Update: A memorial service for Norma Barzman will be held tomorrow from 10 Am-1 Pm at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary in Los Angeles.
Norma Barzman, a prominent screenwriter who was blacklisted due to her involvement with the American Communist Party, died Sunday at her Beverly Hills home, according to a social media post from her daughter Suzo Barzman. She was 103.
Barzman wrote the original story for Never Say Goodbye (1947) starring Errol Flynn with husband Ben Barzman. She was an uncredited writer on The Locket (1946) starring Laraine Day and Robert Mitchum. She wrote Finishing School (1952) and on the TV series Il triangolo rosso (1967). She also appeared as an actress in Theatre 70 (1970) and Pajama Party (2000) as the “Groovy Grandma.”
Barzman was unapologetic about her involvement with the Communist party from 1943-49. In a 2014 interview with the L.A. Times, she maintained that “one should be proud to have been a member...
Norma Barzman, a prominent screenwriter who was blacklisted due to her involvement with the American Communist Party, died Sunday at her Beverly Hills home, according to a social media post from her daughter Suzo Barzman. She was 103.
Barzman wrote the original story for Never Say Goodbye (1947) starring Errol Flynn with husband Ben Barzman. She was an uncredited writer on The Locket (1946) starring Laraine Day and Robert Mitchum. She wrote Finishing School (1952) and on the TV series Il triangolo rosso (1967). She also appeared as an actress in Theatre 70 (1970) and Pajama Party (2000) as the “Groovy Grandma.”
Barzman was unapologetic about her involvement with the Communist party from 1943-49. In a 2014 interview with the L.A. Times, she maintained that “one should be proud to have been a member...
- 12/19/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Norma Barzman, one of the last surviving members of the Hollywood Blacklist, has died at her home in Beverly Hills at the age of 103, according to media reports.
Born in New York City, Barzman moved to Hollywood in the 1940s and married fellow screenwriter Ben Barzman. Looking for ways to organize around progressive politics, the pair joined the Communist Party from 1942-49.
“Hitler was invading the Soviet Union, so there was no reason to be anti-Russian. They were our allies at the time,” Barzman told the blog FilmTalk last year.
But after World War II, Barzman began to get warnings from her neighbors that her family was under surveillance, and one day heard a conversation she had with a friend days prior when she picked up the phone.
“I could hear it playing back. Then I put down the phone because I realized that my phone was tapped and I knew they were watching us,...
Born in New York City, Barzman moved to Hollywood in the 1940s and married fellow screenwriter Ben Barzman. Looking for ways to organize around progressive politics, the pair joined the Communist Party from 1942-49.
“Hitler was invading the Soviet Union, so there was no reason to be anti-Russian. They were our allies at the time,” Barzman told the blog FilmTalk last year.
But after World War II, Barzman began to get warnings from her neighbors that her family was under surveillance, and one day heard a conversation she had with a friend days prior when she picked up the phone.
“I could hear it playing back. Then I put down the phone because I realized that my phone was tapped and I knew they were watching us,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Screenwriter Norma Barzman, who got her start during the Golden Age of Hollywood and was blacklisted with her husband during the McCarthy era, died Sunday in Beverly Hills, her son Paolo confirmed. She was 103.
Barzman and her husband, fellow screenwriter Ben Barzman, moved to Europe as did many other Hollywood progressives who came under McCarthy’s scrutiny. The couple and their seven children lived in London, Paris and Mougins, France between 1949 and 1976. Ben Barzman died in 1989.
Norma Barzman was also active in getting credits restored for blacklisted writers whose films were released with a “front” name, such as her film “The Locket.” In 1999, her writing credit was restored on the 1953 film “Luxury Girls,” which had carried the name of the front Ennio Flaiano.
Barzman spoke out in protest when Elia Kazan, who was a witness before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, was given an honorary Oscar in 1998, and was...
Barzman and her husband, fellow screenwriter Ben Barzman, moved to Europe as did many other Hollywood progressives who came under McCarthy’s scrutiny. The couple and their seven children lived in London, Paris and Mougins, France between 1949 and 1976. Ben Barzman died in 1989.
Norma Barzman was also active in getting credits restored for blacklisted writers whose films were released with a “front” name, such as her film “The Locket.” In 1999, her writing credit was restored on the 1953 film “Luxury Girls,” which had carried the name of the front Ennio Flaiano.
Barzman spoke out in protest when Elia Kazan, who was a witness before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, was given an honorary Oscar in 1998, and was...
- 12/19/2023
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
Norma Barzman, Screenwriter Who Was Among the Last Survivors of the Hollywood Blacklist, Dies at 103
Norma Barzman, an admired screenwriter of 1940s films whose career was derailed by the Hollywood blacklist and who was one of its last survivors, died Sunday. She was 103.
Barzman died of natural causes, surrounded by family, at her home in Beverly Hills, her daughter Suzo Barzman told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born Norma Levor in New York City on Sept. 15, 1920, and raised between the U.S. and Europe, Barzman moved to Hollywood on her 21st birthday. By that time, she had already attended Radcliffe for two years before dropping out and had spent a year living in Princeton, New Jersey, as the young bride of Claude Shannon — later known as “the father of information theory” — before their divorce in 1941.
Out west, Barzman was enrolled by her older cousin, a writer, at the left-leaning School of Writers. In 1942, after a fateful meeting at a Halloween party, she married the up-and-coming screenwriter Ben Barzman,...
Barzman died of natural causes, surrounded by family, at her home in Beverly Hills, her daughter Suzo Barzman told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born Norma Levor in New York City on Sept. 15, 1920, and raised between the U.S. and Europe, Barzman moved to Hollywood on her 21st birthday. By that time, she had already attended Radcliffe for two years before dropping out and had spent a year living in Princeton, New Jersey, as the young bride of Claude Shannon — later known as “the father of information theory” — before their divorce in 1941.
Out west, Barzman was enrolled by her older cousin, a writer, at the left-leaning School of Writers. In 1942, after a fateful meeting at a Halloween party, she married the up-and-coming screenwriter Ben Barzman,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jules Dassin’s powerful picture was a hit in Europe but remained mostly obscure here, despite featuring the great Melina Mercouri and a score of Continental stars. Adapted by two blacklistees in exile it doesn’t try to hide its revolutionary aims — Nikos Kazantzakis’s uncompromised storyline places The Church as a main obstruction to social progress, justice, and life & liberty. It’s no wonder it wasn’t ‘movie of the week’ in 1957. It’s been beautifully remastered at its original CinemaScope width, uncut.
He Who Must Die
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1957 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 128 122 min. / Street Date September 6, 2022 / Celui qui doit mourir / Available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Grégoire Aslan, Gert Fröbe, René Lefèvre, Lucien Raimbourg, Melina Mercouri, Roger Hanin, Pierre Vaneck, Nicole Berger, Maurice Ronet, Fernand Ledoux.
Cinematography: Gilbert Chain, Jacques Natteau
Production Designer: Max Douy
Film Editors: Roger Dwyre, Pierre Gillette
Original Music: Georges Auric
Written by Ben Barzman,...
He Who Must Die
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1957 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 128 122 min. / Street Date September 6, 2022 / Celui qui doit mourir / Available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Grégoire Aslan, Gert Fröbe, René Lefèvre, Lucien Raimbourg, Melina Mercouri, Roger Hanin, Pierre Vaneck, Nicole Berger, Maurice Ronet, Fernand Ledoux.
Cinematography: Gilbert Chain, Jacques Natteau
Production Designer: Max Douy
Film Editors: Roger Dwyre, Pierre Gillette
Original Music: Georges Auric
Written by Ben Barzman,...
- 8/30/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Any WW2 action adventure involving the Norwegian resistance is Ok in my book, and this big-star saga about sabotage efforts to stop the Nazis’ atom research is a natural — much of what happens in the story is true. The show can boast marvelous locations and excellent action scenes but the script and characters aren’t very strong. Did Columbia curb epic director Anthony Mann’s greater ambitions, or did star Kirk Douglas interfere to enhance his leading character into a combo scientist, playboy and sure-shot action man? Also starring Ulla Jacobsson, Richard Harris, Michael Redgrave, and every over-fifty English name actor not nailed down.
