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369:, but contrasting the corruption and corrosion of the city with the better life his characters yearned for. He portrayed characters who, for one reason or another, fell into a life of crime and were unable to climb out. They typically get one last shot at salvation but the oppressive system closes in and denies redemption.
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In later years, with his vision declining, he stopped writing and turned to promoting his earlier work. On his death in 1982, in Santa Monica, California, Burnett was interred in the
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In
Chicago, Burnett found a job as a night clerk in the seedy Northmere Hotel. He found himself associating with prize fighters, hoodlums, hustlers and hobos. They inspired
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Burnett published a novel or more a year and turned most into screenplays (some as many as three times). Thematically
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plays Roy Earle, a hard-bitten criminal who rejects his life of crime to help a sexually appealing crippled girl. In
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when he was 28, by which time he had written over 100 short stories and five novels, all unpublished.
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Obituary in the New York Times: W.R. BURNET, 82, THE AUTHOR OF 'LITTLE CAESAR' AND 40 FILMS
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of which is considered the first of the classic
American gangster movies.
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Burnett wrote for many of the great actors and directors, including
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699:(Random House - 1956) - written under pseudonym "James Updyke"
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687:(Gold Medal - 1953) - written under pseudonym "John Monahan"
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Goodbye to the Past: Scenes from the Life of
William Meadows
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The Roar of the Crowd: Conversations with an Ex-Big-Leaguer
459:. In addition to his film work, he also wrote scripts for
300:. He left his civil service job in Springfield to move to
453:(1942) and a Writers Guild nomination for his script for
1462:“'Pretty Big Once': W. R. Burnett’s Cynical Americana”
890:(1935) - script and based on short story "Jail Break"
264:(November 25, 1899 – April 25, 1982) was an American
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
663:(1948) was based on an early version of the novel.
1247:, television series, 13 episodes (1961) - scripts
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1102:(1950) - based on novel, uncredited contribution
906:(1936) - based on short story "Across the Aisle"
352:for his short story "Dressing-Up", published in
1523:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
673:Adobe Walls: A Novel of the Last Apache Rising
1011:(1942) - uncredited remake of "Dr Socrates"
944:(1939) - based on short story "Dr Socrates"
1317:(1969) - uncredited contribution to script
1309:(1968) - uncredited contribution to script
1290:(1963) - uncredited contribution to script
1231:(1959) - uncredited contribution to script
1161:(1954) - uncredited contribution to script
1067:(1946) - uncredited contribution to script
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1543:20th-century American short story writers
1403:Advertisement for "Goodbye to the Past",
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
1381:. Time Inc. May 10, 1982. Archived from
567:(Lincoln MacVeagh/The Dial Press - 1931)
561:(Lincoln MacVeagh/The Dial Press - 1930)
555:(Lincoln MacVeagh/The Dial Press - 1930)
549:(Lincoln MacVeagh/The Dial Press - 1929)
1349:Franklin County, Ohio, Marriage Records
527:as "written with all the excitement of
272:. He is best known for the crime novel
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781:Good-bye, Chicago: 1928: End of an Era
603:(O'Bryan House Publishing LLC - 2007)
914:(1937) - based on novel "Dark Hazard"
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326:became a classic movie, produced by
192:Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
47:adding citations to reliable sources
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1558:20th-century American screenwriters
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1548:20th-century American male writers
1352:, vol. 1918–1922, p. 604
721:Mi Amigo: A Novel of the Southwest
506:Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
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334:) and starring then little known
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952:(1940) - uncredited contribution
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613:The Dark Command: A Kansas Iliad
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1169:(1955) - based on novel, script
1059:(1946) - based on novel, script
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34:needs additional citations for
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1503:American crime fiction writers
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1091:(1950) - uncredited remake of
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657:(Gold Medal - 1950). The film
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447:nomination for his script for
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898:(1935) - based on short story
595:The Goodhues of Sinking Creek
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1464:by Cullen Gallagher, at the
1448:W.R. Burnett at detnovel.com
1032:Action in the North Atlantic
531:, and ten times the skill".
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1498:American male screenwriters
1467:Los Angeles Review of Books
733:Round the Clock at Volari's
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1407:, November 1934, (p. 225).
