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Ring Lardner Jr.

Ring Lardner Jr.

Writer · Died October 31, 2000, aged 85 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ringgold Wilmer "Ring" Lardner Jr. (August 19, 1915 – October 31, 2000) was an American journalist and screenwriter blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios during the Red Scare of the late 1940s and 1950s. Ring Lardner Jr. moved to Hollywood where he worked as a publicist and "script doctor" before writing his own material. This included Woman of the Year, a film that won him an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay in 1942. He also worked on the scripts for the films Laura (1944), Brotherhood of Man (1946), Forever Amber (1947), and M*A*S*H (1970). The script of the latter earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Lardner held strong left-wing views and during the Spanish Civil War he helped raise funds for the Republican cause. He was also involved in organizing anti-fascist demonstrations. His brother, James Lardner, was a member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, and was killed in action in Spain in 1938. Although his political involvement upset the owners of the film studios, he continued to be given work and in 1947 became one of the highest paid scriptwriters in Hollywood when he signed a contract with 20th Century Fox at $2,000 a week.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 19, 1915
Died
October 31, 2000 (aged 85)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 26% in 30 days

What are Ring Lardner Jr.'s films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
23%
Self
22%
Bonds
19%
Society
14%
Power
13%
Survival
9%
Romantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 9 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 12 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 9 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 5

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 16 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Romantic
7
Melancholic
8
Hopeful
5
Joyful
5
Other
19

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet8
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ring Lardner Jr.'s films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ring Lardner Jr.'s titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

27 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Semi-Tough(1977)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Greatest(1977)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Woman of the Year (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Original Film Writer

  • M*A*S*H(1972)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Lady Liberty(1971)

    Dialogue · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Deadly Trap(1971)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • M*A*S*H(1970)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Cincinnati Kid(1965)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Cardinal(1963)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • A Breath of Scandal(1960)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Virgin Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Writer

  • The Big Night(1951)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Swiss Tour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Dialogue

  • The Forbidden Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Screenplay

  • Forever Amber(1947)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Cloak and Dagger(1946)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Brotherhood of Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Writer

  • Tomorrow, the World! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Screenplay

  • Laura(1944)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Marriage Is a Private Affair(1944)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Cross of Lorraine(1943)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Woman of the Year(1942)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Arkansas Judge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Adaptation

  • The Courageous Dr. Christian(1940)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Meet Dr. Christian(1939)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Kid from Kokomo(1939)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • A Star Is Born(1937)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 24 titles from 1939 to 1977.

Biggest box office

M*A*S*H (1970)

$82M worldwide

Highest rated

Laura (1944)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

M*A*S*H (1970)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing22 of 24: 22 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thOther crew2 of 24: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1930s1 · crew1940s11 · crew1950s2 · crew1960s3 · crew1970s7 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Ring Lardner Jr.'s films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th8

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · writer

The Greatest (1977)

72nd percentile spread · 19% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Laura (1944)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 56/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Ring Lardner Jr.'s work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 31 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 22 · mildMedian of all films: 36

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Ring Lardner Jr. work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ring Lardner Jr.'s MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Otto Preminger shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers