Frank S. Nugent began his career with The New York Times as a reporter in 1929, before succeeding Andre Senwald as the paper's motion picture editor and critic in 1936. His reviews often turned on a clever phrase, or a pun, which stung or delighted those it affected, but generally illuminated the point and made for entertaining reading. A string of barbs unfavorable to 20th Century-Fox caused that studio to cancel their advertising for six months in 1939, costing the Times $50,000. When Darryl F. Zanuck lured "the assassin" to Hollywood in 1940 to work for the studio, cynics on both coasts
Succeeded the late Andre Senwald as Times' motion picture editor and critic
1940
Brought to Hollywood by Darryl F. Zanuck and served as "script doctor" at 20th Century-Fox; fixed other writers' scripts until turning screenwriter toward end of decade
Contributed articles on filmmaking to magazines that included Good Housekeeping, Collier's, and The Saturday Evening Post
