Complex sentence: The script, adapted from Richard Jessup's novel, was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Terry Southern; it was Lardner's first major studio work since his 1947 blacklisting as one of The Hollywood Ten.
Split into simpler sentences: The script, adapted from Richard Jessup's novel, was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Terry Southern. It was Lardner's first major studio work since his 1947 blacklisting as one of The Hollywood Ten.