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Dwight Taylor

Writer · Died December 31, 1986, aged 83 · New York City, New York, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dwight Oliver Taylor (January 1, 1903, New York City, New York – December 31, 1986, Woodland Hills, California) was an American author, playwright, and film/television screenwriter. Dwight Taylor was the son of actress Laurette Taylor and her husband, Charles A. Taylor. Dwight Taylor attended Lawrenceville School in Lawrence Township, New Jersey where he began drawing and painting and wrote a book of poetry. After refusing an opportunity to work as a cub reporter for The New York World, he began his career as a journalist for The New Yorker magazine, serving as one of the first editors for their "Talk of the Town". He began screenwriting for Hollywood films in 1930 and for television in 1953. His first produced play was Don't Tell George (1928). Other plays included such as Lipstick and Gay Divorce. Taylor's first screenplay was Jailbreak. First National Pictures bought the project in 1929 while it was still in manuscript form and had Alfred A. Cohn and Henry McCarty adapt it to become the 1930 film Numbered Men starring Conrad Nagel and Bernice Claire. Gay Divorce was adapted into a Broadway musical by Cole Porter. In 1934, RKO Studios, which renamed it The Gay Divorcee to appease the censors, filmed it with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. He was a founding member, and had served one term as president, of the Writers Guild of America, West.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 1, 1903
Died
December 31, 1986 (aged 83)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
17 on Motif · 29 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 30% in 30 days

What are Dwight Taylor's films like?

Across their 16 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy8 titlesTypical Motif score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Motif score: 56th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Motif score: 91st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif 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
Bonds
41%
Morality
34%
Self
18%
Survival
5%
Power
2%
Romantic love10 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 10 · Serious 2 · Dark 4

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

Grounded 7 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 2

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 8 · Charged 6 · Intense 2

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1

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 6 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 7

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

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 6 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 16 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Joyful
7
Romantic
8
Melancholic
5
Warm
5
Other
7

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic1
  • 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 Dwight Taylor's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 17 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (2).

Subscription and free streaming for Dwight Taylor's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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

29 credits, 17 with a Motif page.

  • The Cape Town Affair (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1967)

    Story

  • Batman(1966)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Motif score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • Interlude (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)

    Screenplay

  • Boy on a Dolphin(1957)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Special Delivery (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    Writer

  • Vicki (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1953)

    Writer

  • Pickup on South Street(1953)

    Story

    Motif score: 95th percentile of all films

  • We're Not Married!(1952)

    Adaptation

    Motif score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Something to Live For(1952)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Foxes of Harrow(1947)

    Writer

    Motif score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Conflict(1945)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Thin Man Goes Home(1944)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Nightmare (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    Producer · Screenplay

  • I Wake Up Screaming(1941)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Kiss the Boys Goodbye(1941)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 59th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Rhythm on the River(1940)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Amazing Mr. Williams(1939)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 66th percentile of all films

  • When Tomorrow Comes (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1939)

    Screenplay

  • Gangway (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1937)

    Story

  • Follow the Fleet(1936)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Top Hat(1935)

    Screenplay · Story

    Motif score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Paris in Spring (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)

    Theatre Play

  • The Gay Divorcee(1934)

    Book

    Motif score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Long Lost Father (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1934)

    Screenplay

  • If I Were Free (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)

    Screenplay

  • Today We Live(1933)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Are You Listening? (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)

    Novel · Writer

  • Secrets of a Secretary(1931)

    Writer

    Motif score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Numbered Men (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)

    Theatre Play · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 28 titles from 1930 to 1967.

Biggest box office

Top Hat (1935)

$15K worldwide

Highest rated

Top Hat (1935)

Motif 95th

Most popular right now

Pickup on South Street (1953)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing28 of 28: 27 only writing, 1 with another role · typical Motif score72ndProducing1 of 28: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1930s13 · crew1940s6 · crew1950s7 · crew1960s2 · 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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Dwight Taylor's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Motif score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

Today We Live (1933)

54th percentile spread · 22% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Top Hat (1935)

Motif 95th · 83% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 61/100 and the plot and story 46/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 Dwight Taylor work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dwight Taylor's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ginger Rogers shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers