Samuel Donald Hartman (18 November 1900 – 23 March 1958) was an American screenwriter and director and former production head ofParamount Pictures.[1] He andStephen Morehouse Avery were nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Story forThe Gay Deception (1935).[2] He was also nominated withFrank Butler for theAcademy Award for Best Original Screenplay forRoad to Morocco in 1942.[3]
Hartman was born inBrooklyn, where his father ran the Park Circle Theatre. Hartman ran away from home to Chicago, where he worked as a bellhop, before returning to New York, where he worked in a bank. At 17 he moved to Texas, working as a truck driver.[4][5] He also studied atBaylor University.[6] In Texas he became an actor, appearing at the Dallas Little Theatre, before appearing on Broadway inAurania Rouverol's playSkidding asAndy Hardy. Hartman started to put on shows at hotels in theCatskill Mountains, including atGrossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel, and hadDore Schary as an assistant.[4] He started writing books and lyrics for musical plays and material for radio and stage shows.[6]
He started his film career as a lyricist in 1930 and in 1933 he moved to Hollywood.[6] He wrote the screenplay forRomance in Manhattan forRKO Pictures before joining Paramount as a writer in 1935.[7] There he co-wrote the first three films of theRoad to ... series with Frank Butler. He also co-wroteDanny Kaye's first two feature films:Up in Arms (1944) andWonder Man (1945). In 1947, he became a writer-producer-director, makingIt Had to Be You (1947) andEvery Girl Should Be Married (1948), working atColumbia Pictures, RKO andMGM, the latter with Schary again.[4][6]
In 1951, he became an executive producer at Paramount, where he worked as production head underY. Frank Freeman. Together, they had success at Paramount. He left the role in 1956 to become an independent producer for Paramount, producing film versions of plays he had bought for Paramount,Desire Under the Elms andThe Matchmaker (both 1958).Desire Under the Elms was released just prior to his death and was panned by critics which left him frustrated and disappointed.[8]The Matchmaker was released posthumously. He had also been working on a third film based on the playThe Chalk Garden byEnid Bagnold, but Paramount halted pre-production shortly before his death at age 57.[7][4]
He married Helen, with whom he had a son, Timothy, and two daughters.[4]
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