Adaptations and portrayals of F. Scott Fitzgerald

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F. Scott Fitzgerald reading a book, circa 1920
F. Scott Fitzgerald circa 1920

F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American writer known for his novels and short stories which often celebrated the decadence and excess of the Jazz Age. Many of his literary works were adapted into cinematic films, television episodes, and theatrical productions. Although a number of his works were adapted during his lifetime, the number of adaptations greatly increased following his death, and several cinematic adaptations gained considerable critical acclaim.

The earliest adaptations of Fitzgerald's work were flapper film comedies such as The Husband Hunter (1920) and The Off-Shore Pirate (1921). Notable film adaptations of his novel The Great Gatsby include a 1974 film—which featured a script by Francis Ford Coppola and starred Robert Redford and Mia Farrow—and a 2013 adaptation which featured Leonardo DiCaprio in the titular role. His later novel The Last Tycoon was adapted by Elia Kazan into a 1976 film, with an ensemble cast featuring Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson among others.

Beyond adaptations of his novels and stories, Fitzgerald himself has been portrayed in a variety of media, including novels and theatrical productions. On film, he has been portrayed by actors such as Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, and Gregory Peck.

Adaptations[]

Short stories[]

Poster for the 1920 silent film The Husband Hunter
Poster for the 1921 silent film The Off-Shore Pirate
The silent films The Husband Hunter (1920) and The Off-Shore Pirate (1921) were among the first cinematic adaptations of Fitzgerald's works.

Fitzgerald's stories and novels have been adapted many times into a variety of media formats. His earliest short stories were cinematically adapted as flapper comedies such as The Husband Hunter (1920), The Chorus Girl's Romance (1920), and The Off-Shore Pirate (1921). The latter two both starred Viola Dana.[1] His short story "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" was adapted in 1951 as a CBS Starlight Theatre episode starring Julie Harris and in 1976 as a PBS American Short Story episode starring Shelley Duvall.[2] Additionally, his short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was the basis for a 2008 film.[3]

Novels[]

Nearly every novel by Fitzgerald has been adapted for the screen. His second novel The Beautiful and Damned was filmed in 1922 and 2010.[4] His third novel The Great Gatsby has been adapted numerous times for both film and television over the past century, most notably in the 1926, 1949, 1958, 1974, 2000, and 2013 incarnations.[5] His fourth novel Tender Is the Night was made into a 1955 CBS television episode, an eponymous 1962 film, and a BBC television miniseries in 1985.[6] In 1976, his unfinished fifth novel The Last Tycoon was adapted into a film starring Robert de Niro,[7] and in 2016 it was adapted as an Amazon Prime TV miniseries.[8]

Portrayals[]

Picture of Gregory Peck
Picture of Jason Robards
Picture of Jeremy Irons
Gregory Peck, Jason Robards, and Jeremy Irons have portrayed Fitzgerald in various film productions.

Beyond adaptations of his novels and stories, Fitzgerald himself has been portrayed in dozens of books, plays, and films. He inspired Budd Schulberg's novel The Disenchanted (1950), which follows an apprentice screenwriter in Hollywood collaborating with a drunk and flawed novelist.[9] It was later adapted into a Broadway play starring Jason Robards.[10] A musical about the lives of Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda Sayre was composed by Frank Wildhorn in 2005 and entitled Waiting for the Moon.[11] Due to his continuing appeal and international reputation as an author, the Japanese Takarazuka Revue created a musical adaptation of Fitzgerald's life.[12]

The last years of Fitzgerald's life and his relationship with Sheilah Graham served as the basis for Beloved Infidel (1959) based on Graham's 1958 memoir of the same name.[13] The film depicts an alcoholic Fitzgerald (played by Gregory Peck) and his struggle with sobrietry while romancing Graham (played by Deborah Kerr).[13] Another film, Last Call (2002) chronicles the relations between Fitzgerald (Jeremy Irons) and his private secretary Frances Kroll Ring (Neve Campbell).[14]

Other depictions include the TV movies Zelda (1993, with Timothy Hutton), F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood (1976, with Jason Miller), and The Last of the Belles (1974, with Richard Chamberlain). Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill appear briefly as Fitzgerald and Zelda in Woody Allen's 2011 feature film Midnight in Paris.[15] David Hoflin and Christina Ricci portray the Fitzgeralds in the 2015 television series Z: The Beginning of Everything.[16] Guy Pearce and Vanessa Kirby portray the couple in Genius (2016).[17]

