Albert Maurice Hackett[citation needed](February 16, 1900 – March 16, 1995[1]) was an American actor,dramatistandscreenwritermost noted for his collaborations with his partner and wifeFrances Goodrich.
Albert Hackett | |
|---|---|
 Hackett with his wife Frances Goodrich | |
| Born | Albert Maurice Hackett February 16, 1900 New York City |
| Died | March 16, 1995(aged 95) |
| Occupation |
|
| Spouse | |
| Parents | Florence Hackett(mother) Arthur V. Johnson(stepfather) |
| Relatives | Raymond Hackett(brother) Blanche Sweet(sister-in-law) |
Early years
editHackett was born inNew York City,[2]the son of actressFlorence Hackett(née Hart) and Maurice Hackett. He attendedProfessional Children's Schooland started out as a child actor, appearing on stage and in films. His brother was actorRaymond Hackett.Their stepfather was the early film actorArthur V. Johnson,who married their mother Florence around 1910. His sister-in-law wasBlanche Sweet,Raymond's second wife.[citation needed]
Career
editHackett acted in many films, includingAnne of Green Gables(1919).[3]His Broadway credits as a performer includeMr. and Mrs. North(1941),Up Pops the Devil(1930),Mirrors(1928),Off-Key(1927),Twelve Miles Out(1925),The Nervous Wreck(1923),Up the Ladder(1922),Just a Woman(1914) andThe Happy Marriage(1909). His Broadway credits as a writer includeThe Diary of Anne Frank(1955 and 1997),The Great Big Doorstep(1942),Bridal Wise(1932),Everybody's Welcome(1931) andUp Pops the Devil(1930).[4]
For the summer of 1928, Hackett joined the summer stock cast at Denver'sElitch Theatre.Fellow cast member,Frances Goodrich,showed him a script she had written, entitledSuch A Lady,and they rewrote it together. This was the beginning of their collaboration.[5]
Soon after marrying screenwriterFrances Goodrich,the couple moved toHollywoodin the late 1920s to write the screenplay for their stage successUp Pops the DevilforParamount Pictures.In 1933, they signed a contract withMGMand remained with the studio until 1939. Among their earliest assignments was writing the screenplay forThe Thin Man(1934). They were encouraged bydirectorW. S. Van Dyketo use the writing ofDashiell Hammettas a basis only and to concentrate on providing witty exchanges for the principal characters,Nick and Nora Charles[3](played byWilliam PowellandMyrna Loy). The resulting film became one of the year's major hits, and the script, considered to show a modern relationship in a realistic manner for the first time, was considered groundbreaking, although it preceded enforcement of theMotion Picture Production Code.[citation needed]
Recognition
editThe Hacketts receivedAcademy Award for Screenplaynominations forThe Thin Man,After the Thin Man(1936),Father of the Bride(1950) andSeven Brides for Seven Brothers(1955).[6]They wonWriters Guild of Americaawards forEaster Parade(1949),Father's Little Dividend(1951),Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(1954) andThe Diary of Anne Frank(1959), and were nominated forIn the Good Old Summertime(1949),Father of the Bride(1950) andThe Long, Long Trailer(1954). They also won aPulitzer Prize for Dramaand theNew York Drama Critics' Circleaward for their original playThe Diary of Anne Frank.Some of their other films includeAnother Thin Man(1939) andIt's a Wonderful Life(1946).[citation needed]
Personal life
editIn 1985, one year after Goodrich's death, Hackett married Gisella Svetlik, a former dancer who had appeared in the original Broadway productions ofKiss Me, Kate,Carousel,Follow the Girls,Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'!andPaint Your Wagon.[7]She was the widow of theatrical agent and Emmy Award-winningThe Phil Silvers Showwriter Harvey Orkin. Svetlik and Hackett were together until his death in 1995.[7]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | My Princess | Davey | Short |
| 1912 | A College Girl | Tommy – Jean's Brother | Short |
| 1912 | In After Years | Little Roy Wilson | Short |
| 1912 | The Violin's Message | Bennie Vane – Blossom's Younger Brother | Short |
| 1912 | The Wooden Bowl | The Grandson | Short |
| 1912 | The Spoiled Child | Albert Harrold – the Younger Son | Short |
| 1912 | Just Pretending | Albert Mills – the Little Boy | Short |
| 1912 | Two Boys | Albert Manning | Short |
| 1913 | Annie Rowley's Fortune | Annie's 2nd Brother | Short |
| 1913 | The School Principal | Tommy Moriarty | Short |
| 1913 | The Yarn of the 'Nancy Belle' | Child | Short |
| 1914 | The Lost Child | The Little Boy | Short |
| 1914 | Codes of Honor | Robert Bowditch as a boy (uncredited) | Short |
| 1914 | The Lie | Bobbie Phillips – the Little Boy | Short |
| 1914 | A Prince of Peace | Short | |
| 1914 | The House Party | Jack Carstairs – Son | Short |
| 1915 | Black Fear | George Martindale | |
| 1918 | The Venus Model | Boy | |
| 1919 | Come Out of the Kitchen | Charles Daingerfield | |
| 1919 | The Career of Katherine Bush | Bert Bush | |
| 1919 | Anne of Green Gables | Robert | |
| 1920 | Away Goes Prudence | Jimmie Ryan | |
| 1920 | The Good-Bad Wife | Leigh Carter | |
| 1921 | Molly O | Billy O'Dair | |
| 1922 | The Country Flapper | Hopp Jumpp | |
| 1922 | A Woman's Woman | Kenneth Plummer | |
| 1922 | The Darling of the Rich | Fred Winship | |
| 1930 | Whoopee! | Chester Underwood |
References
edit- ^Mel Gussow (March 18, 1995).Albert Hackett, 95, Half of Prolific Drama Team.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^Hischak, Thomas (2008).The Oxford Companion to the American Musical.Oxford University Press. p. 296.ISBN9780195335330.Retrieved17 July2019.
- ^abBergen, Ronald (May 9, 1995)."The Ideal Hollywood Couple".The Guardian.England, London. p. 11.Retrieved17 July2019– viaNewspapers.
- ^"(" Albert Hackett "search results)".Internet Broadway Database.The Broadway League. Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2019.Retrieved17 July2019.
- ^Fischer, Heinz-Dietrich (1998-12-31),"Introduction. History and Development of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama/Comedy",Part D: Belles-Lettres, Volume 12, Drama / Comedy Awards 1917-1996,DE GRUYTER SAUR, pp. xix–lxxxiv,doi:10.1515/9783110955781.xix,ISBN978-3-598-30182-7,retrieved2023-04-08
- ^"(" Hackett "search results)".Academy Awards Database.Retrieved17 July2019.
- ^ab"Dancer Gisella Orkin dies at 83".Variety.August 13, 2012.RetrievedJuly 26,2024.
- "Albert Hackett Biography".filmreference.2008.Retrieved2008-12-17.
- "Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett".filmreference.2008.Retrieved2008-12-17.
- Holmstrom, John.The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995,Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 16.
External links
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