Ben Maddow has gained a reputation as an independent and outspoken artist despite the fact that much of his work as a screenwriter of documentaries and commercial films over the past fifty years has been done pseudonymously, or without credit, or has suffered dilution on commercial projects over which he had little control. Until 1942 Maddow used the name David Wolff for his documentary pictures. Blacklisted in Hollywood from about 1952 to 1960, Maddow apparently continued to write scripts, although it is difficult to ascertain the extent of his contributions to them because he was not given credit. Maddow seems reticent to clarify the matter; in fact, of the many film scripts he has written, he would prefer to be credited only with seven that have established his reputation: Native Land (1942), Intruder in the Dust (1949), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Stairs (1953), The Savage Eye (1960), The Balcony (1963), and Storm of Strangers (1970).

Maddow's reticence...