Brenda Weisberg (1900–1996) was a Russian-American screenwriter active from the late 1930s through the early 1950s. Her body of work spanned a wide range of genres, from monster movies to thrillers to family films. She wrote several films for the Rusty the Dog and

Dead End Kids The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York City who appeared in Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play '' Dead End'' in 1935. In 1937, producer Samuel Goldwyn brought all of them to Hollywood and turned the play into a film. They ...

series.

Biography

Brenda was born in Rovno, Ukraine, to a Jewish family; she emigrated to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

with her parents when she was a little girl. The family eventually settled in Phoenix, Arizona. After graduating high school, she began working for local publications, and eventually founded the city's first Jewish newspaper, ''The Southwestern Jewish Star''. She eventually moved to Hollywood around 1940, where she began writing genres films for big studios like Universal, RKO, and Columbia. Her credits include films like ''

The Mummy's Ghost ''The Mummy's Ghost'' is a 1944 American horror film directed by Reginald Le Borg for Universal. It is the second of three sequels to '' The Mummy's Hand'' (1940), following '' The Mummy's Tomb'' (1942) and preceding '' The Mummy's Curse'' (194 ...

'', ''

Weird Woman ''Weird Woman'' is a 1944 noir- mystery horror film, and the second installment in '' The Inner Sanctum Mysteries'' anthological film series, which was based on the popular radio series of the same name. Directed by Reginald Le Borg and star ...

'', ''

My Dog Rusty ''My Dog Rusty'' is a 1948 American drama film directed by Lew Landers and starring Ted Donaldson, John Litel and Ann Doran. It was part of the eight-film Rusty series of films produced by Columbia Pictures, about a boy and his valiant German ...

'', and ''

There's One Born Every Minute ''There's One Born Every Minute'', also known as ''Man or Mouse'', is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Harold Young. It was Elizabeth Taylor's first film and one of her only films with Universal Pictures. The film is a comedy about f ...

''. She retired from screenwriting in 1952, the year she moved back to Phoenix, Arizona, and married her husband, Morris Meckler. In her later years, she became active in the local arts scene, working with the Phoenix Little Theatre as a writer, director, and actor. In 1988, she published a book about her life called ''Papa Was a Farmer''.

Selected screenplays

* ''

Girls' School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, same-sex education, same-gender education, and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in se ...

'' (1950) * ''

Rusty's Birthday ''Rusty's Birthday'' is a black-and-white American juvenile drama, released by Columbia Pictures in November 1949. Structured as an hour-long second feature, it is the final entry in the eight-film low-budget series which centers on the bond bet ...

'' (1949) * ''

Rusty Saves a Life ''Rusty Saves a Life'' is a 1949 American drama film directed by Seymour Friedman and starring Ted Donaldson, Gloria Henry and Ann Doran.Blottner p.285 It was part of the Rusty series of films produced by Columbia Pictures. Plot Cast * Te ...

'' (1949) * ''

Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...

'' (1948) * ''

'' (1948) * '' When a Girl's Beautiful'' (1947) * '' King of the Wild Horses'' (1947) * ''

Alias Mr. Twilight ''Alias Mr. Twilight'' is a 1946 crime drama film directed by John Sturges and starring Michael Duane, Trudy Marshall, and Lloyd Corrigan. Plot Cast * Michael Duane as Tim Quaine * Trudy Marshall as Corky Corcoran * Lloyd Corrigan as Geoffr ...

'' (1946) * '' Shadowed'' (1946) * ''

Ding Dong Williams ''Ding Dong Williams'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by William Berke. The film stars Glen Vernon (under his real name, Glenn Vernon), Marcy McGuire, Felix Bressart, Anne Jeffreys, and James Warren. It was released on April 15, 1946 ...

'' (1946) * ''

China Sky ''China Sky'' is a novel by American writer Pearl S. Buck published in 1941. The story centers on love, honor, and wartime treachery in an American-run hospital in the fictional town of Chen-li, China, during the Japanese invasion. The book wa ...

'' (1945) * ''

'' (1944) * ''

The Mad Ghoul ''The Mad Ghoul'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by James Hogan and starring Turhan Bey, Evelyn Ankers, and David Bruce, and featuring George Zucco, Robert Armstrong, and Milburn Stone. The film is about the scientist Dr. Alfred Mo ...

'' (1943) * ''

Keep 'Em Slugging ''Keep 'Em Slugging'' is a 1943 American film starring the Little Tough Guys and directed by Christy Cabanne for Universal Pictures. Plot Summer vacation usually means that local teenagers will be working for crooked concessions at the carniva ...

'' (1943) * '' Mug Town'' (1942) * ''

Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service in ...

'' (1942) * ''

'' (1942) * '' Tough as They Come'' (1942) * ''You're Telling Me'' (1942) * '' Mob Town'' (1941) * ''

Sing Another Chorus ''Sing Another Chorus'' is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Jane Frazee, Johnny Downs and Mischa Auer.Biskupski p.212 It was made and distributed by Hollywood studio Universal Pictures. Plot Andy Peyton ...

'' (1941) * '' Hit the Road'' (1941) * '' You're Not So Tough'' (1940) * ''

Little Tough Guy ''Little Tough Guy'' is a 1938 American crime film that starred several of the '' Dead End Kids''. In the follow-up films, the studio began using the group name '' The Little Tough Guys'', and later '' The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys''. ...

'' (1938)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weisberg, Brenda Soviet screenwriters Soviet women screenwriters 20th-century Russian screenwriters 1900 births 1996 deaths People from Rivne American women screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States American people of Russian-Jewish descent