Garrett Elsden Fort | |
|---|---|
 Garrett Fort in 1937 | |
| Born | (1900-06-05)June 5, 1900 New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 26, 1945(1945-10-26) (aged 45) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Playwright,Screenwriter |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Drama,Horror |
Garrett Elsden Fort (June 5, 1900 – October 26, 1945) was an American short story writer, playwright, and Hollywood screenwriter. He is mostly known for his connections with 1930shorror films, with film historianGary Don Rhodes describing him as "one of, if not the pre-eminent horror film screenwriters of the classic era."[1] He was a close follower ofMeher Baba, and travelled to India while developing a screenplay based on Baba's philosophy.
Fort was born in New York on June 5, 1900.[1][2] According to Fort, he tried to make a career as an attorney in the 1920s and wrote what he described as "true confession stories as a sideline."[1] He began working as a gateman at theFamous Players Film Company. From this position he eventually moved on as a writer under contract toCecil B. DeMille and later atParamount Pictures.[1] Fort became more prominently known as a screenwriter during the early era ofsound film withThe Film Daily stating that he was gaining reputation as "TheEdgar Wallace of the Movies" based on how he turned out adaptations and original scripts that had performed well.[3]
Film historianGary Don Rhodes described Fort as "one of, if not the pre-eminent horror film screenwriters of the classic era."[1] Among the films Fort was hired to work on in the 1930s includedDracula (1931),Frankenstein (1931),Island of Lost Souls (1932),The Invisible Man (1933),Dracula's Daughter (1936), andThe Devil-Doll (1936).[1][4] In 1931, Fort referred to himself in an ad as "a specialist in sin and jitters."[3][5]Hal Erickson also stated the Fort contributed to scripts of other non-horror film "of note", including:The Lost Patrol (1934),Panama Lady (1939),The Mark of Zorro (1940) andBlood on the Sun (1945).[6] Erickson noted that Fort was "adept at alternating horrific highlights with bits of unexpected humor."[6]
Garrett Fort became deeply interested in the spiritual path and was a devotee of Indian guruMeher Baba whom he met in Hollywood in 1934. He worked withMercedes de Acosta to develop a screenplay based on Baba's philosophy. Fort eventually traveled to India in 1937 to continue the screenplay. However, he became depressed and returned to America. Upon returning he found it difficult to find profitable work and died penniless in a Hollywood hotel room on October 26, 1945, of an overdose ofNembutal.[2][7][8] Fort remained in contact with Meher Baba until the end of his life and was included in Meher Baba's list of deceased male followers that Baba had a disciple read out to him in 1967.[9]
