Dalton Trumbo
A brilliant, pugnacious screenwriter who defied Hollywood's blacklist, writing classic films in secret until he broke the system with his own name.
1905–1976 (age 71)·American screenwriter·Birthday: December 9·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood's highest-paid screenwriter in the 1940s, a witty and prolific wordsmith with a radical political conscience. When the House Un-American Activities Committee demanded he testify about his communist affiliations, he refused, becoming one of the infamous Hollywood Ten and was jailed for contempt of Congress. Blacklisted, he was forced to work in secret, writing masterpieces like 'Roman Holiday' and 'The Brave One' under pseudonyms or through 'fronts', other writers who would lend their names. His exile became a powerful act of subversion. The clandestine Oscar won by his pseudonym, 'Robert Rich', exposed the absurdity of the blacklist. His final triumph was public: he fought for and received on-screen credit for 'Spartacus' and 'Exodus', two monumental films that effectively ended the industry's blacklist era. Trumbo was not just a victim of history; with his typewriter and ferocious will, he became one of its architects.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Dalton was born in 1905, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dalton Was Born
The biggest hits of 1905
Dalton's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1905Born
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Started school
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1918Became a teenager
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1921Could drive
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1923Could vote
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1926Turned 21
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1935Turned 30
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 40
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1955Turned 50
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 60
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 70
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976Died at 71
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
Key Achievements
- Won two Academy Awards while blacklisted: one for 'The Brave One' (under the pseudonym Robert Rich) and one for 'Roman Holiday' (initially credited to a front).
- Received official screen credit for 'Spartacus' and 'Exodus', a major blow to the Hollywood blacklist system.
- Wrote the anti-war novel 'Johnny Got His Gun', which won the National Book Award for Most Original Book in 1939.
Did You Know?
He wrote many of his screenplays while soaking in the bathtub, a habit he developed after a back injury.
During his blacklist period, he wrote the script for the cult classic 'The Brave One' in just one week.
He was known for his prolific letter-writing, leaving behind a vast correspondence that detailed the era's political struggles.
“The blacklist was a time of evil, and no one on either side who survived it came through untouched by evil.”
