Ernest Granville Booth (August 12, 1898–June 14, 1959) was an American criminal and screenwriter who got his start in writing while an inmate of San Quentin Prison. Considered to be one of the "star writers ... of the California penal system", while incarcerated Booth became a protégé of H. L. Mencken, and was responsible for the story or screenplay of several early crime drama movies, including the silent Ladies of the Mob, starring Clara Bow.