Stanley Shapiro (July 16, 1925 – July 21, 1990) was an American screenwriter and producer responsible for three of Doris Day's most successful films. Born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, Shapiro earned his first screen credit for ''South Sea Woman'' in 1953. His work for Day earned him Oscar nominations for '' Lover Come Back'' and ''

That Touch of Mink ''That Touch of Mink'' is a 1962 American romantic comedy film directed by Delbert Mann and starring Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gig Young, and Audrey Meadows. Plot Cathy Timberlake, an unemployed New York City career woman, goes to the unemploymen ...

'' and a win for ''

Pillow Talk Pillow talk is the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners, sometimes after sexual activity, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, kissing, and other physical intimacy. It is associated with honesty, se ...

'', and ''Mink'' won him the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy, which he shared with his partner

Nate Monaster Nathan Monaster (September 22, 1911 - May 12, 1990) was an American scriptwriter. He wrote for radio, television, film and stage, and was president of Writers Guild of America from 1963 to 1965. The 1962 comedy ''That Touch of Mink'', which he c ...

Life and career

Shapiro was born and raised in Brooklyn. He was

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. He dropped out of Brooklyn College and began selling jokes to comedians. He eventually wrote for

Fred Allen John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist, topically pointed radio program ''The Fred Allen Show'' (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and for ...

on radio and then for George Burns and Gracie Allen. He followed Burns and Allen to Hollywood and worked on their television show. He produced the first season of Ray Bolger's

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

sitcom, ''

Where's Raymond? ''Where's Raymond?'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC, starring Ray Bolger. The series aired from October 1953 to April 22, 1955. The series' title was spurred by Bolger's Broadway stage hit '' Where's Charley?''. In the 1954–1955 seas ...

'', and was replaced in the second season by

Paul Henning Paul William Henning (September 16, 1911 – March 25, 2005) was an American TV producer and screenwriter. Most famous for creating the television sitcom ''The Beverly Hillbillies'', he was also crucial in developing the "rural" comedies ''Pett ...

, as the series was renamed '' The Ray Bolger Show''. Additional writing credits include ''

Operation Petticoat ''Operation Petticoat'' is a 1959 American World War II submarine comedy film in Eastmancolor from Universal-International, produced by Robert Arthur, directed by Blake Edwards, that stars Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. The film tells in fla ...

'', ''

Come September ''Come September'' is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin. Plot Wealthy American businessman Robert Talbot owns a villa on the Ligurian coast, ...

'', ''

Bedtime Story A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockm ...

'', ''

Me, Natalie ''Me, Natalie'' is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Fred Coe about a homely young woman from Brooklyn who moves to Greenwich Village and finds romance with an aspiring painter. The screenplay by A. Martin Zweiback is based on an orig ...

'', '' For Pete's Sake'', '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'', and ''

Carbon Copy Before the development of photographic copiers, a carbon copy was the under-copy of a typed or written document placed over carbon paper and the under-copy sheet itself (not to be confused with the carbon print family of photographic reproduc ...

''. "Although I find social institutions, manners, customs and prejudices a bit ridiculous, I do not regard them as a satirist", he told an interviewer in 1962. "I am a humorist. Will Rogers was a satirist, Laurel and Hardy were humorists. Believe me, humor is much harder to write. It was a lot easier for Will Rogers to get a laugh by doing a pun about the Government than it was for Laurel and Hardy to figure out a routine on how to move a piano manually from the basement to the fifth floor." Shapiro's last project was the television movie ''Running Against Time'', based on his novel ''A Time to Remember''. Broadcast four months after his death from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

in Los Angeles, it was dedicated to his memory. Shapiro died on July 21, 1990, five days after his 65th birthday.

Select credits

*''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

'' (1950) (TV series) – pilot – writer *''

South Sea Woman ''South Sea Woman'' is a 1953 American black-and-white action-comedy-drama film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo and Chuck Connors. It is credited as being based on the play ''General Court Martial'' by William ...

'' (1953) – writer *''

'' (1954–55) (TV series) – writer, producer *''

Hey, Jeannie! ''Hey, Jeannie!'', retitled ''The Jeannie Carson Show'' during its second season and also during later prime-time reruns, is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS during the 1956-1957 television season and in first-run syndication during ...

'' (1956–57) (TV series) – writer *'' Strictly for Pleasure'' (1958) – writer *''

The Real McCoys ''The Real McCoys'' is an American situation comedy starring Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan. Co-produced by Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's Westgate Company, ...

'' (1958) (TV series) – writer *''

'' (1959) – writer *''

'' (1959) – writer *'' McGarry and His Mouse'' (1960) (TV movie) – writer, producer *''

The Tab Hunter Show ''The Tab Hunter Show'' is an American situation comedy starring Tab Hunter which centers around a young comic-strip artist and his romantic adventures. Original episodes aired on NBC from September 18, 1960, until April 30, 1961.McNeil, Alex, ''T ...

'' (1960–61) – creator, producer *''

'' (1961) – writer *'' Lover Come Back'' (1961) – writer, producer *''

'' (1962) – writer, producer *'' The Comedy Spot (TV series)'' (1962) (TV series) – episode "For the Love of Mike" *''

'' (1964) – writer, producer *''

A Very Special Favor ''A Very Special Favor'' is a 1965 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Gordon and starring Rock Hudson and Leslie Caron. Plot Paul Chadwick (Hudson) is a wealthy American oilman who is in a Parisian court, where he is up against the oppo ...

'' (1965) – writer, producer *''

How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life ''How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life'' is a 1968 American comedy romance film directed by Fielder Cook. It stars Dean Martin, Stella Stevens and husband and wife Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson. Plot David Sloane is a confirmed bachelor whos ...

'' (1968) – writer, producer *''

'' (1969) – writer, producer *'' For Pete's Sake'' (1974) – writer, producer *'' The Best of Times'' (1974) (TV movie) *''

The Seniors ''The Seniors'' (sometimes ''The Senior'' or simply ''Seniors'') is a 1978 American comedy film about four college seniors who open a bogus sex clinic, which unexpectedly mushrooms into a multimillion-dollar business. Directed by Rod Amateau, t ...

'' (1978) – writer, producer *''

'' (1981) – writer, producer *'' The Ferret'' (1984) (TV movie) *'' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' (1988) *'' Running Against Time'' (1990) (TV movie) (book "A Time to Remember") / (teleplay)

Other writings

*"The Engagement Baby" (1973) – play *"Simon's Soul" (1977) – novel *" A Time to Remember" (1986) – novel

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, Stanley American male screenwriters Film producers from New York (state) Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Writers Guild of America Award winners Writers from New York City 1925 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from New York (state) Brooklyn College alumni 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters