Lawson, John Howard

Lawson, John Howard (1895–1977), New York dramatist, whose first plays, Roger Bloomer (1923) and Processional (1925), are noteworthy examples of Expressionism. His later plays, which also show his interest in the proletarian movement, are Loud Speaker (1927), a farce about American politics; The International (1928), depicting a future world revolution of workers; Success Story (1932), a character study of a man who gains material power at the expense of his soul; The Pure in Heart (1934), concerned with the struggles of a small‐town girl in New York, and her love for a convict; Gentlewoman (1934), a study of a rich woman who attempts an unsuccessful compromise between her love of wealth and her sympathy with the poor; and Marching Song (1937), concerned with a sit‐down strike. Lawson's nonfictional writings include Theory and Technique of Playwriting (1936) and Film in the Battle of Ideas (1953). His motion‐picture work led to Film: The Creative Process (1964). As one of the Hollywood Ten who refused to answer questions put by the Congressional Committee on Un‐American Activities, he was jailed for a year, and thereafter forced to have his scripts issued under a pseudonym.