James Dalton Trumbo Statue in Grand Junction, Colorado

James Dalton Trumbo was a controversial writer who penned quite a few Hollywood films in his era, including Roman Holiday (1953) and Spartacus [960]. He was one of ten left leaning directors and screenwriters that refused to testify before the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities Committees and as a result, was blacklisted. 

A Colorado native, Trumbo moved to Grand Junction in 1908 from his birthplace in Montrose. He graduated from Gran Junction High School, served as a reporter for the local paper, and attended CU Boulder.

He was a novelist, playwright and  screenwriter and won two Academy Awards. He was also famous for writing for hours at a time in his bathtub, a scene this statue commemorates.

The statue was the first in a series of installations commemorating the city’s famous residents.