Corwin joined the USC faculty in 1979 and remained a writer-in-residence at the time of his death. During a career that spanned more than 70 years, Corwin wrote, produced and directed for radio, television, film and stage.

His radio works include "On a Note of Triumph," written in 1945 to mark the allied victory over Nazi Germany. Corwin also received an Academy Award nomination for his script for the 1956 film "Lust for Life," the biography of artist Vincent van Gogh starring Kirk Douglas.