Made minor wording changes for clarity and readability, and also added a couple more inline citations in the "Rebound" section..← Previous revisionRevision as of 13:43, 30 October 2026 Line 27: Line 27: ==Early life== ==Early life== Bernstein was born on August 20, 1919, in [[Brooklyn]], New York, to Eastern European Jewish immigrants Hannah (née Bistrong) and Louis Bernstein, a teacher.{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/95/Walter-Bernstein.html|title=Walter Bernstein Biography (1919–)|website=Film Reference|access-date=June 11, 2016}}{{Cite news|last=Anderson|first=John|date=January 23, 2021|title=Walter Bernstein, Celebrated Screenwriter, Is Dead at 101|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/23/movies/walter-bernstein-dead.html|access-date=January 24, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} He studied at the Erasmus High School in [[Flatbush, Brooklyn]]. After graduating from high school, he went on to study a six-month immersive language course at [[University of Grenoble]], where he lived with a French family who were acquaintances of his father. It was here that he was exposed first to communist ideas. He returned to the United States and attended [[Dartmouth College]], where he gained his first writing job, as a film reviewer for the campus newspaper, and where he joined the [[Young Communist League USA|Young Communist League]]. He graduated from Dartmouth in 1940.Bernstein, Walter (1945). ''Keep Your Head Down'', Viking Press. Book jacket text Bernstein was born on August 20, 1919, in [[Brooklyn]], New York, to Eastern European Jewish immigrants Hannah (née Bistrong) and Louis Bernstein, a teacher.{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/95/Walter-Bernstein.html|title=Walter Bernstein Biography (1919–)|website=Film Reference|access-date=June 11, 2016}}{{Cite news|last=Anderson|first=John|date=January 23, 2021|title=Walter Bernstein, Celebrated Screenwriter, Is Dead at 101|language=en-US|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/23/movies/walter-bernstein-dead.html|access-date=January 24, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} He studied at Erasmus High School in [[Flatbush, Brooklyn]]. After graduating he entered a six-month immersive language course at [[University of Grenoble]]; he lived with a French family who were acquaintances of his father. It was here that Bernstein was initially exposed to communist ideas. He returned to the U.S. and attended [[Dartmouth College]], where he gained his first writing job, as a film reviewer for the campus newspaper, and where he joined the [[Young Communist League USA|Young Communist League]]. He graduated from Dartmouth in 1940.Bernstein, Walter (1945). ''Keep Your Head Down'', Viking Press. Book jacket text In February 1941, Bernstein was drafted into the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]. Eventually attaining the rank of Sergeant, he spent most of [[World War II]] as a correspondent on the staff of the Army newspaper ''[[Yank, the Army Weekly|Yank]]'', filing dispatches from Iran, Palestine, Egypt, North Africa, Sicily, and Yugoslavia. He wrote of his experiences in [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]] in an article titled "War and Palestine".{{cite magazine|last=Bernstein|first=Walter|url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/war-and-palestine|title=War and Palestine|magazine=[[Tablet (magazine)|The Tablet]]|date=February 1, 2017}} In February 1941, Bernstein was drafted into the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]. Attaining the rank of sergeant, he spent most of [[World War II]] as a correspondent on the staff of the Army newspaper ''[[Yank, the Army Weekly|Yank]]'', filing dispatches from Iran, [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]], Egypt, North Africa, Sicily, and Yugoslavia. He documented his Palestine experiences in an article titled "War and Palestine".