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A former print journalist, American screenwriter Wells Root was active in Hollywood from 1928 to 1966. Root scripted or co-scripted such fast-paced melodramas as Tiger Shark (1932), I Cover the Waterfront (1933), and The Prisoner of Zenda (1937). He was busiest at MGM, where among other projects he worked on the 1942 Andrew Johnson biopic Tennessee Johnson. His later credits include Magnificent Obsession (1956) and Texas Across the River (1966), both for Universal. On two occasions, Root tried his hand at directing: Republic's The Bold Caballero (1936) and MGM's Mokey (1966). After his retirement from films, Wells Root taught writing classes at U.C.L.A., and in 1980 authored an instructional book, Writing the Script: A Practical Guide to Films and Television.