Truth teller

Another Hollywood luminary died this week, and the passing of Oscar- and triple Emmy-winner Abby Mann should be cause for some industry self-examination.

Mann won his Oscar for writing the screenplay of 1961's "Judgment at Nuremberg," which starred Richard Widmark, who passed away several days ago. Mann was known for championing the underdog and speaking out against injustices in his work, everything from a wrongly accused murderer in Manhattan to the McMartin Preschool trial, which he likened to "a Salem witch hunt." He was a forerunner in creating serious dramas for TV and helped launch the made-for-TV movie genre.

He was a writer with a social conscience and an unwavering dedication to calling them like he saw them (when backed up by his exhaustive research).

Here's an example of his resolve, via today's New York Times:

Mr. Mann’s reputation for integrity extended beyond the moral view in his scripts. When Paramount wanted to cast his screenplay “A Child Is Waiting,” about retarded children, with actors who had no disability, Mr. Mann objected. He emptied his bank account and bought back the script. United Artists put out the movie in 1963.

Sadly, we might never see his type again.