Cloudburst was written by Leo Marks, a fascinating character, who was himself a codebreaker during WWII. I last saw it years ago, but it’s stayed with me. Well worth a viewing.
I can think of only one other example of an author playing his own character — Mickey Spillane, as Mike Hammer, in ‘The Girl Hunters.’ Are there any others?
Many stars of the ‘30s and ‘40s seem very much of their time. I can’t picture Jimmy Cagney, William Powell, or Pat O’Brien becoming stars today. But John Garfield is the exception. If you brought him back to life, I think Hollywood would welcome him back with open arms.