Borden Chase
Borden Chase, born Frank Fowler in 1900 in Brooklyn, New York, was a notable American screenwriter and author who became prominent from the 1930s to the 1970s. After leaving school at a young age, he gained diverse life experiences through various jobs, including boxing and working in a shipyard, which later influenced his writing. He began his literary career in the pulp fiction market before transitioning to more mainstream publications and eventually to Hollywood. Chase is best known for his Western films, particularly those directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, such as "Winchester '73" and "Bend of the River." His work is characterized by tough, complex male characters embroiled in intense narratives set against the backdrop of the American West, often exploring themes of moral ambiguity. Additionally, he contributed to war and detective films, showcasing his versatility as a screenwriter. Critics recognize Chase as a significant figure in the development of psychological Westerns during the 1950s, emphasizing his impact on the genre.
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Subject Terms
Borden Chase
Writer
- Born: January 11, 1900
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: March 8, 1971
- Place of death: California
Biography
Borden Chase was the pseudonym of Frank Fowler who was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1900. By the time he was fourteen, he had quit school and was roaming around the United States working at a series of jobs, including boxer, bootlegger, taxi driver, carnival high diver, shipyard worker, bootlegger, deep-sea diver, and tunnel digger with the New York subway system. These jobs provided him with a great deal of material for his screenplays and novels. He also served in the navy.
Chase started his writing career in the pulp fiction industry for such publications as Argosy and Detective Fiction. Soon, he “graduated” to magazines with a wider audience, such as Saturday Evening Post. In time, he made his way to Hollywood where he became a successful screenwriter, highly regarded for his well-crafted plots and clear writing style.
As a screenwriter from the 1930’s to the 1970’s, Chase specialized in creating tough masculine characters. His most famous films were Westerns such as Red River (1948) and Bend of the River (1952). Three of his most successful films were directed by Anthony Mann and starred James Stewart: Winchester’ 73 (1950), Bend of the River (1952), and The Far Country (1955). These films typify the characters and conflicts associated with Chase’s work and are considered generally formulaic. Each tells the story of two tough men on an epic journey somewhere in the American West. They are either part of a group, such as a cattle drive or a wagon train, or encounter such an assemblage in a town. Both men are somehow connected, either as relatives or by a shared past experience. All of these screenplays contain straightforward dialogue and intense action, such as a bank robbery, a shoot out, or an attack. An inner conflict on the part of one of the men results in an unmistakable resolution or a psychological progression. These male characters are neither all bad nor all good.
Chase also wrote war films such as the popular The Fighting Seabees (1944) and Destroyer (1944) and detective films such as Blue, White, and Perfect (1942). He also wrote the screenplay for a love story, I’ve Always Loved You 1946), an adaptation of his short story “Concerto.” Critics give Chase credit as a major contributor to the psychological Westerns of the 1950’s.