1375:"Milestones: May 10, 1982"
930:Some Blondes Are Dangerous
771:(Bantam Pathfinder - 1965)
769:The Winning of Mickey Free
523:described Burnett's novel
338:. Burnett returned to the
1430:W.R. Burnett bibliography
976:(1941) - novel, co-script
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1220:(1958) - based on novel
1197:(1957) - based on novel
1185:(1956) - based on novel
1134:(1953) - based on novel
992:(1941) - from his novel
933:(1937) - based on novel
887:The Whole Town's Talking
855:(1932) - based on novel
729:(Popular Library - 1961)
697:It's Always Four O'Clock
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294:Miami Military Institute
180:Santa Monica, California
1553:Screenwriters from Ohio
1533:American male novelists
1182:I Died a Thousand Times
1145:(1953) - based on novel
1110:(1951) - based on novel
1083:(1948) - based on novel
968:(1940) - from his novel
960:(1940) - from his novel
882:(1934) - based on novel
847:(1931) - based on novel
328:First National Pictures
231:Whitney Forbes Johnston
211:Marjorie Louise Barstow
1508:O. Henry Award winners
1263:(1962) - story, script
1075:(1948) - story, script
1072:Belle Starr's Daughter
1051:(1945) - story, script
941:King of the Underworld
911:Wine, Women and Horses
637:Tomorrow's Another Day
783:(St. Martin's - 1981)
759:(Pocket Books - 1963)
753:(Pocket Books - 1963)
667:Little Men, Big World
571:The Beast of the City
489:The Beast of the City
262:William Riley Burnett
147:William Riley Burnett
1405:The American Mercury
1325:(1972) - from novel
1271:(1963) - from novel
1056:Nobody Lives Forever
1040:Background to Danger
922:(1937) - from novel
765:(C.N. Potter - 1964)
631:Nobody Lives Forever
510:Glendale, California
288:Burnett was born in
43:improve this article
1528:Novelists from Ohio
1513:Edgar Award winners
1385:on December 2, 2008
1298:(1967) - remake of
1209:(1957) - remake of
777:(Gold Medal - 1968)
735:(Gold Medal - 1961)
625:The Quick Brown Fox
525:Goodbye to the Past
342:theme in 1932 with
1435:W.R. Burnett (bio)
1421:William R. Burnett
1327:The Asphalt Jungle
1273:The Asphalt Jungle
1244:The Asphalt Jungle
1222:The Asphalt Jungle
1099:The Asphalt Jungle
1088:Colorado Territory
751:The Abilene Samson
747:(Macdonald - 1962)
741:(Doubleday - 1962)
649:The Asphalt Jungle
516:Critical reception
483:The Asphalt Jungle
358:in November 1929.
348:. He won the 1930
336:Edward G. Robinson
1306:Ice Station Zebra
1211:This Gun for Hire
1206:Short Cut to Hell
1194:Accused of Murder
1166:Captain Lightfoot
1150:Dangerous Mission
1000:This Gun for Hire
863:Beast of the City
836:The Finger Points
691:Captain Lightfoot
443:. He received an
290:Springfield, Ohio
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198:Years active
161:Springfield, Ohio
157:November 25, 1899
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807:Travelling Light
745:The Widow Barony
565:The Silver Eagle
492:(1932) starring
456:The Great Escape
412:The Dark Command
363:Dashiell Hammett
298:Germantown, Ohio
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1239:(1960) - script
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1457:Find a Grave
1443:The Chiseler
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528:
524:
519:
503:
487:
481:
471:
469:
454:
448:
410:
399:Douglas Sirk
395:Nicholas Ray
391:Howard Hawks
376:
360:
353:
343:
323:
313:
311:
287:
273:
270:screenwriter
261:
260:
174:(1982-04-25)
105:
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
1488:1982 deaths
1483:1899 births
1322:Cool Breeze
1295:The Jackals
1228:The Hangman
1187:High Sierra
1093:High Sierra
1048:San Antonio
1016:Wake Island
973:High Sierra
879:Dark Hazard
820:Filmography
801:Dressing-Up
757:Sergeants 3
619:High Sierra
583:Dark Hazard
500:Later years
473:High Sierra
450:Wake Island
383:John Huston
379:Raoul Walsh
1477:Categories
1334:References
1300:Yellow Sky
1199:Vanity Row
1115:The Racket
1080:Yellow Sky
1024:Crash Dive
989:Dance Hall
795:Round Trip
679:Vanity Row
660:Yellow Sky
461:television
421:Ida Lupino
407:John Wayne
284:Early life
153:1899-11-25
69:newspapers
1142:Arrowhead
703:Pale Moon
607:King Cole
425:Paul Muni
387:John Ford
373:Film work
340:Al Capone
320:Hollywood
206:Spouse(s)
201:1931–1972
99:June 2023
1314:Stiletto
1201:, script
1189:, script
1123:Vendetta
1107:Iron Man
935:Iron Man
871:Scarface
844:Iron Man
709:Underdog
685:Big Stan
553:Iron Man
476:(1941),
355:Harper's
345:Scarface
266:novelist
252:Children
1389:May 24,
1174:Illegal
643:Romelle
302:Chicago
246:
238:
234:
226:
218:
214:
83:scholar
815:(1955)
809:(1935)
803:(1930)
797:(1929)
727:Conant
540:Novels
401:, and
276:, the
182:, U.S.
163:, U.S.
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
1441:, at
1437:, by
1268:Cairo
535:Works
465:radio
445:Oscar
240:(
236:
220:(
216:
90:JSTOR
76:books
1425:IMDb
1391:2010
1379:Time
463:and
439:and
365:and
268:and
169:Died
143:Born
62:news
1455:at
1423:at
508:in
470:In
415:),
296:in
45:by
1479::
1377:.
512:.
467:.
435:,
431:,
427:,
423:,
419:,
405:,
397:,
393:,
389:,
385:,
381:,
242:m.
222:m.
1393:.
409:(
330:(
155:)
151:(
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
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