F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American writer known for his novels and short stories which often celebrated the decadence and excess of the Jazz Age. Many of his literary works were adapted into cinematic films, television episodes, and theatrical productions. Although a number of his works were adapted during his lifetime, the number of adaptations greatly increased following his death, and several cinematic adaptations gained considerable critical acclaim.

The earliest adaptations of Fitzgerald's work were flapper film comedies such as The Husband Hunter (1920) and The Off-Shore Pirate (1921). Notable film adaptations of his novel The Great Gatsby include a 1974 film—which featured a script by Francis Ford Coppola and starred Robert Redford and Mia Farrow—and a 2013 adaptation which featured Leonardo DiCaprio in the titular role. His later novel The Last Tycoon was adapted by Elia Kazan into a 1976 film, with an ensemble cast featuring Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson among others.

Beyond adaptations of his novels and stories, Fitzgerald himself has been portrayed in a variety of media, including novels and theatrical productions. On film, he has been portrayed by actors such as Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, and Gregory Peck.

Adaptations Short stories

Fitzgerald's stories and novels have been adapted many times into a variety of media formats. His earliest short stories were cinematically adapted as flapper comedies such as The Husband Hunter (1920), The Chorus Girl's Romance (1920), and The Off-Shore Pirate (1921). The latter two both starred Viola Dana. His short story "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" was adapted in 1951 as a CBS Starlight Theatre episode starring Julie Harris and in 1976 as a PBS American Short Story episode starring Shelley Duvall. Additionally, his short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was the basis for a 2008 film.

Novels Nearly every novel by Fitzgerald has been adapted for the screen. His second novel The Beautiful and Damned was filmed in 1922 and 2010. His third novel The Great Gatsby has been adapted numerous times for both film and television over the past century, most notably in the 1926, 1949, 1958, 1974, 2000, and 2013 incarnations. His fourth novel Tender Is the Night was made into a 1955 CBS television episode, an eponymous 1962 film, and a BBC television miniseries in 1985. In 1976, his unfinished fifth novel The Last Tycoon was adapted into a film starring Robert de Niro, and in 2016 it was adapted as an Amazon Prime TV miniseries.

Portrayals

Beyond adaptations of his novels and stories, Fitzgerald himself has been portrayed in dozens of books, plays, and films. He inspired Budd Schulberg's novel The Disenchanted (1950), which follows an apprentice screenwriter in Hollywood collaborating with a drunk and flawed novelist. It was later adapted into a Broadway play starring Jason Robards. A musical about the lives of Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda Sayre was composed by Frank Wildhorn in 2005 and entitled Waiting for the Moon. Due to his continuing appeal and international reputation as an author, the Japanese Takarazuka Revue created a musical adaptation of Fitzgerald's life.

The last years of Fitzgerald's life and his relationship with Sheilah Graham served as the basis for Beloved Infidel (1959) based on Graham's 1958 memoir of the same name. The film depicts an alcoholic Fitzgerald (played by Gregory Peck) and his struggle with sobriety while romancing Graham (played by Deborah Kerr). Another film, Last Call (2002) chronicles the relations between Fitzgerald (Jeremy Irons) and his private secretary Frances Kroll Ring (Neve Campbell).

Other depictions include the TV movies Zelda (1993, with Timothy Hutton), F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood (1976, with Jason Miller), and The Last of the Belles (1974, with Richard Chamberlain). Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill appear briefly as Fitzgerald and Zelda in Woody Allen's 2011 feature film Midnight in Paris. David Hoflin and Christina Ricci portray the Fitzgeralds in the 2015 television series Z: The Beginning of Everything. Guy Pearce and Vanessa Kirby portray the couple in Genius (2016).

List of adaptations Films Year Title Director Notes Distributor Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic 1920 William C. Dowlan Based on the short story "Head and Shoulders". Metro Pictures 1920 Howard M. Mitchell Based on the short story "Myra Meets His Family". Fox Film Corporation 1921 The Off-Shore Pirate Dallas Fitzgerald Based on the short story "The Offshore Pirate". Metro Pictures 1922 William A. Seiter Based on the novel of the same name. Warner Brothers 50% (6 reviews) 1924 Grit Frank Tuttle Based on a short story of the same name. Hodkinson Distribution 1926 Herbert Brenon Based on the novel of the same name. Paramount Pictures 55% (22 reviews) 1949 Elliott Nugent Based on the novel of the same name. Paramount Pictures 33% (9 reviews) 1954 Richard Brooks Based on the short story "Babylon Revisited". Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 88% (8 reviews) 1962 Tender Is the Night Henry King Based on the novel of the same name. 20th Century Fox 1974 Jack Clayton Based on the novel of the same name. Paramount Pictures 39% (36 reviews) 43 (5 reviews) 1976 Elia Kazan Based on the novel of the same name. Paramount Pictures 41% (22 reviews) 57 (11 reviews) 2008 David Fincher Based on a short story of the same name. Paramount Pictures 71% (258 reviews) 70 (37 reviews) 2013 Baz Luhrmann Based on the novel of the same name. Paramount Pictures 48% (301 reviews) 55 (45 reviews)

