Alfred Lewis Levitt

Active - 1948 - 1965  |   Born - Jan 1, 1915   |   Died - Nov 16, 2002   |   Genres - Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

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Biography by AllMovie

Film and television writer Alfred Levitt may not have been charged with any specific crime during the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee witch-hunt, but was blacklisted due to involvement with the Communist party, severely crippling his career for two decades to come. Levitt eventually was able to regain control of his career after working under the pseudonym Tom August until the late '60s. His efforts to restore the real names of those forced to work incognito during the McCarthy era would later be recognized by the Writers Guild of America West for his tireless restorative efforts. A native of New York City, he began his career as a sports editor on NYU's Bronx campus. Once a member of the Young Communist League, he relocated to Hollywood in the mid-'30s before being drafted and sent to England in 1943. Subsequently penning the narration for Reunion while living in France, Levitt was later abandoned by the studio system following the subpoena of numerous producers with whom he had worked. Despite his growing discontent with the Communist party in the early '50s, Levitt stood by his convictions when he, himself, was subpoenaed in order to remain true to his beliefs. Though he was, ironically, not permitted to read his speech regarding the freedom of expression during his hearing, word of his powerful written statement spread and he was soon approached by numerous Hollywood figures to write speeches for them. Despite notable pressure to do so, Levitt refused to reveal any of his contacts' identities. Though Levitt's freshman feature effort The Boy With Green Hair (1948) gained him notice among writers, he also penned numerous scripts with his wife Helen (including The Misadventures of Merlin Jones [1964] and The Monkey's Uncle [1965]) and became best known for television work which included The Donna Reed Show, The Brady Bunch, and All in the Family. On November 16, 2002, Alfred Levitt died of heart failure in Los Angeles, CA. He was 87 years old.

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