Irving S. Brecher (January 17, 1914 – November 17, 2008) was a

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 ...

who wrote for the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

among many others; he was the only writer to get sole credit on a Marx Brothers film, penning the screenplays for ''

At the Circus ''At the Circus'' is a 1939 comedy film starring the Marx Brothers ( Groucho, Harpo and Chico) released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in which they help save a circus from bankruptcy. The film contains Groucho Marx's classic rendition of " Lydia the ...

'' (1939) and '' Go West'' (1940). He was also one of the numerous uncredited writers on the screenplay of ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'' (1939). Some of his other screenplays were '' Shadow of the Thin Man'' (1941), ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

'' (1945) and ''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The play's book was influenced by El ...

'' (1963).

Early years

Brecher was born in the

Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, and grew up in Yonkers.

Career

Brecher moonlighted as a high school sports reporter for the Yonkers Herald while in high school As a teenager he was writing jokes, sending them to newspaper columnists

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and c ...

and

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television host, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New York News ...

on postcards. At 19, Brecher's first professional involvement with movies was as an usher at a

Manhattan, New York Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

movie theater. As an aspiring young comedy writer, Brecher famously placed an ad in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' looking for work, promising he could write "jokes so bad, even

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over eight decades, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and ...

wouldn't steal them." He was promptly hired by Berle himself. He created, produced, and was head writer for the original radio and early TV edition of ''

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, as well as two different television series, and a comic book. Radio series The radio program initially aired on the B ...

''. He also wrote for

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

on radioKatz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. . P.159. and later created and co-produced '' The People's Choice'' as well. Brecher's career in screenwriting began in 1937. Adapting

Nathaniel Benchley Nathaniel Goddard Benchley (November 13, 1915 – December 14, 1981) was an American author from Massachusetts. Early life Born in Newton, Massachusetts to a literary family, he was the son of Robert Benchley (1889–1945), a noted American wri ...

's novel, he wrote the screenplay for, and directed ''Sail A Crooked Ship'' starring

Ernie Kovacs Ernest Edward Kovacs (January 23, 1919 – January 13, 1962) was an American comedian, actor, and writer. Kovacs's visually experimental and often spontaneous comedic style influenced numerous television comedy programs for years after his dea ...

and a young

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor. He is known for starring in the television shows ''It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series), It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch (American TV series), Switch'' (1975–1978), ...

. He received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination in 1944 for his screenplay of '' Meet Me in St Louis''.Brecher, Irving (October 8, 1979)
"Marx Brothers Revolutionized Early Years of Film Comedies"
''Asbury Park Press''. Retrieved August 29, 2020. Brecher, who bore a physical resemblance to Groucho Marx, once filled in for him in Marx Brothers publicity photos for the film ''At the Circus'', despite an almost 25-year age difference.

Works

Death

Brecher died November 17, 2008. He was survived by his wife and three stepchildren.

References

External links

Brecher (Irving) recordings
-

Online Archive of California In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...

Irving Brecher Obituary
Published by

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

from Nov. 18 to Nov. 20, 2008
podcast of Irving Brecher's life
*https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/Irving-Brecher Metadata * * https://catalog.afi.com/Person/73259-Irving-Brecher * https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/21615%7C73259/Irving-Brecher * https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/irving_brecher * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brecher, Irving 1914 births 2008 deaths American radio writers American male screenwriters Writers from New York City Writers from Palm Springs, California Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Film directors from New York City Film directors from California Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from California 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters

Early years

Career

Works

Death

References

Further reading

Articles

Books

External links