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Maxwell Anderson

Maxwell Anderson

Writer · Died February 28, 1959, aged 70 · Atlantic, Pennsylvania, U.S.

James Maxwell Anderson (15 December 1888 – 28 February 1959) was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist and lyricist. Anderson faced many challenges in his career, frequently losing jobs for expressing his opinions or supporting controversial figures. Despite this, he found success as a dramatist and wrote a number of hit plays, including What Price Glory, Both Your Houses, and The Bad Seed. Many of his works were adapted for the screen, and he wrote screenplays for other authors' works as well. Anderson was married three times and had a tumultuous personal life, dying in 1959 after suffering a stroke. His papers and personal effects can be found in various institutions, with the largest collection housed at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Description above from the Wikipedia article Maxwell Anderson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 15, 1888
Died
February 28, 1959 (aged 70)
From
Atlantic, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Works as
Writer
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 49 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 39 days to Oct 28Down 12% in 30 days

What are Maxwell Anderson's films like?

Across their 24 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Comedy 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
30%
Bonds
26%
Self
15%
Power
13%
Survival
10%
Society
5%
Ideas
1%
Romantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themePower4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 24 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 17

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 3

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 11 · Intense 12

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

Steady 8 · Shifting 15 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 20 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 8 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 4

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 5 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 14

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

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
18
Melancholic
15
Dread
8
Romantic
5
Contemplative
3
Other
17

How their films linger

Bittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet12
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

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 Maxwell Anderson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Maxwell Anderson'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

49 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The Boots on the Western Front (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Adaptation

  • The Bad Seed Returns(2022)

    Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Bad Seed(2018)

    Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Royal Games (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Author

  • Meet Joe Black(1998)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Yalınayak Sokrates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Scenario Writer

  • I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Kurt Weill in America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Actor

  • The Bad Seed(1985)

    Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Gentlemen from Congress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Theatre Play

  • Valley Forge(1975)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Lost in the Stars(1974)

    Lyricist · Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Anne of the Thousand Days(1969)

    Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Elizabeth the Queen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Theatre Play

  • Barefoot in Athens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Writer

  • The Star Wagon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Writer

  • NET Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • The Bad Seed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Story

  • Midnight Lace(1960)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Winterset (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Writer

  • Never Steal Anything Small(1959)

    Lyricist · Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Vertigo(1958)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Star Wagon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Writer

  • The Wrong Man(1956)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Bad Seed(1956)

    Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • High Tor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Lyricist · Theatre Play · Writer

  • A Christmas Carol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Lyricist · Teleplay

  • What Price Glory(1952)

    Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Joan of Arc(1948)

    Screenplay · Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Key Largo(1948)

    Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • In the Shadow of the Bridge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Story

  • The Eve of St. Mark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Writer

  • Knickerbocker Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Lyricist · Theatre Play · Writer

  • Saturday's Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Theatre Play

  • The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex(1939)

    Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Winterset(1936)

    Author

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Mary of Scotland(1936)

    Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • So Red the Rose(1935)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Maybe It's Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Theatre Play

  • The Lives of a Bengal Lancer(1935)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • We Live Again(1934)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Death Takes a Holiday(1934)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Washington Merry-Go-Round (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Story

  • Rain(1932)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Women of All Nations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Characters

  • One Romantic Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Adaptation

  • All Quiet on the Western Front(1930)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Cock-Eyed World(1929)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Saturday's Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Theatre Play

  • What Price Glory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Theatre Play

Career shape

A full career of 47 titles from 1926 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Meet Joe Black (1998)

$143M worldwide

Highest rated

Vertigo (1958)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 47: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleWriting45 of 47: 45 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thOther crew1 of 47: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1920s3 · crew1930s12 · crew1940s6 · crew1950s8 · crew1960s7 · crew1970s2 · crew1980s2 · crew1990s3 · 1 acting · 2 crew2000s1 · crew2010s1 · crew2020s2 · 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 Maxwell Anderson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 25; across their 24 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Approval · how many liked their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 25 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · writer

Valley Forge (1975)

68th percentile spread · 18% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Vertigo (1958)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 52/100 and the plot and story 51/100 in their films, across 24 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 Maxwell Anderson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity and profanity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles25–73 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles3–32 · median 12 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles3–39 · median 6 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles23–47 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles37–68 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Maxwell Anderson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Maxwell Anderson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; William March shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles