On set of the 1945 comedy “Over 21”: Peroducer Sidney Buchman (left) with female lead Irene Dunne and director Charles Vidor. (Image: www.filmreference.com.)
On this day in 1975, Duluth native Sidney Buchman died in Cannes, France. Buchman was born in Duluth in 1902, son of Russian immigrants Robert Buchman and Sarah (Zalk) Buchman, who settled in Duluth around 1895. According to David Ouse, Sidney was a popular and successful student at Central High School, graduating in 1919 and chosen as a commencement speaker. After college and some success working in theatre in Europe and New York City, Buchman headed to Hollywood in 1931 to be a writer for Paramount Studios; his best-known screenplay was for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In September of 1951, Buchman was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee where he admitted to having belonged to the Communist Party from 1938 until 1945, but he refused to name names. Blackballed by Hollywood, he moved to Cannes where he lived out his life. Read Buchman’s biography here and his International Movie Database Profile here.
