Alvah Bessie 1904-1985

lvah Bessie was an American novelist and journalist who wrote screenplays for Warner Brothers as well as other studios in the mid and late 40s.

 As a screenwriter, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Story for the patriotic film Objective Burma (1945).

  Bessie was a member of the International Brigades and fought in the Spanish Civil War in 1938. After the war, he wrote a book about his experiences called Men in Battle.

  His career ended in 1947 when he was summoned before the House Un-American Activities Committee and by 1950, he had been named one of the Hollywood Ten and was imprisoned and blacklisted.

  In 1965, Bessie wrote a book about his experience with the HUAC.

  In 1975 he wrote, Spain Again, which detailed his experiences as a co-writer and actor in a Spanish movie of the same name.

  A diary of his activities while in the war in Spain was published in 2001.

  His screenwriting career was ruined by the blacklisting and he never returned to Hollywood.

  Other works include:

·        Northern Pursuit (1943)

·        Hotel Berlin (1944) (un-credited)

·        The Very Thought of You (1944)

·        Objective Burma (1945) (un-credited)

·        Smart Woman (1948)