Tonight's program devoted to writer Niven Busch begins with a screening of Pursued (written by Busch and directed by Raoul Walsh), after which Mr. Busch will share with our audience a part of his vast story-house of Hollywood reminiscences, described by Albert Johnson, on the occasion of Mr. Busch's appearance at the 1980 San Francisco Film Festival, in the following tribute:
“It is a popular myth that Hollywood devours writers.... Somehow, screenwriter Niven Busch appears to have survived the ravages of the lions' dens called ‘the studio system.' He is a famous novelist (‘Continent's Edge') and, for some time now, a literary pundit of San Francisco. The fact that he is in our midst, and still chock-full of reminiscences about Hollywood and its artificial asteroids, makes his appearance today a wondrous event. Among the outstanding films written by Niven Busch are In Old Chicago, Duel in the Sun, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Westerner, Pursued, Till the End of Time, etc. He has known all of the great actors and directors of the past 40 years, and perhaps he can demystify the writer's art, as it was then, caught up in the mortal coils of such titans as Zanuck, Selznick, Goldwyn, Hughes, and their successors. The American cinema of the 1930s, when the young James Cagney and Joan Blondell exemplified the typical urban species, fast-talking, gum-chewing, and Depression-wise is the realm of humorous episodes, and the working-methods of Busch with such directors as Wellman, Hawks, King Vidor, and Wyler should afford a fascinating experience for all who love the art and (sometimes) the artifice of cinema....”
Film clips will be shown from Duel in the Sun, The Westerner, In Old Chicago, and Angels Wash Their Faces (sequel to Angels with Dirty Faces, featuring Ronald Reagan).

Pursued
Set in the New Mexico territory at the turn of the century, Pursued stars Robert Mitchum as a gunman who, haunted by a repressed childhood trauma, finds his surroundings bewildering and oppressive. Pursued was shown at the 1980 Edinburgh Film Festival, where it was noted:
“Historically classified as the first ‘psychological' western, Pursued, inspired by Stevenson's ‘Master of Ballantrae' and written by Niven Busch, is really a horror story of the great outdoors, an extraordinary tale of family rivalry, atavism, and grotesque vengeance, with excellent performances from Mitchum and Teresa Wright, as well as Judith Anderson as the ambiguous matriarchal figure. Busch's thriller framework, complete with mysterious flashbacks, is excellently complemented by the menacing angles and shadows of Wong Howe's photography.”