John Monk Saunders
John Monk Saunders was an accomplished American screenwriter and novelist, born in 1897 in Hinckley, Minnesota. He moved to Seattle as a child, where his father served as the district attorney. A bright student and champion swimmer, Saunders joined the U.S. Flying Corps during World War I, becoming an instructor before earning a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University. His notable work, a novel titled *Wings*, was adapted into the groundbreaking 1927 film of the same name, which won the first Academy Award for Best Picture. Saunders wrote several screenplays and provided stories for numerous films, earning recognition for his contributions to early cinema. His personal life, particularly his marriage to actress Fay Wray, faced challenges, leading to heavy drinking and eventual divorce. Tragically, Saunders's life ended in 1940 when he took his own life in Fort Myers, Florida. His legacy includes both his cinematic achievements and the poignant narrative of his personal struggles.
On this Page
Subject Terms
John Monk Saunders
Writer
- Born: November 22, 1897
- Birthplace: Hinckley, Minnesota
- Died: March 11, 1940
- Place of death: Fort Myers, Florida
Biography
Screenwriter John Monk Saunders was smiled on by fortune in his early years, only to end his life in premature tragedy. Born in Hinckley, Minnesota, in 1897, Saunders moved to Seattle, Washington, with his parents at an early age. His father was Seattle’s district attorney. Saunders, described as a brilliant student at the University of Washington, was also a champion swimmer.
Saunders, less than twenty years old when the United States entered World War I, knew how to fly. He joined the U.S. Flying Corps, soon becoming an instructor. When the war ended, Saunders, tall and good-looking, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, enabling him to attend Oxford University, where he earned a master’s degree in 1923. He then was hired as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times and contributed editorials to the newspaper.
Soon Saunders moved to New York City, first as a reporter for the New York Tribune and later as an associate editor of American Magazine. He began working on a novel, Wings, based on the war. Paramount Pictures bought the film rights to his story for $39,000, and in 1927 released Wings, which received the first Academy Award in 1928 for Best Picture. The highly successful film was a massive production, shot partly on location in San Antonio, Texas, with a cast of 3,500 extras and more than sixty pilots. Wings was initially released as a silent film and rereleased in 1929 with music and sound; Saunders also adapted the film as a novel, published in 1927.
Wings was the third film to be made from one of Saunders’s stories. In 1925, Famous Players-Lasky/Paramount Studios released Too Many Kisses, which was an adaptation of one of Saunders’s Cosmopolitan short stories, “The Maker of Gestures.” Shortly after that film’s release, Lasky/Paramount released The Shock Punch, adapted from one of Saunders’s short stories originally published in Liberty magazine.
Saunders wrote only four original screenplays, but twelve other films were based on stories he provided. As soon as Wings was released, Saunders turned to producing a sequel, The Legion of the Condemned, collaborating with Jean de Limur on the scenario. Although the sequel was never considered the equal of Wings, it received generally favorable comment from the critics.
Saunders’s life changed dramatically in 1928, when he met actress Fay Wray, renowned for her performance in King Kong. Wray and Gary Cooper starred in The Legion of the Condemned, and she and Saunders met on the set during filming. A romance developed quickly between the two, culminating in their marriage in Maryland in 1928. The couple soon moved into a Spanish-style house built by director King Vidor and his wife, Florence, on Selma Avenue in Hollywood. Complete with tennis courts, the house was a perfect venue for entertaining, which the newlyweds did despite their grueling schedules. Saunders often felt overshadowed and neglected by his wife, a dedicated actress who had many career obligations to fulfill. He began to drink heavily.
As the marriage deteriorated, the two tried to sustain it by having a child, Susan, born in 1938. The following year, however, the marriage ended in divorce. Saunders produced no stories or screenplays afterwards. In 1940, he hanged himself in Fort Myers, Florida.