He helped shape Hollywood’s Golden Age — then vanished from memory. Myles Connolly, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter and advisor to Frank Capra on It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, once captivated the nation with his novel Mr. Blue — a radiant counterblast to cynicism just as Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker movement was born. So what inspired him? And what does his vision say to us now?
Dr. Stephen Mirarchi is an Associate Professor at Benedictine College with a research specialty in Catholic fiction. He is the editor of Myles Connolly’s works from Cluny Classics and the author of scholarly introductions to several Catholic books, including Mr. Blue and The Great Gatsby, forthcoming from Ignatius Press. He has published extensively in journals, including the St. Austin Review and Christianity and Literature.
William Baker, Program Host, Dr. Baker directs the Bernard L. Schwartz Center for Media, Public Policy & Education at Fordham University. He is a Distinguished Professor of media & entertainment at IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain, and President Emeritus of WNET-Thirteen, New York’s public television station. Baker has received seven Emmy Awards and two Columbia DuPont Journalism Awards, and he was honored in 2016 by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for his contributions to the performing arts. He is the executive producer of theatrical films and PBS documentaries, including “The Face: Jesus in Art” and “Picturing Mary,” and co-author of seven books.