List of adaptations[]

Films[]

Year Title Director Notes Distributor Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
1920 The Chorus Girl's Romance William C. Dowlan Based on the short story "Head and Shoulders". Metro Pictures N/A N/A
1920 The Husband Hunter Howard M. Mitchell Based on the short story "Myra Meets His Family". Fox Film Corporation N/A N/A
1921 The Off-Shore Pirate Dallas Fitzgerald Based on the short story "The Offshore Pirate".
The film is considered lost 		Metro Pictures N/A N/A
1922 The Beautiful and Damned William A. Seiter Based on the novel of the same name.
The film is considered lost 		Warner Brothers 50% (6 reviews)[18] N/A
1924 Grit Frank Tuttle Based on a short story of the same name.
The film is considered lost 		Hodkinson Distribution N/A N/A
1926 The Great Gatsby Herbert Brenon Based on the novel of the same name.
The film is considered lost 		Paramount Pictures 55% (22 reviews)[19] N/A
1949 The Great Gatsby Elliott Nugent Based on the novel of the same name. Paramount Pictures 33% (9 reviews)[20] N/A
1954 The Last Time I Saw Paris Richard Brooks Based on the short story "Babylon Revisited". Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 88% (8 reviews)[21] N/A
1962 Tender Is the Night Henry King Based on the novel of the same name. 20th Century Fox N/A N/A
1974 The Great Gatsby Jack Clayton Based on the novel of the same name. Paramount Pictures 39% (36 reviews)[22] 43 (5 reviews)[23]
1976 The Last Tycoon Elia Kazan Based on the novel of the same name. Paramount Pictures 41% (22 reviews)[24] 57 (11 reviews)[25]
2008 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button David Fincher Based on a short story of the same name. Paramount Pictures 71% (258 reviews)[26] 70 (37 reviews)[27]
2013 The Great Gatsby Baz Luhrmann Based on the novel of the same name. Paramount Pictures 48% (301 reviews)[28] 55 (45 reviews)[29]

Short films[]

Year Title Director Notes Distributor RT
1929 Pusher-in-the-Face Robert Florey Based on the short story of the same name. Paramount Pictures N/A
2012 The Dashing Mr. Lowell Kevin Tello Based on the short story of the same name. Carosello Productions N/A
2012 The Lost Decade Nic Fforde Based on the short story of the same name. IMS Film & Media Insurance N/A
2013 The Offshore Pirate Eric Heimbold Based on the short story "The Offshore Pirate". N/A
2014 Head and Shoulders Travis Mills Based on the short story "Head and Shoulders". Running Wild Films N/A
2015 Bernice Bobs Her Hair Delilah Napier Based on the short story of the same name. N/A

Television[]

Year Title Notes Distributor Network RT
1949 The Last Tycoon Episode of Philco Television Playhouse based on the novel. Showcase Productions NBC N/A
1950 "The Cut Glass Bowl" Episode of Nash Airlyfte Theater based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS N/A
1950 "Three Hours Between Planes" Episode of Starlight Theatre based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS N/A
1951 "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" Episode of Starlight Theatre based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS N/A
1951 The Last Tycoon Episode of Robert Montgomery Presents based on the novel. Neptune Productions NBC N/A
1952 "Rich Boy" Episode of Philco Television Playhouse based on the short story. Showcase Productions NBC N/A
1952 "The Party" Episode of Curtain Call based on the short story. Worthington Miner NBC N/A
1952 "Three Hours Between Planes" Episode of Lux Theatre based on the short story. J. Walter Thompson Agency CBS N/A
1953 "The Last Kiss" Episode of Schlitz Playhouse based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS N/A
1953 "The Dance" Episode of Suspense based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS N/A
1954 "Babylon Revisited" Episode of Ponds Theater based on the short story. J. Walter Thompson Agency ABC N/A
1955 The Great Gatsby Episode of Robert Montgomery Presents based on the novel. Neptune Productions NBC N/A
1955 "The Dance" Episode of Climax! based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS N/A
1955 Tender Is the Night Episode of Front Row Center based on the novel. CBS Television Network CBS N/A
1955 "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" Episode of Kraft Theatre based on the short story. J. Walter Thompson Agency NBC N/A
1956 "Winter Dreams" Episode of Front Row Center based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS N/A
1956 "Three Hours Between Planes" Episode of Star Tonight based on the short story. ABC Television Network ABC N/A
1956 "The Young and the Beautiful" Episode of Robert Montgomery Presents based on the short story. Neptune Productions NBC N/A
1957 The Last Tycoon Episode of Playhouse 90 based on the novel. CBS Productions CBS N/A
1957 "Winter Dreams" Episode of Playhouse 90 based on the short story. CBS Productions CBS N/A
1958 The Great Gatsby Episode of Playhouse 90 based on the novel. CBS Productions CBS N/A
1958 "The Last of the Belles" Episode of Kraft Theatre based on the short story. J. Walter Thompson Agency NBC N/A
1959 The Last Tycoon Episode of Armchair Theatre based on the novel. ABC Weekend Television ITV N/A
1962 "Crazy Sunday" Episode of The Dick Powell Theatre based on the short story. Four Star Productions NBC N/A
1963 "The Camel's Back" Episode of Teletale based on the short story. British Broadcasting Corporation BBC N/A
1958 "Majesty" Episode of The Jazz Age based on the short story. British Broadcasting Corporation BBC N/A
1974 The Last of the Belles Television film based on the short story. Titus Productions ABC N/A
1976 "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" Television film based on the short story. PBS Television Network PBS N/A
1984 "Under the Biltmore Clock" Episode of American Playhouse based on "Myra Meets His Family". PBS Television Network PBS N/A
1985 Tender Is the Night Television mini-series based on the novel. 20th Century Fox Television BBC N/A
2000 The Great Gatsby Television film based on the novel. A&E Television Networks A&E N/A
2016 The Last Tycoon Television mini-series based on the novel. Amazon Studios Prime Video 44%[30]

