Samuel Ornitz

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Samuel Ornitz
Born
Samuel Badisch Ornitz
Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
OccupationScreenwriter
SpouseSadie Lesser
ChildrenArthur J. Ornitz
Don Ornitz

Samuel Badisch Ornitz (November 15, 1890 – March 10, 1957) was an American

movie studio bosses after his appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee when he was held in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify about his alleged membership in the Communist Party
. In his later years, he wrote novels, including Bride of the Sabbath (1951), which became a bestseller.

Early life and education

Born to a

Jewish family[3] in 1890 in New York City, New York
, the son of immigrants from Eastern Europe. Ornitz attended public schools and Hebrew School. His father became a successful dry goods merchant who wanted his sons to go into business with him. From an early age, Ornitz became interested in socialism, giving street talks at the age of 12, and writing.

Work

Unlike his brothers, Ornitz was not interested in following their father into business. At the age of 18 he began work as a social worker for the New York Prison Association (1908–14). He next worked for the Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (1914–20).[4]

Writing career

Ornitz started writing plays, and had The Sock performed in 1918. His Deficit was produced by the People's Playhouse in New York City in 1919.[4]

His first literary success was his debut novel Haunch Paunch and Jowl (1923), an "anonymous autobiography" about his Jewish roots, which gained national notice. It contains an early use of

stream-of-consciousness writing in American fiction, a technique originated by Irish writer James Joyce in his novel Ulysses
.

In 1928, Ornitz moved to California to work in

Circumstantial Evidence (1945).[4]

In 1931, Ornitz collaborated with

The New Masses in April 1934.[5]: 21  In 1933, he joined with Lester Cole and John Howard Lawson, both also later members of the Hollywood Ten, as founders of the Screen Writers Guild
.

In 1947, Ornitz was blacklisted from Hollywood and later sent to prison for refusal to testify before Congress in regard to membership in the communist party. Evidence presented in the hearing showed that Ornitz had been a member of the American Communist Party since at least 1944.[6] Shortly after his release from prison, in 1951, Ornitz published Bride of the Sabbath, a novel. The novel described the Lower East Side's Jewish community as a place of charm and beauty, while also critiquing its insularity and sectarianism.[5]: 17  Reviewers praise his rich description of Jewish quarter's physical environment,[7] and report that he "wrote about the Sabbath with the veneration of an awestruck child."[5]: 17  The novel portrays the protagonists' journey from Jewish Orthodoxy to liberal Tolstoyan Christianity as a journey of growth.[8][5]: 18f [7]

Samuel Ornitz died of cancer in 1957

Woodland Hills, California
, aged 66.

The Samuel Ornitz papers, 1919—57 are at the Wisconsin Center for Theatre Research, including original manuscripts of his novels.[9]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ "Family Search". FamilySearch.org. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  2. ^ Obituary Variety, March 13, 1957, page 63.
  3. ISBN 9781557537638
    .
  4. ^ a b c "Samuel Ornitz" Archived 2014-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Spartacus Educational, accessed 22 April 2014
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8131-3357-7
    . Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  6. ISBN 978-1-62157-206-0
  7. ^ a b Kapp, Isa (January 1952). "The Shock of Enlightenment". Commentary. pp. 94–96.
  8. ^ Falstein, Louis (November 3, 1951). "A Long Journey". The Saturday Review. p. 19.
  9. ISSN 0360-9081
    .

Further reading

External links
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