Ernest Howard Culbertson

Born in New York in 1886, Ernest Howard Culbertson was an American journalist, newsreel editor, playwright, and screenwriter who also published as E. H. Culbertson and Howard Culbertson. He was educated in Washington, D.C., and began his career with William Randolph Hearst's Washington Times as a feature writer before moving into the fast-changing world of film journalism.

Culbertson became an early figure in newsreel reporting, working with Fox Movietone News and helping shape the way current events were presented on screen. Alongside that work, he wrote for the theater and film, building a career that crossed print, stage, and cinema rather than staying in a single lane.

For readers today, he is most often associated with Goat Alley: A Tragedy of Negro Life, a drama set in a Washington slum and centered on the pressures of poverty, dignity, and survival. He died in New York City in 1972, leaving behind a body of work that reflects both journalistic urgency and a strong interest in social themes.