's ritual crown. Mahlon delivers the crown to Ruth at the temple, and he begins to question her about the existence of Chemosh. Ruth becomes doubtful of her religion and ultimately falls in love with Mahlon, sharing an interest in monotheism.
The Naked Maja (1958)
, 1h51Directed by Paolo Cavara, Henry Koster
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Adventure, Historical, Romance
Themes Peinture
Actors Ava Gardner, Anthony Franciosa, Gino Buzzanca, Gino Cervi, Lea Padovani, Massimo Serato
Rating55%
En Espagne, à la fin du XVIII siècle, le peintre Francisco de Goya fait la connaissance de la duchesse d'Albe. Elle devient son mécène, son modèle et sa maîtresse...
Lust for Life (1956)
, 2h2Directed by George Cukor, Vincente Minnelli
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Musical theatre, Historical
Themes Peinture, Vincent van Gogh
Actors Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, James Donald, Pamela Brown, Everett Sloane, Niall MacGinnis
Rating72%
Vincent van Gogh's obsessive devotion to his art engulfs, consumes, and finally destroys him. The apostate religious leaders do not like his zeal for God and they frown on his social activism and care for the poor in a coal mining town. He returns home to his father's house where he is rejected by a woman he obsessively loves, takes up with a prostitute who leaves because he is too poor, and discovers painting, which he pursues while agonizing that his vision exceeds his ability to execute. His brother, Theo van Gogh, provides financial and moral support, while Vincent lives off and on with the critical Paul Gauguin. Vincent begins experiencing hallucinations and seizures and voluntarily commits himself to a mental institution. He signs himself out, and with Theo's help, returns to a rural area to paint, where he ultimately shoots himself in despair of never being able to put what he sees on canvas.
Moby Dick (1956)
, 1h55Directed by John Huston
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about animals, Seafaring films, Transport films, Films about the labor movement, Cétacé, Films about disabilities, Mise en scène d'un cétacé
Actors Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn, Orson Welles, Ronald Lacey, James Robertson Justice
Rating72%
Set in 19th-century New England, the story follows the whaling ship Pequod and its crew. Leading them is Captain Ahab, who was almost killed in an encounter with the "great white whale", Moby Dick. Now he is out for revenge. With the crew that has joined him, Ahab is out to destroy the huge sea mammal, but his obsession with vengeance is so great that he cannot turn back, eventually leading to the death of Ahab and all of his crew, save his newest able seaman, Ishmael.
The Band Wagon (1953)
, 1h52Directed by Vincente Minnelli, Jerry Thorpe
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Dance films, Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan, Ava Gardner
Roles Writer
Rating73%
Stage and screen star Tony Hunter, a veteran of musical comedy, is concerned that his career might be in decline. His good friends Lester and Lily Marton have written a stage show that they believe is perfect for his comeback.
Scandal at Scourie (1953)
, 1h30Directed by Jean Negulesco
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Actors Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Donna Corcoran, Arthur Shields, Agnes Moorehead, Michael Pate
Roles Writer
Rating65%
200px Catholic girl Patsy (Donna Corcoran) lives in an orphanage in Quebec. After the orphanage burns down due to Patsy's accidentally knocking over a lamp, she finds a new home with the McChesney couple, who live in Protestant Ottawa. While Victoria McChesney (Greer Garson) is excited about the new family member, Patrick McChesney (Walter Pidgeon) reacts reluctantly as he was uninformed of the adoption, and is also a candidate for the Parliament in Ottawa. After Victoria overcomes a case of mycetism caused by Patsy collecting poisonous mushrooms, Patsy is suspected of causing the flame cleaning of the local school. The examination of the case finds no concrete evidence against Patsy. McChesney declares to give up his candidature in order to accept Patsy as his daughter. Patsy, however, flees. In the meantime, her innocence is proven. Patsy is found again and accepted in the McChesney home as their daughter.
The Blue Veil (1951)
, 1h53Directed by Busby Berkeley, Curtis Bernhardt
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Actors Jane Wyman, Charles Laughton, Joan Blondell, Richard Carlson, Agnes Moorehead, Don Taylor
Roles Writer
Rating71%
Following the death of her newborn baby, war widow LouLou Mason accepts a temporary two-week assignment as nursemaid to the infant son of corset manufacturer Frederick K. Begley, who lost his wife in childbirth. She ingratiates herself with the family and eventually becomes a permanent fixture. When she declines Frederick's proposal, he marries his secretary Alicia Torgersen, who fires LouLou following her honeymoon.
Once Upon a Time (1944)
, 1h29Directed by Alexander Hall
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Fantasy
Themes Films about children, Théâtre, Films based on plays
Actors Cary Grant, Janet Blair, James Gleason, Ted Donaldson, William Demarest, John Abbott
Roles Story
Rating60%
Jerry Flynn (Cary Grant) has to come up with $100,000 within a week to keep his theater. By chance, youngster Arthur "Pinky" Thompson (Ted Donaldson) shows him "Curly" (the original title of the film), a caterpillar that gets up on its tail and dances when Pinky plays "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" on his harmonica. Pinky refuses to let Jerry buy his friend, so they become partners. The boy is an orphan being raised by his showgirl sister Jeannie (Janet Blair), so he soon becomes very attached to Jerry, as does his sister.
Forever and a Day (1943)
, 1h44Directed by Cedric Hardwicke, Frank Lloyd, Victor Saville, Robert Stevenson, René Clair, Edmund Goulding, Herbert Wilcox
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Historical
Themes Transport films, Aviation films, Political films
Actors Kent Smith, George Kirby, Ruth Warrick, Merle Oberon, Ray Milland, Reginald Gardiner
Roles Writer
Rating68%
In World War II, American Gates Trimble Pomfret (Kent Smith) is in London during the Blitz to sell the ancestral family house. The current tenant, Leslie Trimble (Ruth Warrick), tries to dissuade him from selling by telling him the 140-year history of the place and the connections between the Trimble and Pomfret families.