Francis Edward Faragoh

Biography

Francis Edward Faragoh (born Ferenc Eduárd Faragó) was a Hungarian-American screenwriter, active from 1929 to 1947. He was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, and migrated to the United States prior to World War I. He is primarily remembered for writing the screenplays for the pioneering gangster film "Little Caesar" (1931) and the gothic horror film "Frankenstein" (1931). Faragoh was nominated for the "Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay" for his script for "Little Caesar". The Award was instead won by rival screenwriters Howard Estabrook. Faragoh's latter works were less critically acclaimed, though he wrote the screenplays for well-received period dramas (such as "Chasing Yesterday" and "Lady from Louisiana"). He also co-wrote the screenplay of the coming-of-age drama "My Friend Flicka", which has been hailed as a great work by later generations of critics. Faragoh was blacklisted in Hollywood during the 1950s, as a Communist sympathizer. By that point he had already semi-retired. He spend his last years in in Oakland, California. He died of a heart attack in 1966. He was 67-years-old at the time of his death. Some of his films were eventually chosen for preservation by the National Film Registry, due to their historical significance.