W. R. Burnett

W. R. Burnett
Burnett in 1935
Born
William Riley Burnett

(1899-11-25)November 25, 1899
Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 1982(1982-04-25) (aged 82)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Resting place
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Spouse(s)
Marjorie Louise Barstow
​
​
(m. 1920)​
[1]
Whitney Forbes Johnston
​
​
(m. 1943)​
[2]
Children2
Writing career
Pen name
  • Lincoln MacVeagh
  • John Monahan
  • James Updyke
Years active1931–1972
Genres
Notable work

William Riley Burnett (November 25, 1899 – April 25, 1982) was an American crime novelist and screenwriter.

His debut novel Little Caesar (1929) was adapted into the 1931 film of the same name, which is considered the first of the classic American gangster movies.[3][4] Several of his other novels and short stories were also adapted to screen, notably High Sierra and The Asphalt Jungle.

As a screenwriter, Burnett was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his work on Wake Island (1942). His other notable film credits included Scarface (1932), This Gun for Hire (1942), Vendetta (1950), and The Great Escape (1963).

Early life

Burnett was born in Springfield, Ohio, and attended Miami Military Institute in Germantown, Ohio.[4] He left his civil service job in Springfield to move to Chicago when he was 28, by which time he had written over 100 short stories and five novels, all unpublished.[5]

Novelist

In Chicago, Burnett found a job as a night clerk in the Northmere Hotel.[6] His experiences with the people at the hotel, including gangsters, inspired Little Caesar (novel 1929, film 1931).[7][6] The novel's overnight success landed him a job as a Hollywood screenwriter.[6] Little Caesar became a classic movie, produced by First National Pictures (Warner Brothers) and starring then little known Edward G. Robinson.[4]

Burnett was hired by Howard Hughes to write a draft of Scarface although director Howard Hawks disliked it and the script was rewritten by established playwright and screenwriter Ben Hecht.[8][6]

He won the 1930 O. Henry Award for his short story "Dressing-Up", published in Harper's in November 1929.[9] In 1980, he won the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award.[7][6]

Burnett published a novel or more a year and turned most into screenplays (some as many as three times). Burnett was similar to Dashiell Hammett[7] and James M. Cain,[10] who all wrote in the hardboiled genre of fiction.[11] He often contrasted the corruption and corrosion of the city with the better life his characters yearned for.[7] He portrayed characters who, for one reason or another, fell into a life of crime and were unable to climb out.[12] They typically get one last shot at salvation but the oppressive system closes in and denies redemption.[7]

Screenwriter

Burnett wrote for many actors and directors, including Raoul Walsh,[13] John Huston,[13] John Ford,[14] Howard Hawks,[6] Nicholas Ray,[15] Douglas Sirk,[16] Michael Cimino, Humphrey Bogart,[13] Ida Lupino,[17] Paul Muni,[18] Frank Sinatra,[19] Steve McQueen,[20] and Clint Eastwood. He received an Oscar nomination for his script for Wake Island (1942)[4] and a Writers Guild nomination for his script for The Great Escape.[21] In addition to his film work, he also wrote scripts for television[22] and radio.

In High Sierra (1941), Humphrey Bogart plays Roy Earle, a hard-bitten criminal who rejects his life of crime to marry a crippled girl.[13] In The Asphalt Jungle (1950), the most perfectly masterminded plot falls apart as each character reveals a weakness.[23] In The Beast of the City (1932) starring Walter Huston, the police take the law into their own hands when the criminals walk free due to legal incompetence.[24]

Burnett was called back by Howard Hughes to work on Vendetta.[25]

Later years

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 Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.[4][26]

Critical reception

Heywood Broun described Burnett's novel Goodbye to the Past as "written with all the excitement of Little Caesar, and ten times the skill".[27]

