Clifford Odets

1906–1963 · American playwright, screenwriter, and actor

Clifford Odets was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize–winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withdraw from Broadway's commercial pressures and increasing critical backlash. From January 1935, Odets's socially relevant dramas were extremely influential, particularly for the remainder of the Great Depression. His works inspired the next several generations of playwrights, including Arthur Miller, Paddy Chayefsky, Neil Simon, and David Mamet. After the production of his play Clash by Night in the 1941–42 season, Odets focused his energies primarily on film projects, remaining in Hollywood until mid-1948. He returned to New York for five and a half years, during which time he produced three more Broadway plays, only one of which was a success. His prominence was eventually eclipsed by Miller, Tennessee Williams, and, in the early- to mid-1950s, William Inge.

Clifford Odets, in order

1. 1936 The General Died at Dawn: wrote · directed by Lewis Milestone
2. 1938 Blockade: wrote · directed by William Dieterle
3. 1944 None but the Lonely Heart: directed, wrote
4. 1945 Rhapsody in Blue: wrote · directed by Irving Rapper
5. 1946 Deadline at Dawn: wrote · directed by Harold Clurman
6. 1946 Humoresque: wrote · directed by Jean Negulesco
7. 1946 Notorious: wrote · directed by Alfred Hitchcock · critics 96%, audiences 91% · streaming on Plex, Fawesome
8. 1952 Clash by Night: wrote · directed by Fritz Lang
9. 1956 Bigger Than Life: wrote · directed by Nicholas Ray
10. 1957 Sweet Smell of Success: wrote · directed by Alexander Mackendrick
11. 1959 The Story on Page One: directed, wrote
12. 1961 Wild in the Country: wrote · directed by Philip Dunne
13. 1962 Golden Boy (TV movie): wrote · directed by John Olden
14. 1971 Paradise Lost (TV movie): wrote · directed by Glenn Jordan
15. 1979 Herätkää ja riemuitkaa!: created · directed by Raimo O. Niemi