Lawson, John Howard

Lawson, John Howard

▪ American playwright
born Sept. 25, 1894, New York City
died Aug. 11, 1977, San Francisco

      U.S. playwright, screenwriter, and member of the “Hollywood Ten,” who was jailed (1948–49) and blacklisted for his refusal to tell the House Committee on Un-American Activities about his political allegiances.

      Lawson's early works, such as Roger Bloomer (1923) and Processional (1925), are notable examples of Expressionism. He later portrayed problems of the working class: The International (1928) depicts a world revolution of the proletariat; Marching Song (1937) concerns a sit-down strike. Lawson's plays emphasize ideology and innovation and are powerful and effective.

      During the 1930s and 1940s Lawson devoted his time to the movies. He wrote such scripts as Action in the North Atlantic (1943) and Sahara (1943) and was the co-founder and first president of the Screen Writers Guild. This new employment led to Theory and Technique of Playwriting and Screenwriting (1949), a revised edition of his earlier Theory and Technique of Playwriting (1936).

      In the late 1940s the uproar over alleged Communist influence in the motion picture industry led to his jail sentence and the blacklisting of Lawson in Hollywood. These events reaffirmed Lawson's interest in American cultural tradition, explored in The Hidden Heritage: A Rediscovery of the Ideas and Forces That Link the Thought of Our Time with the Culture of the Past (1950).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • LAWSON, JOHN HOWARD — (1895–1977), U.S. playwright. With the 1925 production of his Processional, Lawson became known as a leading exponent of expressionist and social drama. His works include Loud Speaker (1927), a political farce; International (1927); Success Story …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Lawson, John Howard — (1895 1977)    A New York native, John Howard Lawson attended Williams College, where he began writing plays with a Marxist bent. Lawson s leftist politics led him to develop a dramatic approach he labeled political vaudeville, and was first seen …   The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater

  • Lawson, John Howard — • ЛО УСОН (Lawson) Джон Хоуард (25.9.1895 11.8.1977)    амер. драматург, искусствовед, обществ. деятель. В кино с 1929 (сц. ф. Динамит ). Организатор Гильдии сценаристов в Голливуде. В 30 40 е гг. посц. Л. пост. ф. прогрес. направленности:… …   Кино: Энциклопедический словарь

  • Lawson, John Howard —    см. Лоусон, Джон Говард …   Энциклопедический словарь экспрессионизма

  • Lawson, John Howard —    см. Лоусон, Джон Говард …   Писатели США. Краткие творческие биографии

  • John Howard Lawson — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Lawson. John Howard Lawson est un scénariste américain né le 25 septembre 1894 à New York, New York (États Unis), décédé le 11 août 1977 à San Francisco (Californie). Biographie Dans les années 1950, il fut une… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • John Howard Lawson — (September 25, 1894 August 11, 1977) was an American writer, and head of the Hollywood division of the American Communist Party. He was also the cell s cultural commissar, and answered directly to V.J. Jerome, the Party s New York based cultural… …   Wikipedia

  • John Howard Lawson — (* 25. September 1894 in New York; † 11. August 1977 in San Francisco, Kalifornien) war ein US amerikanischer Dramatiker und Drehbuchautor. Nach einem Studium am Williams College entwickelte sich Lawson zu einem der der einflussreichsten… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lawson — bezeichnet einen Ort in den Australischen Blue Mountains gelegen, Lawson (Australien) eine Stadt in Arkansas, Lawson (Arkansas) eine Kleinstadt in Missouri, Lawson (Missouri) ein amerikanisches Unternehmen, Lawson Software eine japanische… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Lawson (disambiguation) — *John Lawson (1674–1711), British explorer *John Lawson (Australian rules footballer) (1883–?), Australian rules footballer for Collingwood, St Kilda and Richmond *John Lawson (CEO), President and CEO of APTS *John Lawson (footballer) (1925… …   Wikipedia

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