Blacklisted Roman Holiday screenwriter has credit restored

The Writers Guild of America has officially credited blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo’s for the Audrey Hepburn–Gregory Peck classic Roman Holiday, 58 years after its release.

According to the WGA’s press release, the lobby for Trumbo’s recognition was sparked by his dying son Chris and the son of credited screenwriter Ian McLellan Hunter.

Trumbo Senior was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee when he refused to name names during the Joseph McCarthy-led communist witch hunts of the 1950s.

Ian McCellan volunteered to pose as Dalton’s “front”; he would accept credit for scripts written by Trumbo (while he was hiding out in Mexico) and secretly pass along financial remuneration. Eventually Ian Hunter was tagged a communist sympathiser too, and similarly fled to Mexico.

Ian’s son Tim promised childhood friend Chris that he would do his best to restore his father’s credit. Although Chris Trumbo passed away in January of 2011, Tim’s quest proved successful.

The full credit:

Screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton

Story by Dalton Trumbo

The child of another blacklisted writer, Lester Koenig, has since contacted Deadline claiming that his father collaborated with Dalton on the film.

Discuss: Congrats. A deserving credit on one of the all-time great movies.