Each year, there are two Academy Awards given out for screenplays.

One is for the best adapted screenplay, which is a screenplay that interprets another source (a novel, short story, a play, a television show or sometimes even another film). The other is for the best original screenplay, which is a screenplay that is not based upon previously published material. It starts as just a screenplay idea in the writers mind, and is developed from there. Learning to write your own original screenplay takes a good amount of research, practice and repetition. Watching movies and studying successful screenplays and writers are some things that you can do to help yourself learn. The following are some of the best original screenplay ideas of the 1950s that are worth checking out. In 1951, An American in Paris won the Academy Award for the Best Original Screenplay. The film was written by Alan Jay Lerner and featured some of the best-known compositions of the Gershwin brothers, including I Got Rhythm, and Ill Build A Stairway to Paradise. The films climax, a 16 minute dance sequence between stars Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, cost more than $500,000. The story follows Jerry Mulligan, who is a contented American expatriate in Paris attempting to gain a reputation as a painter. A lonely society woman named Milo Roberts takes an interest in Jerry, and supports his art; Jerry is oblivious to Milos feelings and falls in love with Lise Bouvier, who is in a relationship with Henri Baurel, an associate of Jerrys friend Adam. At a masked ball, Milo learns from Adam that Jerry is not interested in her, and Henri overhears Jerry and Lise saying goodbye to each other; even though Lise is in love with Jerry, she has decided to marry Henri out of a feeling of obligation to him for keeping her safe during WWII. The film was shot in Hollywood, without native French speakers, in the fashion of Hollywood films of the time. Great care was put into reproducing Paris surroundings, and many French movies set in Paris avoided location work too, which meant that many art directors worked on both sides of the Atlantic on various films. After the success of the film, a stage version of the musical was adapted by Ken Ludwig. In addition to earning multiple Academy Awards, the film earned the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in the Musical or Comedy category, and in 1993, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry ad being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. It was also recognized in several of the American Film Institutes lists, including earning the number 9 spot on the list of AFIs Greatest Movie Musicals. Another original screenplay to win an Academy Award in the 1950s was On the Waterfront, written by Budd Schulberg and directed by Elia Kazan. The film features Marlon Brando in the starring role of Terry Malloy, a dockworker whose brother is Union Boss Johnny Friendlys right hand man. Several years earlier, Terry had been a promising boxer until he had been instructed to throw a match, meaning that he would never move forward in that career. This film is also the source of the now famous line, performed by Brando, You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody instead of a bum, which is what I am." The line is delivered as Terry has decided to testify against Friendly; Terry says it to his brother, who first tries to bribe him and then threatens him in the attempt to keep him from testifying. Terrys brother relents and is killed; Terry goes on the stand against Friendly. Friendly announces that Terry will not find employment anywhere on the waterfront; Terry shows up for recruitment nonetheless, and when he is the only man not hired, Terry openly confronts Friendly, which leads to a brawl. Terry is beaten almost to death, and the dockworkers declare their support for Terry and refuse to work unless Terry is working as well. The film deviates somewhat from the original screenplay written by Budd Schulberg, who later published a novel that was much closer to the first screenplay; among several differences, Terry Malloy is murdered. The film won several Academy Awards in addition to the category of Original Screenplay. It has also been recognized by the American Film Institute in several of its lists, including Brandos character Terry Malloy as number 23 in the list of 100 greatest heroes of the last 100 years. The films famous quote was also recognized as the third greatest in the list of 100 movies. In 1989, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Do you have a screenplay idea that you think would make a great movie or TV show? If you would

like to take action and pursue your screenplay idea, New Show Studios can help. New Show Studios is a company thats designed specifically for everyday people with ideas for screens big and small. It has all the resources under one roof to develop your screenplay idea into a concept package and present it to an entertainment company through its exclusive licensing agent, SFM Entertainment. SFM Entertainment has over 40 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Remember that even with the best presentation materials new entertainment development is high risk and there is very little likelihood that your idea will be successfully licensed or result in profit to you.