Nelson Gidding | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nelson Roosevelt Gidding September 15, 1919 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 2, 2004 (aged 84) Santa Monica, California |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
Nelson Roosevelt Gidding (September 15, 1919 – May 2, 2004) was an American screenwriter specializing in adaptations. A longtime collaboration with director Robert Wise began with Gidding's screenplay for I Want to Live! (1958), which earned him an Oscar nomination. His long-running course on screenwriting adaptions at the University of Southern California inspired screenwriters of the present generation, including David S. Goyer.
Gidding was born in New York City and attended school at Phillips Exeter Academy; as a young man he was friends with Norman Mailer. After graduating from Harvard University, he entered the Army Air Forces during World War II as the navigator on a B-26. His plane was shot down over Italy, but he survived; he spent 18 months as a POW but effected an escape. Returning from the war, in 1946 he published his only novel, End Over End, begun while captive in a German prison camp.
In 1949, Gidding married Hildegarde Colligan; together they had a son, Joshua Gidding, who today is a Seattle writer and college professor.
In Hollywood, Gidding entered work in television, writing for such series as Suspense and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, and eventually moved into feature films like The Helen Morgan Story (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), The Haunting (1963), Lost Command (1966), The Andromeda Strain (1971), and The Hindenburg (1975).
After the death of his first wife on June 13, 1995, in 1998 Gidding married Chun-Ling Wang, a Chinese immigrant.
Gidding taught at USC until his death from congestive heart failure at a Santa Monica hospital in 2004.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | The Triangle | Segment "American Duel" |
| 1957 | The Helen Morgan Story | |
| 1958 | Onionhead | |
| I Want to Live! | ||
| 1959 | Odds Against Tomorrow | |
| 1962 | Lisa | |
| 1963 | The Haunting | |
| Nine Hours to Rama | ||
| 1966 | Lost Command | |
| 1970 | Skullduggery | |
| 1971 | The Andromeda Strain | |
| 1975 | The Hindenburg | |
| 1979 | Beyond the Poseidon Adventure | |
| 1987 | The Misfit Brigade | |
| 1991 | Journey of Honor | |
| 1993 | The Mummy lives | |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | 1 Episode |
| Hollywood Opening Night | 1 Episode | |
| 1953 | Rheingold Theater | 1 Episode |
| The Web | 1 Episode | |
| 1954 | The Stranger | 2 Episodes |
| Inner Sanctum | 3 Episodes | |
| President for a Day | TV movie produced as an episode of Hallmark Hall of Fame | |
| 1954-55 | The Man Behind the Badge | 12 Episodes |
| 1955 | Kraft Television Theatre | 1 Episode |
| Warner Bros. Presents | 1 Episode | |
| 1955-56 | Casablanca | 5 Episodes |
| 1955-57 | Sergeant Preston of the Yukon | 52 Episodes; Also story editor |
| 1956 | Playwrights '56 | 1 Episode |
| 1957 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | 2 Episodes |
| 1960 | Bourbon Street Beat | 1 Episode |
| 1972 | Banyon | 1 Episode |
| 1983 | Casablanca | 1 Episode |
| I Want to Live | TV movie | |
Bibliography
References
- McLellan, Dennis (May 7, 2004). "Nelson Gidding, 84; Oscar Nominee Wrote for Radio, TV, Movies". The Los Angeles Times.
- Wolfgang Saxon (14 May 2004). "Nelson Gidding, 84, Screenwriter Of Classics Like 'I Want to Live!'". The New York Times. p. C 11. Retrieved 2 August 2021.