Bibliography

Novels

  • Little Caesar (The Dial Press - 1929)[28] - as 'Lincoln MacVeagh'
  • Iron Man (The Dial Press - 1930)[29] - as 'Lincoln MacVeagh'
  • Saint Johnson (The Dial Press - 1930)[7] - as 'Lincoln MacVeagh'
  • The Silver Eagle (The Dial Press - 1931)[28] - as 'Lincoln MacVeagh'
  • The Beast of the City (Grosset & Dunlap - 1932) [not properly a Burnett novel; credit on the book reads "novelized by Jack Lait, from the screen story by W.R. Burnett"; the book was published concurrently with the release of the M-G-M film, circa March 1932][30]
  • The Giant Swing (Harper - 1932)[7]
  • Dark Hazard (Harper - 1933)[28]
  • Goodbye to the Past: Scenes from the Life of William Meadows (Harper - 1934)[7]
  • The Goodhues of Sinking Creek (Harper - 1934)[28]
  • Dr. Socrates (O'Bryan House Publishing LLC - 2007) [Originally serialized in Colliers Weekly Magazine in 1935][7]
  • King Cole (Harper - 1936)[7]
  • The Dark Command: A Kansas Iliad (Knopf - 1938)[7]
  • High Sierra (Knopf - 1941)[28]
  • The Quick Brown Fox (Knopf - 1943)[28]
  • Nobody Lives Forever (Knopf - 1943)[28]
  • Tomorrow's Another Day (Knopf - 1946)[28]
  • Romelle (Knopf - 1947)[28]
  • The Asphalt Jungle (Knopf - 1949)[28]
  • Stretch Dawson (Gold Medal - 1950) - The film Yellow Sky (1948) was based on an unpublished early version of the novel[7]
  • Little Men, Big World (Knopf - 1952)[28]
  • Adobe Walls: A Novel of the Last Apache Rising (Knopf - 1953)[31]
  • Vanity Row (Knopf - 1952)[28]
  • Big Stan (Gold Medal - 1953) - as "John Monahan"
  • Captain Lightfoot (Knopf - 1954)[32]
  • It's Always Four O'Clock (Random House - 1956) - as "James Updyke"[7]
  • Pale Moon (Knopf - 1956)[33]
  • Underdog (Knopf - 1957)[28]
  • Bitter Ground (Knopf - 1958)
  • Mi Amigo: A Novel of the Southwest (Knopf - 1959)[34]
  • Conant (Popular Library - 1961)[28]
  • Round the Clock at Volari's (Gold Medal - 1961)[28]
  • The Goldseekers (Doubleday - 1962)[35]
  • The Widow Barony (Macdonald - 1962)[28]
  • The Abilene Samson (Pocket Books - 1963)[28]
  • Sergeants 3 (Pocket Books - 1963)[36]
  • The Roar of the Crowd: Conversations with an Ex-Big-Leaguer (C.N. Potter - 1964)[37]
  • The Winning of Mickey Free (Bantam Pathfinder - 1965)[7]
  • The Cool Man (Gold Medal - 1968)[28]
  • Good-bye, Chicago: 1928: End of an Era (St. Martin's - 1981)[28]

Short stories

  • "Round Trip" (1929)
  • "Dressing-Up" (1930)[38]
  • "Traveling Light" (1935)
  • "Vanishing Act" (1955)

Filmography

Screenwriter

Film

Year Title Director Notes Ref.
1931 The Finger Points John Francis Dillon [39]
1932 The Beast of the City Charles Brabin
Scarface Howard Hawks
1940 The Westerner William Wyler Uncredited [40]
1941 The Get-Away Edward Buzzell [39]
High Sierra Raoul Walsh Based on his 1940 novel
1942 This Gun for Hire Frank Tuttle
Wake Island John Farrow
1943 Crash Dive Archie Mayo
Action in the North Atlantic Lloyd Bacon
Background to Danger Raoul Walsh
1945 San Antonio David Butler
1946 Nobody Lives Forever Jean Negulesco Based on his 1943 novel
The Man I Love Raoul Walsh Uncredited [41]
1948 Belle Starr's Daughter Lesley Selander [39]
1950 Vendetta Mel Ferrer
1951 The Racket John Cromwell
1954 Dangerous Mission Louis King
Night People Nunnally Johnson Uncredited [42]
1955 Captain Lightfoot Douglas Sirk Based on his 1954 novel [39]
Illegal Lewis Allen
1957 Accused of Murder Joseph Kane Based on his 1952 novel Vanity Row
1959 The Hangman Michael Curtiz Uncredited
1960 September Storm Byron Haskin
1961 The Lawbreakers Joseph M. Newman [43]
1962 Sergeants Three John Sturges [39]
1963 The Great Escape
Four for Texas Robert Aldrich Uncredited [44]
1968 Ice Station Zebra John Sturges Uncredited [45]
1969 Stiletto Bernard L. Kowalski Uncredited [46]