{{cite magazine |last=Bernstein |first=Walter |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/war-and-palestine|title=War and Palestine|magazine=[[Tablet (magazine)|The Tablet]]|date=February 1, 2017}} Bernstein wrote a number of articles and stories based on his experiences in the Army, some of which originally appeared in ''[[The New Yorker]]''. These were collected in ''Keep Your Head Down'', his first book, published in 1945. Bernstein drew on his years in the Army for a number of articles and stories, some of which originally appeared in ''[[The New Yorker]]''. These were collected in ''Keep Your Head Down'', his first book, published in 1945. ==Career== ==Career== Bernstein first came to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] in 1947, under a ten-week contract with writer-producer-director [[Robert Rossen]] at [[Columbia Pictures]], working uncredited for [[All the King's Men (1949 film)|''All the King's Men'']]. After that he worked for producer [[Harold Hecht]], which resulted in his first screen credit, shared with [[Ben Maddow]], for their adaptation of the [[Gerald Butler (writer)|Gerald Butler]] novel for the film ''[[Kiss the Blood Off My Hands]]'' (1948) for [[Universal Pictures|Universal]]. He subsequently returned to New York, where he continued writing for ''The New Yorker'' and other magazines, and eventually found work as a scriptwriter in the early days of live television. Bernstein came to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] in 1947, under a ten-week contract with writer-producer-director [[Robert Rossen]] at [[Columbia Pictures]], working uncredited on [[All the King's Men (1949 film)|''All the King's Men'']]. After that, Bernstein obtained his first screen credit, shared with [[Ben Maddow]], for adapting [[Gerald Butler (writer)|Gerald Butler]]'s novel ''[[Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (novel)|Kiss the Blood Off My Hands]]'' for a [[Kiss the Blood Off My Hands|film of the same name]]; it was produced by [[Harold Hecht]] for [[Universal Pictures]] and premiered in 1948. Bernstein returned to New York, where he resumed writing for ''The New Yorker'' and other magazines, and eventually found work as a scriptwriter in the early days of live television. ===Blacklist=== ===Blacklist=== In 1950, because of his numerous left-wing political affiliations and related activities, his name appeared in the publication ''[[Red Channels]]'', resulting in his [[Hollywood blacklist|blacklisting]] by Hollywood studios as part of [[McCarthy Era|McCarthy era]] actions against individuals with communist affiliations. Throughout the 1950s, however, he managed to continue writing for television, both under pseudonyms and through the use of "fronts" (non-blacklisted individuals who would permit their names to appear on the work of blacklistees). In this manner, Bernstein contributed to television programs of the era, including ''[[Danger (TV series)|Danger]]'', the [[CBS News]] docudrama series ''[[You Are There (series)|You Are There]]'', and the mystery series ''[[Colonel March of Scotland Yard]]''.{{Cite web|last=Kelley|first=Bill|title=Blacklisted Filmmaker Tells of Descent, Comeback|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1997-01-05-9701130285-story.html|date=January 5, 1997|access-date=January 24, 2021|work=Sun-Sentinel|language=en-US}} (It has been incorrectly stated in some sources that Bernstein's blacklisting resulted from "unfriendly" testimony given to [[House Un-American Activities Committee|HUAC]] in 1951, but, in fact, he was not subpoenaed by the committee until the late 1950s, and he never actually testified.){{Cite book |title=Inside Out: A Memoir of the Blacklist |last=Bernstein |first=Walter |year=1996 |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |isbn=978-0394583419 |language=en |page=276}} In 1950, because of his numerous left-wing political affiliations and related activities, Bernstein's name appeared in the publication ''[[Red Channels]]'', resulting in his [[Hollywood blacklist|blacklisting]] by Hollywood studios as part of [[McCarthy Era|McCarthy era]] actions against individuals with communist beliefs and affiliations. Throughout the 1950s, however, Bernstein managed to continue writing for television by using pseudonyms and "fronts" (non-blacklisted individuals who would permit their names to appear on the work of blacklistees). In this manner, he contributed to TV programs of the era, including ''[[Danger (TV series)|Danger]]'', the [[CBS News]] docudrama series ''[[You Are There (series)|You Are There]]'', and the mystery series ''[[Colonel March of Scotland Yard]]''.