- Helen Deutsch
Helen Deutsch (
21 March 1906 -15 March 1992 ) was an Americanscreenwriter , journalist and songwriter.Deutsch was born in
New York City and graduated fromBarnard College . She began her career by managing theProvincetown Players . She then wrote theatre reviews for the "New York Herald-Tribune " and the "New York Times " as well as working in the press department of theTheatre Guild .Her first screenplay was for "The Seventh Cross" (1944). She adapted
Enid Bagnold 's novel, "National Velvet " into a screenplay which became a famous film (1944) starringElizabeth Taylor . After writing a few films ("Golden Earrings " (1947), "The Loves of Carmen " (1948) and "Shockproof " (1949) ) for Paramount andColumbia Pictures , she spent the greater part of her career working forMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer and wrote the screenplays for such films as "King Solomon's Mines" (1950), "Kim" (1950), "It's a Big Country" (1951), "Plymouth Adventure " (1952), "Lili " (1953), "Flame and the Flesh " (1954), "The Glass Slipper " (1955), "I'll Cry Tomorrow " (1955), "Forever, Darling " (1956) and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown " (1964). Her last screenplay was for20th Century Fox 's "Valley of the Dolls" (1967).In 1961, the Broadway version of the musical "
Carnival! " was based on "Lili" and starredAnna Maria Alberghetti .Shortly after Helen's Barnard graduation, she was asked to write something to recite on a radio show to be aired just two days later in honor of the late actress Jane Cowl. Overnight, Helen wrote "The White Magnolia Tree." She then forgot about the poem. In 1957, she was commissioned by NBC-TV to provide a poem to be recited by Helen Hayes for the 50th anniversary celebration of General Motors. She got out her old poem, and Helen Hayes recited it with such tenderness that within a week thousands of people had requested a copy of the poem. General Motors provided it in booklet form. Helen Hayes herself made a 45 rpm of the poem and sent out hundreds of copies. Today it is still searched for on the internet, some having success in finding it and others still looking.
Deutsch was nominated for the
Academy Award for the screenplay of "Lili", which also won her aGolden Globe Award .She died in New York City of natural causes.
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