Television

Year Title Notes
1955 Screen Directors Playhouse Episode: "Rookie of the Year"
1956 Studio 57 Episode: "Deadline"
1959 77 Sunset Strip Episode: "Thanks for Tomorrow"
1960 The Untouchables Episode: "The Big Squeeze"
Naked City Episode: "Debt of Honor"
1961 The Asphalt Jungle Episode: "The Lady and the Lawyer"
1965 The Legend of Jesse James Episode: "Manhunt"
1967 Off to See the Wizard Episode: "Hell Cats"
The Virginian Episode: "The Fortress"
1968 Bonanza Episode: "The Stronghold"

Adaptations of Burnett's works

Film

Year Title Source material Ref.
1930 Little Caesar Little Caesar [39]
1931 Iron Man Iron Man
1932 Law and Order Saint Johnson
1934 Dark Hazard Dark Hazard [6]
1935 The Whole Town's Talking "Jail Breaker" [39]
Dr. Socrates "Dr. Socrates" [7]
1936 36 Hours to Kill "Across the Aisle" [39]
1937 Wine, Women and Horses Dark Hazard
Wild West Days Saint Johnson
Some Blondes Are Dangerous Iron Man [39]
1939 King of the Underworld "Dr. Socrates"
1940 Dark Command The Dark Command: A Kansas Iliad
Law and Order Saint Johnson
1941 High Sierra High Sierra [39]
Dance Hall The Giant Swing [47]
1942 Bullet Scars "Dr. Socrates" [48]
1946 Nobody Lives Forever Nobody Lives Forever [39]
1948 Yellow Sky Stretch Dawson [39]
1950 Colorado Territory High Sierra [49]
The Asphalt Jungle The Asphalt Jungle [39]
1951 Iron Man Iron Man [50]
1953 Law and Order Saint Johnson [51]
Arrowhead Adobe Walls [52]
1955 Captain Lightfoot Captain Lightfoot [39]
1956 I Died a Thousand Times High Sierra
1957 Accused of Murder Vanity Row
1958 The Badlanders The Asphalt Jungle [53]
1963 Cairo The Asphalt Jungle
1967 The Jackals Stretch Dawson [54]
1972 Cool Breeze The Asphalt Jungle [53]

Television

Year Title Source material Ref.
1961 The Asphalt Jungle The Asphalt Jungle [55]

Notes

  • McGilligan, Patrick; Mate, Ken (1986). "W.R. Burnett: The Outsider". In McGilligan, Patrick (ed.). Backstory : interviews with screenwriters of Hollywood's golden age. University of California press. pp. 49–84.

