March 4, 2009

R.I.P. Horton Foote

"Playwright, screenwriter Horton Foote dies at 92"

Horton Foote (March 14, 1916 - March 4, 2009) was an American playwright and screenwriter probably best known for writing the screenplay to the 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he earned an Academy Award. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1995 for his play, The Young Man From Atlanta. His other writing credits include Tender Mercies (1983) and The Trip to Bountiful (1985). Two years ago I went to Wharton (his birthplace/hometown) to get pictures of the Plaza Theatre on the last night of its acting company's performance of Foote's "Mockingbird" screenplay. I wondered if he was in attendance that night.

plaza theater marquee at night
plaza theater lighting up wharton downtown square

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad I read this on your site - I hadn't seen it anywhere else today. So sad! I love Horton Foote and it's so neat that he's from a town so close to my hometown of Eagle Lake. RIP, indeed...

Chris said...

Yes, it is sad, but he lived a looong and productive life. Apparently, and impressively, he was still able to work (literally and figuratively) at the end.

By the way, my sister and her husband bought and moved in to my mother's parent's house their in Eagle Lake back in August.