Short films Year Title Director Notes Distributor RT 1929 Pusher-in-the-Face Based on the short story of the same name. Paramount Pictures 2012 Based on the short story of the same name. Carosello Productions 2012 Based on the short story of the same name. IMS Film & Media Insurance 2013 Based on the short story "The Offshore Pirate". 2014 Head and Shoulders Based on the short story "Head and Shoulders". Running Wild Films 2015 Bernice Bobs Her Hair Based on the short story of the same name.

Television Year Title Notes Distributor Network RT 1949 Episode of The Philco Television Playhouse based on the novel. Showcase Productions NBC 1950 Episode of Nash Airlyfte Theater based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS 1950 "Three Hours Between Planes" Episode of Starlight Theatre based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS 1951 "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" Episode of Starlight Theatre based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS 1951 Episode of Robert Montgomery Presents based on the novel. Neptune Productions NBC 1952 "Rich Boy" Episode of The Philco Television Playhouse based on the short story. Showcase Productions NBC 1952 Episode of Curtain Call based on the short story. Worthington Miner NBC 1952 "Three Hours Between Planes" Episode of Lux Theatre based on the short story. J. Walter Thompson Agency CBS 1953 Episode of Schlitz Playhouse based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS 1953 Episode of Suspense based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS 1954 "Babylon Revisited" Episode of Ponds Theater based on the short story. J. Walter Thompson Agency ABC 1955 Episode of Robert Montgomery Presents based on the novel. Neptune Productions NBC 1955 Episode of Climax! based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS 1955 Tender Is the Night Episode of Front Row Center based on the novel. CBS Television Network CBS 1955 Episode of Kraft Theatre based on the short story. J. Walter Thompson Agency NBC 1956 "Winter Dreams" Episode of Front Row Center based on the short story. CBS Television Network CBS 1956 "Three Hours Between Planes" Episode of Star Tonight based on the short story. ABC Television Network ABC 1956 Episode of Robert Montgomery Presents based on the short story. Neptune Productions NBC 1957 Episode of Playhouse 90 based on the novel. CBS Productions CBS 1957 "Winter Dreams" Episode of Playhouse 90 based on the short story. CBS Productions CBS 1958 Episode of Playhouse 90 based on the novel. CBS Productions CBS 1958 Episode of Kraft Theatre based on the short story. J. Walter Thompson Agency NBC 1959 Episode of Armchair Theatre based on the novel. ABC Weekend Television ITV 1962 "Crazy Sunday" Episode of The Dick Powell Theatre based on the short story. Four Star Productions NBC 1963 Episode of Teletale based on the short story. British Broadcasting Corporation BBC 1958 "Majesty" Episode of The Jazz Age based on the short story. British Broadcasting Corporation BBC 1974 Television film based on the short story. Titus Productions ABC 1976 "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" Television film based on the short story. PBS Television Network PBS 1984 "Under the Biltmore Clock" Episode of American Playhouse based on "Myra Meets His Family". PBS Television Network PBS 1985 Tender Is the Night Television mini-series based on the novel. 20th Century Fox Television BBC 2000 Television film based on the novel. A&E Television Networks A&E 2016 Television mini-series based on the novel. Amazon Studios Prime Video 44%

List of portrayals Year Title Portrayed By Notes Distributor Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic 1959 Beloved Infidel Gregory Peck Based on the memoirs of Sheilah Graham. 20th Century Fox 1974 Last of the Belles Richard Chamberlain A semi-fictional adaptation of Fitzgerald's story. Titus Productions 1976 F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood Jason Miller Television film. Titus Productions 1993 Zelda Timothy Hutton Television movie by TNT TNT 1994 Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle Malcolm Gets Focusing on the Algonquin Round Table Miramax Films 2002 Last Call Jeremy Irons Detailing Fitzgerald's last years in Hollywood. Showtime Networks 2011 Midnight in Paris Tom Hiddleston Supporting role Sony Pictures Classics 93% (224 reviews) 81 2016 Z: The Beginning of Everything David Hoflin Based on the short story of the same name. Amazon Studios 69% (39 reviews) 61 2016 Genius Guy Pearce Based on Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg. Summit Entertainment 52% (111 reviews) 56

See also Adaptations of The Great Gatsby

References Citations

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