Nedrick Young (March 23, 1914 – September 16, 1968), also known by the pseudonymNathan E. Douglas,[1] was an American actor and screenwriter oftenblacklisted during the 1950s and 1960s for refusing to confirm or deny membership of the Communist Party before theHouse Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA). He is credited with writing the story forJailhouse Rock in 1957, which starredElvis Presley.
Young was born in Philadelphia. In addition to screenwriting, he took acting roles in various feature-length films from 1943 to 1966.
The Defiant Ones received anOscar for the "best screenplay written directly for the screen" in 1958.[2] For the same film, Young and co-writer Harold Jacob Smith won a 1959Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay, from theMystery Writers of America.Inherit the Wind was also nominated for, but did not win, an Academy Award in 1960. The same year, he and others brought a lawsuit against theMotion Picture Association (MPAA) for 13 years of blacklisting. The suit was not successful.[3]
