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Irving Brecher is a Director and Scriptwriter American born on 17 january 1914 at New York City (USA)
Irving Brecher (January 17, 1914 – November 17, 2008) was a screenwriter who wrote for the Marx Brothers; he was the only writer to get sole credit on a Marx Brothers film including At the Circus in 1939 and Go West in 1940. He was also one of the numerous uncredited writers on the screenplay of 1939's The Wizard of Oz. Some of his other screenplays were Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), Ziegfeld Follies (1946) and Bye Bye Birdie (1963).
He created, produced, and was head writer for the original radio and early TV edition of The Life of Riley. He later created and co-produced The People's Choice as well.
Adapting Nathaniel Benchley's novel, he wrote the screenplay for, and directed Sail A Crooked Ship starring Ernie Kovacs and a young Robert Wagner.
He received an Academy Award nomination in 1944 for his screenplay of Meet Me in St Louis.
As an aspiring young comedy writer, Brecher famously placed an ad in Variety looking for work, promising he could write "jokes so bad, even Milton Berle wouldn't steal them." He was promptly hired by Berle himself.
Brecher sometimes filled in for Groucho in Marx Brothers publicity photos, despite the almost 25-year age difference.
His memoirs, The Wicked Wit of the West: The last great Golden-Age screenwriter shares the hilarity and heartaches of working with Groucho, Garland, Gleason, Burns, Berle, Benny & many more, was published posthumously in January 2009 by Ben Yehuda Press.
(1939)
(Scriptwriter)
Source : Wikidata
Irving Brecher
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Nationality USA
Birth 17 january 1914 at New York City (USA)
Death 17 november 2008 (at 94 years) at Los Angeles (USA)
Birth 17 january 1914 at New York City (USA)
Death 17 november 2008 (at 94 years) at Los Angeles (USA)
He created, produced, and was head writer for the original radio and early TV edition of The Life of Riley. He later created and co-produced The People's Choice as well.
Adapting Nathaniel Benchley's novel, he wrote the screenplay for, and directed Sail A Crooked Ship starring Ernie Kovacs and a young Robert Wagner.
He received an Academy Award nomination in 1944 for his screenplay of Meet Me in St Louis.
As an aspiring young comedy writer, Brecher famously placed an ad in Variety looking for work, promising he could write "jokes so bad, even Milton Berle wouldn't steal them." He was promptly hired by Berle himself.
Brecher sometimes filled in for Groucho in Marx Brothers publicity photos, despite the almost 25-year age difference.
His memoirs, The Wicked Wit of the West: The last great Golden-Age screenwriter shares the hilarity and heartaches of working with Groucho, Garland, Gleason, Burns, Berle, Benny & many more, was published posthumously in January 2009 by Ben Yehuda Press.
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(1939)(Scriptwriter)
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Filmography of Irving Brecher (18 films)
Director
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Sail A Crooked Ship (1961)
, 1h28Directed by Irving Brecher
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Heist films
Actors Robert Wagner, Dolores Hart, Carolyn Jones, Frankie Avalon, Ernie Kovacs, Frank Gorshin
Rating60%
When Gilbert Barrows (Robert Wagner) disobeys his boss and tries to refit an old Liberty Ship for cargo use instead of scrapping it, he inadvertently puts it into the hands of a colorful group of crooks led by good-hearted screw-up Bugsy G. Fogelmeyer (Ernie Kovacs) and brainy sociopath George M. Wilson (Frank Gorshin). The crooks plan to use the ship to make their getaway after they pull a bank robbery in Boston, and they kidnap Barrows and his girlfriend Elinor Harrison (Dolores Hart) – his boss's daughter – to prevent leaving any witnesses behind. With the help of Bugsy's nephew Rodney J. Fogelmeyer (Frankie Avalon), Gilbert and Elinor manage to foil the crooks' plans by using Elinor's bra as a slingshot and attracting the Coast Guard.
