Introduction
Nedrick Young (March 23, 1914 – September 16, 1968), also known by pseudonyms Nathan E. Douglas, and Ned Young was an American actor and screenwriter. He is recognized for writing the screenplay for Oscar-winning The Defiant Ones (1958) and Jailhouse Rock (1957,) which starred Elvis Presley.
In addition to screenwriting, he also took acting roles in various feature-length films during the period 1942–1966.
Young was blacklisted from the film industry in the 1950s for his alleged connection with the communist party.
Early life
Young was born on March 23, 1914, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Career
Young made his show business entry as an actor in 1942, appearing in the role of Slim Jenkins in Joseph H. Lewis' thriller Bombs Over Burma, starring Anna May Wong and Noel Madison. The following year, he was seen in Sam Newfield's mystery Dead Men Walk and Leslie Goodwins' comedy Ladies' Day.
1946 saw his first work as a screenwriter with Jack Bernhard-directed film-noir Decoy, starring Jean Gillie and Edward Norris. In the following two years, he wrote the screenplay for Joe Palooka in the Knockout (1947) and Rusty Leads the Way (1948).
In 1950, Young starred as Dave Allister in Joseph H. Lewis' cult classic Gun Crazy, alongside Peggy Cummins and John Dall.
Hollywood blacklist
In 1953, Young was called into the office of studio mogul Jack Warner and told to sign an oath declaring that he was not, and had never been, a member of the Communist Party. Young saw this as trampling on his First Amendment rights and part of a larger witch hunt and refused to sign the paper. The event made him unemployable in the film industry at the time. Other famous names to have been blacklisted were actors Eddie Albert, Lee Grant, and John Ireland, and playwright Lillian Hellman.
Post-blacklist
After being blacklisted, Young, however, continued under the radar by writing under different names. To pay bills, he also worked as a dump truck driver.
In 1958, Young, under the pseudonym "Nathan E. Douglas," wrote and acted in (minor role) in The Defiant Ones, which showed two escaped convicts who are chained together trying to survive without being captured. The film was adapted by screenwriter Harold Jacob Smith from a story Young wrote. It was directed by Stanley Kramer and the two convicts were played by Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier. For their writing, Young and Harold Jacob Smith won the 1959 Oscar for "Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen." The two also won a 1959 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay from the Mystery Writers of America.
Also in 1958, Young, under the pseudonym Ned Young, played the character of Crale in Joseph H. Lewis' Terror in a Texas Town, starring Sterling Hayden and Sebastian Cabot. In 1966, he was seen in John Frankenheimer's Seconds. For this film also, Young was credited as Ned Young.
After The Defiant Ones, Young wrote for three more movies: Inherit the Wind (1960), The Train (1964), and Shadow on the Land (1968).
Young died in September 1968. Inherit the Wind was also nominated for, but did not win, an Academy Award in 1960.
In 1986, The Defiant Ones was remade for television (directed by David Lowell Rich). Young was credited as "Nathan Douglas."
Personal life
Young was married twice. His first marriage was with actress Frances Sage until her death on January 7, 1963.
He then married actress Elizabeth MacRae on May 8, 1965. They remained married until his death on September 16, 1968.
Death
Young died from a heart attack on September 16, 1968, at the age of 54, in Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
Actor
- 1943: Bombs Over Burma - Slim Jenkins
- 1943: Dead Men Walk - Dr. David Bentley
- 1943: Ladies' Day - Tony D'Angelo
- 1946: Gay Blades - Gary Lester
- 1946: The Devil's Playground - Curly Evans
- 1947: Unexpected Guest - Ralph Baxter
- 1948: The Swordsman - Bruce Glowan
- 1948: The Gallant Blade - Sergeant Martine
- 1949: Calamity Jane and Sam Bass - Parsons (uncredited)
- 1949: Border Incident - Happy (uncredited)
- 1950: Gun Crazy - Dave Allister
- 1950: Love That Brute - Rocky (uncredited)
- 1950: A Lady Without Passport - Harry Nordell
- 1951: Inside Straight - Accountant (uncredited)
- 1952: Retreat, Hell! - Sgt. Novak (credited: Ned Young)
- 1952: The Iron Mistress - Hassan
- 1952: Springfield Rifle - Sgt. Poole (uncredited)
- 1952: The Iron Mistress - Henri Contrecourt
- 1953: She's Back on Broadway - Rafferty
- 1953: Captain Scarlett - Pierre DuCloux
- 1953: House of Wax - Leon Averill (uncredited)
- 1953: So This Is Love - Harry Corbett (uncredited)
- 1953: Crime Wave - Gat Morgan
- 1953: The Eddie Cantor Story - Jack (uncredited)
- 1958: The Defiant Ones - Prison Guard in Truck (uncredited)
- 1958: Terror in a Texas Town - John Crale
- 1966: Seconds - Henry Bushman (final film role)
Screenplay
- 1957: Jailhouse Rock
- 1958: The Defiant Ones
- 1960: Inherit the Wind
- 1968: Shadow on the Land
Personal life and death
He was married to actress Elizabeth MacRae.
Young died from a heart attack at the age of 54.