Garrett Fort

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Garrett Elsden Fort
Born June 5, 1900(1900-06-05)
New York City, New York
Died October 26, 1945 (aged 45)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation Playwright, Screenwriter
Nationality American
Genres Drama, Horror

Garrett Elsden Fort (June 5, 1900 - October 26, 1945) was an American short story writer, playwright, and Hollywood screenwriter.

Fort made his screenwriting debut with the silent film, One of the Finest (1917). Early in his career Fort co-wrote the Broadway play Jarnegan (1928), based on the novel by Jim Tully.[1] Fort's first talkie effort was the ground-breaking Rouben Mamoulian production Applause (1929). In 2006 Applause was recognized as a culturally, historically and aesthetically significant film by the National Film Registry.[2]

Fort was adept at alternating horrific highlights with bits of unexpected humor.[3] As a screenwriter he is best remembered for his work on the original screen adaptations of such horror/melodramas as Frankenstein (1931), Dracula (1931), Dracula's Daughter (1936), and The Mark of Zorro (1940).[4]

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[edit] Spiritual life and demise

Garrett Fort became deeply interested in the spiritual path and was a devotee of Indian guru Meher Baba who he met in Hollywood in 1934. He worked with Mercedes de Acosta to develop a screenplay based on Baba's philosophy. He eventually travelled 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 in 1945 of an overdose of sleeping pills.[5] 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.

[edit] Selected filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ Internet Broadway Database
  2. ^ Librarian of Congress Adds Home Movie, Silent Films and Hollywood Classics to Film Preservation List
  3. ^ New York Times, Movies, April 24, 2007 [1]
  4. ^ Internet Movie Database
  5. ^ Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation Inc. 1986. pp.1942, 2141, 3039

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Persondata
NAME Fort, Garrett Elsden
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH 1900-6-5
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City, New York
DATE OF DEATH 1945-10-26
PLACE OF DEATH Los Angeles, California