Somebody Loves Me (1952)
Directed by Irving Brecher
Origin USA
Genres Musical, Romance
Themes Musical films
Actors Betty Hutton, Ralph Meeker, Robert Keith, Adele Jergens, Billie Bird, Jack Benny
Rating61%
Scriptwriter
Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
, 1h52Directed by George Sidney
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Films based on plays, Films based on musicals, Children's films
Actors Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Maureen Stapleton, Jesse Pearson, Paul Lynde
Rating65%
Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson), a popular rock and roll star, receives an Army draft notice, devastating his teenage fans across the nation. Albert Peterson (Dick Van Dyke) is an unsuccessful songwriter, the family business, although he has a doctorate in biochemistry. He schemes with his secretary and long-suffering girlfriend Rosie DeLeon (Janet Leigh) to have Birdie sing a song Albert will write, but Birdie's conscription puts a halt to the plan. Rosie, however, convinces Ed Sullivan to have Birdie sing a song Albert will write called "One Last Kiss" on The Ed Sullivan Show, and then kiss a randomly chosen high school girl goodbye before going off to the Army. Once that is a success, Albert will feel free to marry Rosie, despite his widowed, meddlesome mother Mae's (Maureen Stapleton) long history of ensuring nothing will come between her and her beloved son.
Cry for Happy (1961)
, 1h50Directed by George Marshall
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romance
Themes Political films
Actors Glenn Ford, Donald O'Connor, James Shigeta, Miiko Taka, Miyoshi Umeki, Howard St. John
Rating58%
During the Korean War, Andy Cyphers (Glenn Ford), a Navy photographer and his three-man team occupy a Tokyo geisha house, though it is off-limits and four girls are living there.
Somebody Loves Me (1952)
Directed by Irving Brecher
Origin USA
Genres Musical, Romance
Themes Musical films
Actors Betty Hutton, Ralph Meeker, Robert Keith, Adele Jergens, Billie Bird, Jack Benny
Roles Writer
Rating61%
Summer Holiday (1948)
, 1h33Directed by Rouben Mamoulian
Origin USA
Genres Musical theatre, Musical
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Films based on plays
Actors Mickey Rooney, Walter Huston, Gloria DeHaven, Frank Morgan, Agnes Moorehead, Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins
Rating58%
Au début du XX siècle, dans une petite ville du Connecticut. Le jeune Richard Miller, qui vit dans un quartier de la classe moyenne avec sa famille, est amoureux de Muriel, sa voisine. Mais le père de cette dernière ne voit pas d'un très bon œil cet amour de jeunesse. En effet, il trouve que le jeune garçon, avec ses idées révolutionnaires, a une très mauvais influence sur sa fille...
Ziegfeld Follies (1946)
, 1h50Directed by Vincente Minnelli, Norman Taurog, Roy Del Ruth, Robert Lewis, Merrill Pye, George Sidney, Charles Walters
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Musical
Themes Dance films, Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Lucille Bremer, Fanny Brice, Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson
Rating63%
Florenz Ziegfeld (William Powell), au paradis, veut faire revivre ses grands spectacles de music-hall. S'ensuit, sortie de son esprit, une série de sketches musicaux ou humoristiques mettant en scène diverses vedettes.
Yolanda and the Thief (1945)
, 1h48Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer, Frank Morgan, Mildred Natwick, Mary Nash, Leon Ames
Rating59%
Yolanda Aquaviva, unique héritière d'une grosse fortune, quitte le pensionnat de religieuses où elle a été éduquée et retrouve la maison familiale, tenue par sa tante et tutrice, Amarilla Aquaviva. Un soir, dans son jardin, la jeune femme prie son "ange gardien" de la guider vers l'avenir. Le lendemain, l'ange se présente à elle sous le nom de M. Brown. En réalité, il s'agit d'un escroc et coureur de dot, Johnny Parkson Riggs, qui espère profiter de la fortune Aquaviva, avec l'aide de son complice, Victor Budlow Trout. Mais l'amour s'en mêle…
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
, 1h53Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about families, Films about music and musicians, Christmas films, Musical films
Actors Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake, Marjorie Main
Rating74%
The backdrop for Meet Me in St. Louis is St. Louis, Missouri in the year leading up to the 1904 World's Fair.
