Oral Histories

Interview of Edmund Hall North

Screenwriter known for writing Patton and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Subtitle:
Studio System for the Television Era
Series:
Z: Orphan Interviews pre 1999
Topic:
Film and Television
Biographical Note:
Screenwriter known for writing Patton and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Interviewer:
Gardner, Joel
Interviewee:
North, Edmund H., $d 1911-1990
Persons Present:
North, Gardner, and, intermittently, North's wife.
Place Conducted:
North's home in Los Angeles, California.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by Joel Gardner, senior editor, UCLA Oral History Program; B.A., M.A., French, Tulane University; M.A., journalism, UCLA.Gardner prepared for the interview by researching various books on the subject of screenwriting, industry journal articles, and Los Angeles Times reviews of North's projects.
Processing of Interview:
Catherine de Pury, editorial assistant, edited the interview. She checked the verbatim transcript of the interview against the original tape recordings, edited for punctuation, paragraphing, and spelling, and verified proper names. Words and phrases inserted by the editor have been bracketed.In August 1985 the edited transcript was forwarded to North along with a list of queries and names requiring identification. He returned the approved transcript in September of the same year.Jacqueline Wester, editorial assistant, prepared the table of contents, biographical summary, and index.
Length:
3.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Abstract:
TAPE NUMBER: II, Side One (January 21, 1980)Developing a thick skin for rewrites--More on Young Man with a Horn--A few words on shooting before a script is completed: "It's absolute madness"--Working on The Day the Earth Stood Still--Choosing a writer for a film project--Remarks on various "undistinguished" films--Writing Cowboy--"I just loved it"--Creating the story for Lady Takes a Flyer--Working with Lord John Brabourne on Sink the Bismarck!--Adapting the script for Damn the Defiant--An anecdote about Lord Mountbatten--North's wife and daughters.