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Ben Markson

Writer · Died October 20, 1971, aged 74 · Creston, Iowa, USA

Born
August 6, 1897
Died
October 20, 1971 (aged 74)
From
Creston, Iowa, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 40 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 28% in 30 days

What are Ben Markson's films like?

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

Genres

Comedy9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile
: browse their Action 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
46%
Bonds
18%
Self
17%
Society
8%
Power
6%
Ideas
3%
Survival
2%
Justice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 14 · Serious 4 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 8 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 7 · Charged 10 · Intense 2

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2

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 3 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 9

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 6

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

Casual 10 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Joyful
9
Thrilling
6
Warm
4
Romantic
4
Other
15

How their films linger

Feel-good13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy14
  • Bittersweet4
  • Ambiguous1

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 Ben Markson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ben Markson'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

40 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.

  • Edge of Eternity(1959)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Mr. District Attorney(1947)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • It Happened on Fifth Avenue(1947)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • A Close Call for Boston Blackie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Screenplay

  • Prison Ship (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Screenplay

  • The Beautiful Cheat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Writer

  • The Falcon in San Francisco(1945)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Screenplay

  • Thieves Fall Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Screenplay

  • The Great Mr. Nobody(1941)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • I Was a Convict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Screenplay

  • Pride of the Navy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Screenplay

  • Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm(1938)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Danger - Love at Work(1937)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Sing and Be Happy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Writer

  • Ready, Willing and Able(1937)

    Treatment · Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Woman-Wise(1937)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Nobody's Fool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Writer

  • Brides Are Like That (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Screenplay

  • The Case of the Lucky Legs(1935)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Bright Lights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Adaptation

  • Going Highbrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Dialogue

  • The White Cockatoo(1935)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Babbitt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Additional Dialogue

  • Big Hearted Herbert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Screenplay

  • The Case of the Howling Dog(1934)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Here Comes the Navy(1934)

    Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Upperworld (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Screenplay

  • Lady Killer(1933)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Goodbye Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Screenplay

  • The Silk Express(1933)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Gold Diggers of 1933(1933)

    Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Picture Snatcher(1933)

    Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Girl Missing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Dialogue

  • Lucky Devils(1933)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Half-Naked Truth(1932)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Rackety Rax (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Screenplay

  • What Price Hollywood? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Screenplay

  • Is My Face Red?(1932)

    Screenplay · Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The River Pirate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 38 titles from 1928 to 1959.

Highest rated

It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)

Midcredits 93rd

Most popular right now

Picture Snatcher (1933)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing36 of 38: 36 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score59thOther crew2 of 38: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1920s1 · crew1930s28 · crew1940s8 · crew1950s1 · 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 Ben Markson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 20; 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

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th7

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · writer

Woman-Wise (1937)

95th percentile spread · 36% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

Midcredits 95th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 60/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 18 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.

Who does Ben Markson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ben Markson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Allen Jenkins shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles