Dudley Nichols (April 6, 1895 – January 4, 1960) was an American screenwriter who first came to prominence after winning and refusing the screenwriting Oscar for The Informer in 1936.
The reason for Nichols' refusal was the fact that the Screen Writers Guild was on strike at the time.
Nichols wrote the screenplays for over sixty movies including such classics as Stagecoach (1939), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Scarlet Street (1945), And Then There Were None (1945) and The Tin Star (1957).
Nichols' crowning achievement, though, was probably his collaboration with Hagar Wilde on the screenplay for Bringing Up Baby (1938), considered one of the funniest of the 1930s screwball comedies. This movie, directed by Howard Hawks and starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, was underappreciated on first release but later recognized as a unique classic.
Dudley Nichols served as president of the Screen Writers Guild during 1937 and 1938.
He worked on many films and for many years with director John Ford.
Nichols has the interesting distinction of being the first artist to refuse an Academy Award, an act followed by George C. Scott and Marlon Brando.
Nichols was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He studied at the University of Michigan where he was active member of the Sigma Chapter of Theta Xi fraternity. He died in Hollywood from cancer in 1960 and was interred there in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Famous quotes by dudley nichols:
“You can make children believe whatever you want, and the children of today are the soldiers and mothers of tomorrow.”
—Dudley Nichols, U.S. screenwriter. Jean Renoir. Major Von Keller (Walter Slezak)
“Our duty now is to keep alive—to exist. What becomes of a nation if its citizens all die?”
—Dudley Nichols, U.S. screenwriter. Jean Renoir. George Lambert (George Sanders)
“Sure is big country. The only thing bigger is the sky. Looks like God made it and forgot to put people in it.”
—Dudley Nichols (1895–1960)
“Christopher Cross: You shouldn’t be alone in the street so late at night.
Kitty March: I was coming home from work.
Christopher Cross: You work this late?
Kitty March: Mmm, hmmm.
Christopher Cross: What do you do?
Kitty March: Guess.
Christopher Cross: You’re an actress.
Kitty March: Oh, you are clever!”
—Dudley Nichols (1895–1960)
“It’s a very delicate surgical operation—to cut out the heart without killing the patient. The history of our country, however, is a very tough old patient, and we’ll do the best we can.”
—Dudley Nichols, U.S. screenwriter. Jean Renoir. Sorel (Philip Merivale)