The Heavenly Body (1944)
, 1h35Directed by Vincente Minnelli, Arthur Hornblow Jr., Alexander Hall, Harry Kurnitz
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors William Powell, Hedy Lamarr, James Craig, Fay Bainter, Henry O'Neill, Spring Byington
Rating60%
A neglected wife turns to an astrologer, who tells her she will meet and fall in love with a handsome stranger, much to the dismay of her astronomer husband.
Best Foot Forward (1943)
, 1h34Directed by Edward Buzzell
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Musical films
Actors Lucille Ball, William Gaxton, Virginia Weidler, Nancy Walker, June Allyson, Chill Wills
Rating63%
The story centers around Lucille Ball who plays herself against the backdrop of a military academy full of frisky boys. Ball is the reluctant guest of a diminutive cadet, Bud Hooper (Tommy Dix), who wrote her a "mash note" and invitation to be his date at a school prom.
Du Barry was a Lady (1943)
, 1h41Directed by Roy Del Ruth
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Théâtre, Musical films, Films based on plays, Films based on musicals
Actors Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly, Virginia O'Brien, Zero Mostel, Rags Ragland
Rating60%
May Daly, une danseuse, est aimée par deux hommes : Louis Blore et Alec Howe. Par rivalité, Louis verse une drogue dans le verre d'Alec, mais par erreur il boit lui-même le verre. Louis rêve alors qu'il est Louis XV et retrouve May en Madame du Barry.
Ship Ahoy (1942)
, 1h35Directed by Edward Buzzell
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Eleanor Powell, Red Skelton, Bert Lahr, Virginia O'Brien, Tommy Dorsey, Baldwin Cooke
Rating63%
Tallulah Winters is a dancing star who is hired to perform on an ocean liner. Before she leaves, she is recruited by what she believes is a branch of the American government and asked to smuggle a prototype explosive mine out of the country. In fact, she is unknowingly working for Nazi agents who have stolen the mine. Meanwhile, Merton Kibble (Red Skelton), a writer of pulp fiction adventure stories but suffering from severe writer's block, is on the same ship and soon he finds himself embroiled in Tallulah's real-life adventure. Also appearing in the film were Bert Lahr, Tommy Dorsey, Buddy Rich, and Virginia O'Brien.
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
, 1h37Directed by W. S. Van Dyke
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Comedy thriller, Crime, Romance
Actors William Powell, Myrna Loy, Barry Nelson, Donna Reed, Sam Levene, Henry O'Neill
Rating71%
Nick and Nora Charles are looking forward to a relaxing day at a racetrack, but when a jockey accused of throwing a race is found shot to death, Police Lieutenant Abrams requests Nick's help. The trail leads to a gambling syndicate that operates out of a wrestling arena, a murdered reporter, and a pretty secretary whose boyfriend has been framed. Along the way, Nick and Nora must contend with a wild wrestling match, a dizzying day at a merry-go-round (accompanied by Nick, Jr.), and a table-clearing restaurant brawl.
Go West (1940)
, 1h20Directed by Edward Buzzell
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Western
Themes Films about music and musicians, Transport films, Rail transport films, Musical films, L'Or
Actors Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, John Carroll, Diana Lewis, Robert Barrat
Roles Ecrivain
Rating67%
Confidence man S. Quentin Quale (Groucho) heads west to find his fortune. In the train station, he encounters crafty brothers Joseph (Chico) and Rusty Panello (Harpo) who manage to swindle his money. The Panello's are friends with an old miner named Dan Wilson (Tully Marshall) whose property, Dead Man's Gulch, has no gold. They loan him their last ten dollars for a grub stake and he gives them the deed to the Gulch as collateral. Unbeknownst to Wilson, the son of his longtime rival and beau to his granddaughter Eve Wilson (Diana Lewis), Terry Turner (John Carroll) has contacted the railway to arrange for them to build through the land, making the deed holder rich.