When it comes to dividing the credit for collaborative work, nothing is ever straightforward, so it’s no surprise that battles over acknowledgment have so many conflicts. Unfortunately, this was the case for “The Magnificent Seven” which only credited William Roberts for the script even though screenwriter Walter Newman wrote the bulk of it.

Walter Newman wrote most of the screenplay for “The Magnificent Seven” which was adapted from Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai,” but when Newman participated in a guild strike, William Roberts was tasked with doing minor rewrites. When Roberts fought for screen credit, Newman got mad and requested to be removed from the credits.

Unfortunately, Newman’s bad luck continued. He didn’t receive credit for his work on “The Great Escape,” and his script “Harrow Alley” never got made. On the other hand, Roberts got his comeuppance when he wasn’t credited for his work on “Ride the High Country.” However, today both screenwriters have been given their proper credit and the record has been set straight.