The Heroes of Telemark
Blu-ray
Sony Home Entertainment
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 130 min. / Street Date January 8, 2019
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Redgrave, David Weston, Roy Dotrice, Anton Diffring, Ralph Michael, Eric Porter, Karel Stepanek, George Murcell, Mervyn Johns, Barry Jones, Geoffrey Keen, Robert Ayres,...
The Heroes of Telemark
Blu-ray
Sony Home Entertainment
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 130 min. / Street Date January 8, 2019
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Redgrave, David Weston, Roy Dotrice, Anton Diffring, Ralph Michael, Eric Porter, Karel Stepanek, George Murcell, Mervyn Johns, Barry Jones, Geoffrey Keen, Robert Ayres,...
- 9/11/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Kirk Douglas was Mr. Hollywood. That’s not just because of his acting and producing career: The iconic actor, who died Wednesday, was a constant presence at showbiz-related functions, whether the opening of a theater, a charity event, political fund-raiser or awards show. His 1996 stroke slowed him down, but only temporarily.
Douglas enjoyed being the ham and playing to the crowd, but these public appearances were aimed at shining a light on others, not on himself. Long before it was fashionable, he and wife Anne formed a charitable organization, the Douglas Foundation in 1964. Among other initiatives, it funds programs to improve school campuses and playgrounds, hand out scholarships, foster an early-education program at Sinai Temple and backs the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund.
One of his pet causes was the Motion Picture TV Fund. After years of supporting the organization, both with appearances and donations, he...
Douglas enjoyed being the ham and playing to the crowd, but these public appearances were aimed at shining a light on others, not on himself. Long before it was fashionable, he and wife Anne formed a charitable organization, the Douglas Foundation in 1964. Among other initiatives, it funds programs to improve school campuses and playgrounds, hand out scholarships, foster an early-education program at Sinai Temple and backs the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund.
One of his pet causes was the Motion Picture TV Fund. After years of supporting the organization, both with appearances and donations, he...
- 2/6/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Joseph Losey’s fortunes as an expatriate director took an upswing with this efficient, nervous and somewhat overcooked thriller with a daunting ticking-bomb deadline story gimmick — alcoholic wreck Michael Redgrave has only twenty hours to save his son from execution for murder. Losey racks up the tension, but he doesn’t give a hoot for Ben Barzman’s whodunnit scripting. Just the same, it’s good to see the director finally gaining traction — from this point forward most every Losey picture received serious international attention.
Time Without Pity
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1957 / B&w / 1:66 widescreen / 89 min. / Street Date October 28, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK (Region Free) / £15.99
Starring: Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern, Ann Todd, Peter Cushing, Alec McCowen, Lois Maxwell, Richard Wordsworth, Joan Plowright.
Cinematography: Freddie Francis
Film Editor: Alan Osbiston
Original Music: Tristram Cary
Written by Ben Barzman from a play by Emlyn Williams
Produced by John Arnold, Leon Clore,...
Time Without Pity
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1957 / B&w / 1:66 widescreen / 89 min. / Street Date October 28, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK (Region Free) / £15.99
Starring: Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern, Ann Todd, Peter Cushing, Alec McCowen, Lois Maxwell, Richard Wordsworth, Joan Plowright.
Cinematography: Freddie Francis
Film Editor: Alan Osbiston
Original Music: Tristram Cary
Written by Ben Barzman from a play by Emlyn Williams
Produced by John Arnold, Leon Clore,...
- 10/15/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Kinder der Eisigen Dunkelheit!” If those words don’t give you a chill, you may be one of ‘The Damned.’ Joseph Losey’s fascinatingly morbid reflection on atomic terror was too much for England in 1961, wasn’t released in the U.S. for four full years, and then only after being shorn of nine minutes of footage. An ‘impossible’ Cold War scenario puts military authority on the same moral plane as delinquent street thugs. Losey transplants his subversive sensibility to England, and the result is one of the top political sci-fi tales of all time.
These are the Damned
Blu-ray
Explosive Media GmbH
1961 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date June 13, 2019 /Sie Sind Verdammt / Available from Amazon.de
Starring: Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, Viveca Lindfors, Alexander Knox, Oliver Reed, Walter Gotell, James Villiers, Tom Kempinski, Kenneth Cope, Brian Oulton, Rachel Clay, Caroline Sheldon, Rebecca Dignam, Siobhan Taylor, Nicholas Clay.
Cinematography:...
These are the Damned
Blu-ray
Explosive Media GmbH
1961 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date June 13, 2019 /Sie Sind Verdammt / Available from Amazon.de
Starring: Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, Viveca Lindfors, Alexander Knox, Oliver Reed, Walter Gotell, James Villiers, Tom Kempinski, Kenneth Cope, Brian Oulton, Rachel Clay, Caroline Sheldon, Rebecca Dignam, Siobhan Taylor, Nicholas Clay.
Cinematography:...
- 7/6/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Hollywood Exiles in Europe is a screening series co-curated by author Rebecca Prime and the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Following a recent presentation of Christ in Concrete (1949) at the Hammer Museum's Billy Wilder Theater, Norma Barzman, wife of the film's late screenwriter Ben Barzman, stated “it was the hope of her husband as well as director Edward Dmytryk that Christ in Concrete would at least explain the motivations of the Hollywood Ten and at best absolve them.”
Production for the film took placed in London during Dmytryk and Barzman's self-imposed exile in Europe following their blacklisting by the United States Congress's House Un-American Activities Committee. When Christ in Concrete (later re-titled Give Us This Day and eventually Salt to the Devil) arrived in American theaters it did so quietly, playing to regional crowds in New York before its hasty exit into a relative obscurity—at least as far as domestic audiences were concerned.
Following a recent presentation of Christ in Concrete (1949) at the Hammer Museum's Billy Wilder Theater, Norma Barzman, wife of the film's late screenwriter Ben Barzman, stated “it was the hope of her husband as well as director Edward Dmytryk that Christ in Concrete would at least explain the motivations of the Hollywood Ten and at best absolve them.”
Production for the film took placed in London during Dmytryk and Barzman's self-imposed exile in Europe following their blacklisting by the United States Congress's House Un-American Activities Committee. When Christ in Concrete (later re-titled Give Us This Day and eventually Salt to the Devil) arrived in American theaters it did so quietly, playing to regional crowds in New York before its hasty exit into a relative obscurity—at least as far as domestic audiences were concerned.
- 8/25/2014
- by Daniel Watkins
- MUBI
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: April 22, 2014
Price: DVD $24.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Olive Films
Paul Muni stars in 1952's Stranger on the Prowl.
Paul Muni (I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang) stars in the 1952 film noir drama Stranger on the Prowl, which is based on a story by novelist Noël Calef (Elevator to the Gallows).
The film stars Muni as a disillusioned vagrant who accidentally kills a shop owner. While on the lam he befriends a young street urchin (Vittorio Manunta) who suspects the police are after him for stealing milk from the same shop owner. The police pursue the two lost souls through the war-torn streets and buildings of an Italian port city.
Upon its initial American release, Stranger on the Prowl’s credits read: written and directed by Andrea Forzano. In truth Forzano was two people: screenwriter Ben Barzman (Back to Bataan) and director Joseph Losey (The Romantic Englishwoman,...
Price: DVD $24.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Olive Films
Paul Muni stars in 1952's Stranger on the Prowl.
Paul Muni (I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang) stars in the 1952 film noir drama Stranger on the Prowl, which is based on a story by novelist Noël Calef (Elevator to the Gallows).
The film stars Muni as a disillusioned vagrant who accidentally kills a shop owner. While on the lam he befriends a young street urchin (Vittorio Manunta) who suspects the police are after him for stealing milk from the same shop owner. The police pursue the two lost souls through the war-torn streets and buildings of an Italian port city.
Upon its initial American release, Stranger on the Prowl’s credits read: written and directed by Andrea Forzano. In truth Forzano was two people: screenwriter Ben Barzman (Back to Bataan) and director Joseph Losey (The Romantic Englishwoman,...
- 12/11/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
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