{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Bill |title=Blacklisted Filmmaker Tells of Descent, Comeback|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1997-01-05-9701130285-story.html|date=January 5, 1997|access-date=January 24, 2021|work=Sun-Sentinel|language=en-US}} (It has been incorrectly stated in some sources that Bernstein's blacklisting resulted from "unfriendly" testimony given to [[House Un-American Activities Committee|HUAC]] in 1951, but, in fact, he was not subpoenaed by the committee until the late 1950s, and he never actually testified.){{Cite book |title=Inside Out: A Memoir of the Blacklist |last=Bernstein |first=Walter |year=1996 |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |isbn=978-0394583419 |language=en |page=276}} ===Rebound=== ===Rebound=== Bernstein's screenwriting career began to rebound from the blacklist when director [[Sidney Lumet]] hired him to write the screenplay for the [[Sophia Loren]] movie ''[[That Kind of Woman]]'' (1959). From then on Bernstein was able to work openly on films such as ''[[Paris Blues]]'' (1961) and ''[[Fail-Safe (1964 film)|Fail-Safe]]'' (1964). He made contributions to the screenplays of ''[[The Magnificent Seven]]'' (1960) and ''[[The Train (1964 film)|The Train]]'' (1964), and was one of several writers who worked on the script for the ill-fated ''[[Something's Got to Give]]'', which was left uncompleted at the time of the death of its star, [[Marilyn Monroe]], in 1962.{{Cite news|date=January 23, 2021|title=Walter Bernstein '40, Celebrated Screenwriter, Dies at 101|url=https://film-media.dartmouth.edu/news/2021/01/walter-bernstein-40-celebrated-screenwriter-dies-101|access-date=January 24, 2021|website=Film & Media Studies|language=en}}{{Cite news|title=Hollywood screenwriter Walter Bernstein dies at 101|url=https://www.cbs58.com/news/hollywood-screenwriter-walter-bernstein-dies-at-101|access-date=January 24, 2021|website=[[WDJT-TV|CBS 58]]|language=en|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125090027/https://cbs58.com/news/hollywood-screenwriter-walter-bernstein-dies-at-101|url-status=dead}} Bernstein's screenwriting career began to rebound from the blacklist when director [[Sidney Lumet]] hired him to write the screenplay for the [[Sophia Loren]] movie ''[[That Kind of Woman]]'' (1959). From then on Bernstein was able to work openly on films such as ''[[Paris Blues]]'' (1961) and ''[[Fail-Safe (1964 film)|Fail-Safe]]'' (1964). He made contributions to the screenplays of ''[[The Magnificent Seven]]'' (1960) and ''[[The Train (1964 film)|The Train]]'' (1964), and was one of several writers who worked on the script for the ill-fated ''[[Something's Got to Give]]'', which was left unfinished in 1962 due to the death of its star, [[Marilyn Monroe]].{{Cite news|date=January 23, 2021|title=Walter Bernstein '40, Celebrated Screenwriter, Dies at 101|url=https://film-media.dartmouth.edu/news/2021/01/walter-bernstein-40-celebrated-screenwriter-dies-101|access-date=January 24, 2021|website=Film & Media Studies|language=en}}{{Cite news|title=Hollywood screenwriter Walter Bernstein dies at 101 |url=https://www.cbs58.com/news/hollywood-screenwriter-walter-bernstein-dies-at-101|access-date=January 24, 2021|website=[[WDJT-TV|CBS 58]]|language=en|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125090027/https://cbs58.com/news/hollywood-screenwriter-walter-bernstein-dies-at-101|url-status=dead}} [[File:6.7.16TheFrontByLuigiNovi8.jpg|thumb|left|Bernstein (right), during a June 2016 Q&A with [[Sony Pictures Classics]] co-founder Michael Barker at the [[SVA Theater]] in Manhattan, which followed a screening of ''[[The Front (film)|The Front]]'']] [[File:6.7.16TheFrontByLuigiNovi8.jpg|thumb|left|Bernstein (right), during a June 2016 Q&A with [[Sony Pictures Classics]] co-founder Michael Barker at the [[SVA Theater]] in Manhattan, which followed a screening of ''[[The Front (film)|The Front]]'']] ''Paris Blues'' was his first feature film collaboration with director [[Martin Ritt]], a friend since the 1940s (and himself a victim of the Hollywood blacklist); they subsequently worked together on ''[[The Molly Maguires]]'' (1970), which Bernstein also co-produced with Ritt, and ''[[The Front]]'' (1976). The latter film is a drama about a restaurant cashier (played by [[Woody Allen]]) with no real talent or political convictions who is hired to act as a "front" for blacklisted television writers during the 1950s. It earned Bernstein an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination for Best Original Screenplay and the [[Writers Guild of America|WGA Award for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen]]. Bernstein made a cameo appearance in Allen's film ''[[Annie Hall]]'' (1977). ''Paris Blues'' was his first feature film collaboration