Jack Moffitt

Jack Moffitt (May 8, 1901 – December 4, 1969), also credited at John C. Moffitt, was an American screenwriter and film critic. Employed by Universal Studios in the 1930s, he wrote screenplays for a number of minor films. Over the years he wrote film reviews for The Kansas City Star, Esquire, and The Hollywood Reporter. He was an ardent anti-Communist, who contributed to the Hollywood blacklist by testifying against others in the film industry for the 1947 House Un-American Activities Committee.

Early life John Charles Moffitt, later credited as John C. Moffitt and Jack Moffitt, was born on 8 May 1901 in Missouri.

Career Moffitt worked as a motion picture editor for the Kansas City Star in the 1920s, before moving to Hollywood in 1930 to work at Universal Studios. and the play was put on at various other theatres around the country, although the posters do not all credit Moffitt as a co-writer. The play was also produced on Broadway at the Adelphi Theatre from October 26, 1936 to January 1937, staged by Vincent Sherman. He was credited as John C. Moffitt for this production.

Films He wrote the screenplay for the 1937 film Mountain Music, for which he was credited as John. C. Moffitt. and later also for The Kansas City Star.

Other activities In the 1930s he joined Screen Playwrights, Inc. and was embittered by defeat by rival union the Screen Writers Guild (SWG). On May 8, 1947, J. Parnell Thomas chaired a committee which travelled to Hollywood for, according to The Hollywood Reporter a "long threatened probe of Communists in Hollywood," which was held at the Biltmore Hotel. Moffitt appeared as a "friendly" witness, along with MGM producer and story editor James K. McGuinness. He was called back several times and named many people in the screen industry.