TARADASH, Daniel (Irwin) 1913-2003

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born January 29, 1913, in Louisville, KY; died of cancer February 22, 2003, in Los Angeles, CA. Author. Taradash was an Oscar-winning screenplay writer best known for his adaptation of James Jones's novel From Here to Eternity. Initially, he studied to be an attorney, earning his law degree from Harvard University in 1936 and passing the New York State Bar exam. However, he convinced his father to help him become a writer, promising that if he did not succeed he would join a law firm. Taradash never had to exercise that option, as his writing career took off auspiciously when he won the Bureau of New Plays contest in 1938 for his play The Mercy. Columbia Studios hired him as a writer, and soon he was writing screenplays such as For Love or Money (1939) and A Little Bit of Heaven (1940). World War II interrupted his career, but he was still involved in film as a writer and producer of training movies for the Signal Corps. With the war over, Taradash returned to the studios, often writing adaptations of novels and Broadway plays, including his Academy Award-winning From Here to Eternity (1953), Bell, Book, and Candle (1958), based on the John Van Druten play, and Hawaii (1966), based on the James Michener novel. Taradash also tried his hand at directing films, including Storm Center (1956), Doctor's Wives (1971), and The Other Side of Midnight (1977). In 1960 he wrote another play, There Was a Little Girl, which was produced on Broadway, though to limited success. Taradash was an active leader in industry organizations, and was a former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Writers Guild of America—West. He was the recipient of numerous awards, as well, including the 1996 Laurel Award for Lifetime Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

periodicals

Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2003, p. B15.

New York Times, February 27, 2003, p. A29.

Times (London, England), March 7, 2003.

Washington Post, February 27, 2003, p. B6.