with director [[Martin Ritt]], a friend since the 1940s (and himself a victim of the Hollywood blacklist); they subsequently worked together on ''[[The Molly Maguires]]'' (1970), which Bernstein also co-produced with Ritt, and ''[[The Front]]'' (1976). The latter film is a drama about a restaurant cashier (played by [[Woody Allen]]) with no real talent or political convictions who is hired to act as a "front" for blacklisted television writers during the 1950s. Bernstein based the story on his own blacklist experience when he regularly met in a New York City restaurant with close friends and fellow blacklistees [[Abraham Polonsky]] and [[Arnold Manoff]]. The three writers would discuss, and offer assistance with, the scripts they were working on anonymously for TV.{{Cite book |last1=Buhle |first1=Paul |last2=Wagner |first2=Dave |year=2003 |page=2 |isbn=978-1403961440 |title=Hide in Plain Sight: The Hollywood Blacklistees in Film and Television, 1950-2002 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York}} They sold their work via fronts, who agreed to put their name on the script and pose as the screenwriter in conferences with the show's producer.{{sfn|Bernstein|1996|p=212}} ''The Front'' earned Bernstein an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination for Best Original Screenplay and the [[Writers Guild of America|WGA Award for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen]]. In 1977, Bernstein made a cameo appearance in Allen's film ''[[Annie Hall]]''. Bernstein was nominated for the [[Writers Guild of America|WGA for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium]] for ''[[Semi-Tough]]'' (1977) and for a [[BAFTA Award|BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay]] for ''[[Yanks]]'' (1979).{{cite book|last=Monaco|first=James|title=American Film Now: The People, the Power, the Money, the Movies|publisher=Zoetrope|year=1984|isbn=0-918432-64-2|page=359}}{{Cite web|last=Gifford|first=Storm|title=Blacklisted screenwriter Walter Bernstein of 'The Front' and 'Semi-Tough,' dead at 101|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-walter-bernstein-obituary-20210123-orhavpqmhnbwphcdkxui5fhcqq-story.html|access-date=January 24, 2021|work=New York Daily News|date=January 23, 2021 }} He stepped behind the camera as director of his only feature film, ''[[Little Miss Marker (1980 film)|Little Miss Marker]]'' (1980), a remake of the [[Little Miss Marker (1934 film)|1934 film]] based on the [[Damon Runyon]] story of the same name. He also wrote and directed one segment of the made-for-TV movie ''[[Women & Men 2: In Love There Are No Rules]]'' (1991).{{Cite web|last=Natale|first=Richard|date=January 23, 2021|title=Walter Bernstein, Blacklisted Writer and Oscar Nominee for 'The Front,' Dies at 101|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/people-news/walter-bernstein-dead-dies-blacklisted-writer-oscar-nominee-the-front-1234890877/|access-date=January 24, 2021|work=Variety|language=en-US}} Bernstein was nominated for the [[Writers Guild of America|WGA for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium]] for ''[[Semi-Tough]]'' (1977) and for a [[BAFTA Award|BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay]] for ''[[Yanks]]'' (1979).{{cite book|last=Monaco|first=James|title=American Film Now: The People, the Power, the Money, the Movies|publisher=Zoetrope|year=1984|isbn=0-918432-64-2|page=359}}{{Cite web|last=Gifford|first=Storm|title=Blacklisted screenwriter Walter Bernstein of 'The Front' and 'Semi-Tough,' dead at 101|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-walter-bernstein-obituary-20210123-orhavpqmhnbwphcdkxui5fhcqq-story.html|access-date=January 24, 2021|work=New York Daily News|date=January 23, 2021 }} He stepped behind the camera as director of his only feature film, ''[[Little Miss Marker (1980 film)|Little Miss Marker]]'' (1980), a remake of the [[Little Miss Marker (1934 film)|1934 film]] based on the [[Damon Runyon]] story of the same name. He also wrote and directed one segment of the made-for-TV movie ''[[Women & Men 2: In Love There Are No Rules]]'' (1991).{{Cite web|last=Natale|first=Richard|date=January 23, 2021|title=Walter Bernstein, Blacklisted Writer and Oscar Nominee for 'The Front,' Dies at 101|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/people-news/walter-bernstein-dead-dies-blacklisted-writer-oscar-nominee-the-front-1234890877/|access-date=January 24, 2021|work=Variety|language=en-US}}