List of portrayals[]

Year Title Portrayed By Notes Distributor Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
1959 Beloved Infidel Gregory Peck Based on the memoirs of Sheilah Graham. 20th Century Fox N/A N/A
1974 Last of the Belles Richard Chamberlain A semi-fictional adaptation of Fitzgerald's story. Titus Productions N/A N/A
1976 F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood Jason Miller Television film. Titus Productions N/A N/A
1993 Zelda Timothy Hutton Television movie by TNT TNT N/A N/A
1994 Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle Malcolm Gets Focusing on the Algonquin Round Table Miramax Films N/A N/A
2002 Last Call Jeremy Irons Detailing Fitzgerald's last years in Hollywood. Showtime Networks N/A N/A
2011 Midnight in Paris Tom Hiddleston Supporting role Sony Pictures Classics 93% (224 reviews)[31] 81[32]
2016 Z: The Beginning of Everything David Hoflin Based on the short story of the same name. Amazon Studios 69% (39 reviews)[33] 61[34]
2016 Genius Guy Pearce Based on Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg. Summit Entertainment 52% (111 reviews)[35] 56[36]

References[]

Citations[]

  1. ^ Mizener 1951, p. 330; The New York Times 1920, p. D2.
  2. ^ Hischak 2012, p. 23.
  3. ^ Scott 2008.
  4. ^ Tate 1998, p. 14.
  5. ^ Hall 1926; Coppola 2013; Kendall 2013.
  6. ^ Hischak 2012, p. 240.
  7. ^ Canby 1976.
  8. ^ Ryan 2017.
  9. ^ Gopnik 2014.
  10. ^ Nelson 1958.
  11. ^ Blank 2012.
  12. ^ Buckton 2013.
  13. ^ a b Graham & Frank 1958, pp. vii–ix, 172–173
  14. ^ Genzlinger 2002; Ring 1985.
  15. ^ Berger 2011.
  16. ^ Wollaston 2017.
  17. ^ Scott 2016.
  18. ^ "The Beautiful and Damned (1922)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  19. ^ "The Great Gatsby (1926)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  20. ^ "The Great Gatsby (1949)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  21. ^ "The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  22. ^ "The Great Gatsby (1974)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  23. ^ "The Great Gatsby (1974)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  24. ^ "The Last Tycoon (1976)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  25. ^ "The Last Tycoon (1976)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  26. ^ "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  27. ^ "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  28. ^ "The Great Gatsby (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  29. ^ "The Great Gatsby (2013)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  30. ^ "The Last Tycoon (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  31. ^ "Midnight in Paris (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  32. ^ "Midnight in Paris (2011)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  33. ^ "Z: The Beginning of Everything (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  34. ^ "Z: The Beginning of Everything (2016)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  35. ^ "Genius (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  36. ^ "Genius (2016)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

Works cited[]

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