Edwin Justus Mayer (November 8, 1896 – September 11, 1960) was an American

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. He wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for 47 films between 1927 and 1958. Edwin Justus Mayer worked on many screenplays but he is notable for his work with

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; ; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; a ...

. He worked with Lubitsch on the scripts for '' To Be or Not to Be'' (1942) and '' A Royal Scandal'' (1945). ''A Royal Scandal'' (1945) did poorly at the box office, but is considered by many as one of Lubitsch's finest films.

Personal life and family

Mayer was born at 71 W. 125th Street in New York City on November 8, 1896, the son of Paul, who was born in

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

while the town was part of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

, and Isabella Mayer. He had two siblings, sisters Olga and Estelle. Mayer's draft card for World War I, filled out in either 1917 or 1918, shows that he and his mother lived together at 108 W. 95th Street and that he worked on Broadway in Manhattan. Additionally, the card described him as being of tall and slender build with brown hair and eyes while noting he was blind in his left eye. Mayer was married to Frances O'Neill (b. ~1900 in Spain) and, by her, had at least two children, one of them being late TV writer and producer

Paul Avila Mayer Paul Avila Mayer (May 28, 1928 – July 10, 2009) was an American television writer and producer. Personal life Mayer was born May 28, 1928, in Los Angeles, the son of Edwin Justus Mayer and Frances O'Neill. He was married to actress and com ...

."California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994," database with images, ''FamilySearch'' (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGLW-F2PH : 18 January 2018), Paul Avila Mayer, 28 May 1928; citing Birth, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, California State Archives, Sacramento.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Devil Dancer ''The Devil Dancer'' is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film directed by Fred Niblo and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. The film stars Gilda Gray. For his work on this film, '' The Magic Flame'' and '' Sadie Thompson'', cinematographer Geor ...

'' (1927) * '' The Love Mart'' (1927) * '' Ned McCobb's Daughter'' (1928) * ''

The Divine Lady ''The Divine Lady'' is a 1928 American pre-Code synchronized sound historical drama film. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the sound-on-disc Vitaphone process. It ...

'' (1929) * '' The Unholy Night'' (1929) * '' Our Blushing Brides'' (1930) * ''

Romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...

'' (1930) * ''

Tonight Is Ours ''Tonight Is Ours'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Stuart Walker (director), Stuart Walker and starring Claudette Colbert, Fredric March and Alison Skipworth. Made by Paramount Pictures, it is based on the play ''The Queen Wa ...

'' (1933) * '' Thirty Day Princess'' (1934) * ''

The Affairs of Cellini ''The Affairs of Cellini'' is a 1934 American historical film, historical comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring Frank Morgan, Constance Bennett, Fredric March, Fay Wray, and Louis Calhern. It is set in Florence. The film was adapte ...

'' (1934) * '' They Met in Bombay'' (1941) * '' To Be or Not to Be'' (1942) * '' A Royal Scandal'' (1945) * '' To Be or Not to Be'' (1983 - from the 1942 screenplay)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayer, Edwin Justus 1896 births 1960 deaths American male screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters