Waldemar Young, one of the most colorful and successful scenarists of his day, was admired in Hollywood for his ability to embellish screenplays with lyrical moods and historical perspectives. Although primarily remembered for his sharp wit and keen sense of screenwriting technique, he was also an accomplished poet, playwright, and journalist.

Young was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Mormon parents. He was the brother of Mahonri Young, the sculptor, and a grandson of Brigham Young, the Mormon leader. Immediately upon graduation from high school he began working on the editorial staff of the Salt Lake Herald. He matriculated at Stanford University in 1900, where he majored in English and pursued interests in economics and history. Young played on Stanford's varsity football team, sang with the glee club, and edited a volume of The Sequoia, a yearly collection of college prose and verse. His collaboration with newspaperman Ralph...