References

  1. ↑ Franklin County, Ohio, Marriage Records, vol. 1918–1922, p. 604
  2. ↑ Fowler, Glenn (April 29, 1982). "W. R. Burnet, 82, The Author oF Little Caesar and 40 Films". New York Times. p. D23.
  3. ↑ "NEW GANG FILM AT STRAND.; "Little Caesar" Notable for Acting of Edward G. Robinson". The New York Times. 1931-01-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Fowler, Glenn (1982-04-29). "W.R. BURNET, 82, THE AUTHOR OF 'LITTLE CAESAR' AND 40 FILMS". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
  5. ↑ McGilligan & Mate pp 56-57
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jakubowski, Maxim (2000-06-23). "'You're born, you're gonna have trouble, you're gonna die'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ""Pretty Big Once": W. R. Burnett's Cynical Americana". Los Angeles Review of Books. 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  8. ↑ Mate & McGilligan p 60
  9. ↑ "Two writers in the tie for O. Henry Award; W.R. Burnett and William M. John Share $500 Prize for Best Magazine Story in 1929". The New York Times. 1930-11-07. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
  10. ↑ Penzler, Otto (2018-05-08). "What Is a Hard-Boiled Novel?". CrimeReads. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  11. ↑ "Dashiell Hammett". Britannica. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  12. ↑ "W. R. Burnett's "High Sierra" and Other New Works of Fiction; In Prague". The New York Times. 1940-03-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Crowther, Bosley (1941-01-25). "THE SCREEN; 'High Sierra,' at the Strand, Considers the Tragic and Dramatic Plight of the Last Gangster". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  14. ↑ "The Whole Town's Talking". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  15. ↑ "The Racket (1951)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  16. ↑ "Captain Lightfoot | Cast and Crew | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  17. ↑ "High Sierra | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  18. ↑ "Dr. Socrates". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  19. ↑ "Sergeants 3". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  20. ↑ "The Great Escape". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  21. ↑ "The Critics' Corner - The Great Escape - The Critics Corner: THE GREAT ESCAPE". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  22. ↑ "W. R. Burnett | Literature and Writing | Research Starters | EBSCO Research". EBSCO. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  23. ↑ "The Asphalt Jungle | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  24. ↑ "The Beast of the City | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  25. ↑ "Vendetta (1950) | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  26. ↑ "Milestones: May 10, 1982". Time. Time Inc. May 10, 1982. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  27. ↑ Advertisement for "Goodbye to the Past", The American Mercury, November 1934, (p. 225).
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "W R Burnett". Fantastic Fiction. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  29. ↑ "'It's Always Four O'Clock' and 'Iron Man' by W.R. Burnett". Los Angeles Times. 2009-11-25. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  30. ↑ "Populist Fables: Law and Order and The Beast of the City". FilmInt.nu. 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  31. ↑ Duffus, R. L. (1953-08-16). "The Apache Country; ADOBE WALLS. A novel of the last Apache Rising. By W. R. Burnett. 279 pp. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. $3". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  32. ↑ W.R. Burnett (1954). Captain Lightfoot. Internet Archive. New York Alfred A. KNopf.
  33. ↑ "PALE MOON". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  34. ↑ W.R. Burnett (1959). Mi Amigo. Internet Archive. Macdonald & Co. LTD.
  35. ↑ "THE GOLDSEEKERS". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  36. ↑ "Books Today". The New York Times. 1962-03-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  37. ↑ "Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  38. ↑ "Dressing-Up by W.R. Burnett (Summary) - Writing Atlas". writingatlas.com. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "W. R. Burnett". AFI Catalog. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
  40. ↑ "The Westerner (1940) - Official Site - Miramax". www.miramax.com. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  41. ↑ "The Man I Love". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  42. ↑ Night People (1954) | MUBI. Retrieved 2026-05-22 – via mubi.com.
  43. ↑ The Lawbreakers (1961) | MUBI. Retrieved 2026-05-22 – via mubi.com.
  44. ↑ "4 for Texas". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  45. ↑ "Ice Station Zebra". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  46. ↑ Stiletto (1969) | MUBI. Retrieved 2026-05-22 – via mubi.com.
  47. ↑ "Dance Hall (1941)". AFI Catalog. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  48. ↑ "Dr. Socrates". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  49. ↑ "Colorado Territory (1949) | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  50. ↑ "Iron Man (1951)". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  51. ↑ "Law and Order | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  52. ↑ Staff, Variety (1953-01-01). "Arrowhead". Variety. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  53. 1 2 "The Asphalt Jungle (1950)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  54. ↑ Nieporent, Ben. "Movie Review - Jackals, The - eFilmCritic". www.efilmcritic.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  55. ↑ "The Asphalt Jungle". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
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