Benjamin Glazer (May 7, 1887 – March 18, 1956) was a
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
,
producer,
foley artist
In filmmaking, Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to films, videos, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. These reproduced sounds, named after sound-effects artist Jack Foley, can be anyt ...
, and
director of American films from the 1920s through the 1950s. He made the first translation of
Ferenc Molnár
Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; 12 January 18781 April 1952), often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarian-born author, stage-director, dramatist, and poet, widely regarded as Hungary’s most celebrated and controversial playw ...
's play ''
Liliom
''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''.
P ...
'' into English in 1921. His translation was used in the original Broadway production, in the
1930 film version, and in every production in English of the play until recently. It also served as the basis for the libretto for
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popu ...
's ''
Carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in SA) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular pla ...
'', as well as for
Phoebe Phoebe or Phœbe may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People and characters
* Phoebe (given name), a list of people, mythological, biblical and fictional characters
* Phoebe (Greek myth), several characters
* Phoebe, an epithet of Artemis/ Diana and Selene/ L ...
and
Henry Ephron
Henry Ephron (May 26, 1911 – September 6, 1992) was an American playwright, screenwriter and film producer who often worked with his wife, Phoebe (née Wolkind). He was active as a writer from the early 1940s through the early 1960s.
Ea ...
's screenplay for the
1956 film version of the classic musical.
Glazer was born in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...
, Ireland, into a Hungarian Jewish family.
The forgotten career of an Ulster Oscar winner
/ref> After moving to the United States, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and olde ...
and passed the bar exam
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
Australia
Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...
to become a lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...
in 1906.
Glazer was one of the founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...
. He is best known for his Oscar-winning writing for '' 7th Heaven'' (1927) and '' Arise, My Love'' (1941). Additional screenwriting credits include ''The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to ...
'', ''Flesh and the Devil
''Flesh and the Devil'' is an American silent romantic drama film released in 1927 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and stars Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lars Hanson, and Barbara Kent, directed by Clarence Brown, and based on the novel '' The Undyin ...
'', ''Mata Hari
Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...
'', ''A Farewell to Arms
''A Farewell to Arms'' is a novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, set during the Italian campaign of World War I. First published in 1929, it is a first-person account of an American, Frederic Henry, serving as a lieutenant () in the am ...
'', '' We're Not Dressing'', and ''Tortilla Flat
''Tortilla Flat'' (1935) is an early John Steinbeck novel set in Monterey, California. The novel was the author's first clear critical and commercial success.
The book portrays a group of 'paisanos'—literally, countrymen—a small band of er ...
''.
Glazer also directed one film, the 1948 ''Song of My Heart
''Song of My Heart'' is a 1948 American historical drama film directed by Benjamin Glazer and starring Frank Sundström, Audrey Long and Cedric Hardwicke. It is a highly fictionalised biopic of the nineteenth century Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich ...
'', a highly fictionalized biography of Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...
.
Glazer was married to actress Sharon Lynn. He died of circulatory failure in Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywoo ...
, at the age of 68.
Selected filmography
(as screenwriter unless otherwise noted)
* '' Sinners in Silk'' (1924)
* '' The Great Divide'' (1924)
* '' Fine Clothes'' (1925)
* ''The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to ...
'' (1925)
* '' Memory Lane'' (1926)
* '' The Gay Deceiver'' (1926)
* '' Wild Oats Lane'' (1926)
* ''Flesh and the Devil
''Flesh and the Devil'' is an American silent romantic drama film released in 1927 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and stars Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lars Hanson, and Barbara Kent, directed by Clarence Brown, and based on the novel '' The Undyin ...
'' (1926)
* '' The Lady in Ermine'' (1927)
* '' 7th Heaven'' (1927)
* ''Paid to Love
Paid or PAID may refer to:
* ''Paid'' (1930 film), an American film starring Joan Crawford
* ''Paid'' (2006 film), a Dutch film
*'' Personality and Individual Differences'', a journal
See also
* Paide, the capital of Järva County, Estonia
* ...
'' (1927)
* ''The Trail of '98
''The Trail of '98'' is a 1928 American silent action-adventure/drama film featuring Harry Carey and Dolores del Río about the Klondike Gold Rush. The film was originally released by MGM in a short-lived widescreen process called “Fantom Sc ...
'' (1928)
* '' Beggars of Life'' (1928)
* '' The Boudoir Diplomat'' (1930)
* '' The Devil to Pay!'' (1930)
* ''Liliom
''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''.
P ...
'' (1930)
* ''Pagan Lady
''The Pagan Lady'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by John Francis Dillon and starring Evelyn Brent. It is based on the Broadway play ''Pagan Lady'' (1930) written by William DuBois.
Cast
* Evelyn Brent as Dorothy 'Dot' Hun ...
'' (1931)
* ''Mata Hari
Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...
'' (1931)
* '' Monsieur Albert'' (1932)
* ''A Farewell to Arms
''A Farewell to Arms'' is a novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, set during the Italian campaign of World War I. First published in 1929, it is a first-person account of an American, Frederic Henry, serving as a lieutenant () in the am ...
'' (1932)
* '' No Man Of Her Own'' (1932)
* '' The Way to Love'' (1933)
* '' We're Not Dressing'' (1934)
* '' She Loves Me Not'' (1934) (also producer)
* '' Rhythm on the Range'' (1934) (also producer)
* ''Four Daughters
''Four Daughters'' is a 1938 American romance film that tells the story of a happy musical family whose lives and loves are disrupted by the arrival of a charming young composer who interjects himself into the daughters' romantic lives. His cynic ...
'' (1938) (assoc. producer)
* '' Going Places'' (1938) (assoc. producer)
* '' Yes, My Darling Daughter'' (1939) (assoc. producer)
* ''They Made Me a Criminal
''They Made Me a Criminal'' is a 1939 American crime drama film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring John Garfield, Claude Rains, and The Dead End Kids. It is a remake of the film '' The Life of Jimmy Dolan'' (1933). The film was later featur ...
'' (1939) (assoc. producer)
* '' Arise, My Love'' (1940) (story)
* '' Paris Calling'' (1941)
* ''Tortilla Flat
''Tortilla Flat'' (1935) is an early John Steinbeck novel set in Monterey, California. The novel was the author's first clear critical and commercial success.
The book portrays a group of 'paisanos'—literally, countrymen—a small band of er ...
'' (1942)
* ''Song of My Heart
''Song of My Heart'' is a 1948 American historical drama film directed by Benjamin Glazer and starring Frank Sundström, Audrey Long and Cedric Hardwicke. It is a highly fictionalised biopic of the nineteenth century Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich ...
'' (1948) (also director)
* ''Carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in SA) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular pla ...
'' (1955) (libretto)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glazer, Benjamin
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders
Best Story Academy Award winners
Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners
Irish Jews
1887 births
1956 deaths
University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni
Screenwriters from Northern Ireland
Male writers from Northern Ireland
Television writers from Northern Ireland
Television directors from Northern Ireland