Max Colpet (also known as ''Max Kolpe'', real name ''Max Kolpenitzky'', 19 July 1905 – 2 January 1998) was an American writer, scriptwriter and lyricist of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

descent.

Life

He was born to a Russian

Jew 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""T ...

ish family in

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was na ...

, then in

East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label= Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1 ...

. Due to the political situation at the time, he was stateless when born. In 1914 at the start of the war his family fled to the West. In 1928, with

Erik Ode Erik Ode (born Fritz Erik Signy Odemar, 6 November 1910 – 19 July 1983) was a German director and actor who was most famous for playing Kommissar ''Herbert Keller'' in the German television drama '' Der Kommissar'' (The Police Inspector). He mar ...

, he founded the cabaret Anti in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

. In the 1930s he fled again, this time to Paris. His parents died during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in concentration camps. On 14 August 1953 he became an American citizen, but in 1958 he moved to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

where he lived for the rest of his life. Among other writings, he wrote for the

Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft The Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft (; Munich laughing and shooting company) is a German political ''kabarett'' (satirical revue) that runs at its own theatre in Schwabing, Munich. It was founded in 1956 by journalist Sammy Drechsel and ...

, a cabaret theatre founded by

Sammy Drechsel Sammy Drechsel (25 April 1925, in Berlin – 19 January 1986, in Munich), born Karl-Heinz Kamke, was a German political comedian, journalist and sports reporter. In 1956, together with Dieter Hildebrandt, he founded the Münchner Lach- und Schie� ...

and

Dieter Hildebrandt Dieter Hildebrandt (23 May 1927 – 20 November 2013) was a German Kabarett artist. Biography Hildebrandt was born in Bunzlau, Lower Silesia, Weimar Germany (now Boleslawiec, Poland) where he attended school. In World War II he became a Flakh ...

. He had a lifelong friendship with

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holl ...

for whom he wrote five screenplays. In Los Angeles, Colpet lived in the guest house behind Wilder's Beverly Hills house, 704 North Beverly Drive, until Wilder sold the house to Dr. Harry Lehrer and fashion designer Anne T. Hill in 1957 and moved to

Century City Century City is a 176-acre (71.2 ha) neighborhood and business district in Los Angeles, California. Located on the Westside to the south of Santa Monica Boulevard around 10 miles (16 km) west of Downtown Los Angeles, Century City is one o ...

.Max Kolpenitzky in U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791–1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project)

Selection of German lyrics

* "Allein in einer großen Stadt" (Music: Franz Wachsmann; Singers:

Lale Andersen Lale Andersen (23 March 1905 – 29 August 1972) was a German chanson singer-songwriter and actress born in Lehe (now part of Bremerhaven). She is best known for her interpretation of the song ''Lili Marleen'' in 1939, which by 1941 transcend ...

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

) * "Bitte geh nicht fort" – "Ne me quitte pas", (Music:

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

) * "Der Boss ist nicht hier" (Music:

Lotar Olias Lotar Olias (1913–1990) was a German composer who worked on numerous film scores. He composed the tune of the 1953 song ''You, You, You''.Tyler p.452 Selected filmography * ''Artists' Blood'' (1949) * '' The Thief of Bagdad'' (1952) * ''That Ca ...

; Singer:

Freddy Quinn Freddy Quinn (born Franz Eugen Helmut Manfred Nidl; 27 September 1931) is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity in the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. As Hans Albers had done two generations before him, Quinn ...

) * "Hoppla, jetzt komm ich" (Music:

Werner Richard Heymann Werner Richard Heymann (14 February 1896 – 30 May 1961), also known as Werner R. Heymann, was a German-Jewish composer active in Germany and in Hollywood. Early life and education He was the younger of 4 boys born to a corn merchant. His old ...

; Singer:

Hans Albers Hans Philipp August Albers (22 September 1891 – 24 July 1960) was a German actor and singer. He was the biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1960 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century. Early life ...

) * "Kleine treue Nachtigall" – " Message to Martha/Michael" (Music:

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gr ...

; Singer:

) * "Sag mir, wo die Blumen sind" – " Where Have All the Flowers Gone" (Music: Pete Seeger; Singer:

) * "Der ewige Soldat" –

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world musi ...

: "Universal Soldier"; (Music and Original lyrics:

Buffy Sainte-Marie Buffy Sainte-Marie, (born Beverly Sainte-Marie, February 20, 1941) is an Indigenous Canadian-American ( Piapot Cree Nation) singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. While working in these ...

; Singer: Dominique,

Juliane Werding Juliane Werding (born 19 July 1956 in Essen) is a German singer and alternative therapy practitioner ('' Heilpraktiker''). Her recordings include "Am Tag, als Conny Kramer starb" and "Nacht voll Schatten" in 1983 (German cover of Mike Oldfield ...

) * ''Charley’s Tante'' (Musical, based on ''

Charley's Aunt ''Charley's Aunt'' is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. The story centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt. The complications of the plot in ...

'' by Brandon Thomas; Music: ) * ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid- ...

'' (German lyrics of the musical by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

usicand Stephen Sondheim yrics

Selected filmography

* '' All Is at Stake'' (dir.

Max Nosseck Max Nosseck (19 September 1902 – 29 September 1972) was a German film director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Nosseck was born in Nakel, then in Prussia, but now in Poland. Nosseck established himself as a director in the German Film Indust ...

, German-language film, 1932) * ''

Scampolo ''Scampolo'' is a 1958 German film directed by Alfred Weidenmann and starring Romy Schneider, Paul Hubschmid, and Georg Thomalla. Schneider plays the title role. Plot Scampolo is a young, poor girl who lives on the island of Ischia. She falls ...

'' (dir.

Hans Steinhoff Hans Steinhoff (10 March 1882 – 20 April 1945) was a German film director, best known for the propaganda films he made in the Nazi era. Life and career Steinhoff started his career as a stage actor in the 1900s and later worked as a stag ...

, German-language film, 1932) * ''

The Blue of Heaven ''The Blue of Heaven'' (german: Das Blaue vom Himmel) is a 1932 German musical film directed by Victor Janson and starring Mártha Eggerth, Hermann Thimig, and Fritz Kampers. It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin.Klaus p.29 The film's ...

'' (dir.

Victor Janson Victor Arthur Eduard Janson ( lv, Viktors Artūrs Eduards Jansons; 25 September 1884 – 29 June 1960) was a German stage and film actor and film director of Latvian ethnicity. Selected filmography Actor * '' Your Dearest Enemy'' (1916) * '' Whe ...

, German-language film, 1932) * '' Madame Wants No Children'' (dir.

, German-language film, 1933) * '' Mauvaise Graine'' (dir.

and

Alexander Esway Alexander Esway (20 January 1895 – 23 August 1947) was a Hungarian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer. Life and career Esway was born Sándor Ezry in Budapest. In the late 1920s and early 1930s he worked as a director and screenwrit ...

, French-language film, 1934) * ''

The Crisis is Over ''The Crisis is Over'' (French: ''La crise est finie'') is a 1934 French musical comedy film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Albert Préjean, Danielle Darrieux and Marcel Carpentier. Many of those who worked on the film were exiles fro ...

'' (dir.

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as '' The Killers'' (19 ...

, French-language film, 1934) * '' Behind the Facade'' (dir. Georges Lacombe and

Yves Mirande Yves Mirande (Bagneux (Maine-et-Loire), May 8, 1876 – Paris, March 17, 1957) was a French screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. Career Yves Mirande began his acting career in the theater, transitioning to movies in the silent era. F ...

, French-language film, 1939) * '' Beating Heart'' (dir.

Henri Decoin Henri Decoin (18 March 1890 – 4 July 1969) was a French film director and screenwriter, who directed more than 50 films between 1933 and 1964. He was also a swimmer who won the national title in 1911 and held the national record in the 500 ...

, French-language film, 1940) * ''

Premier rendez-vous ''Premier rendez-vous'' (US title: ''Her First Affair'') is a 1941 French comedy film starring Danielle Darrieux. It was directed by Henri Decoin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Michel Duran. During the German occupation, the film was made by ...

'' (dir.

, French-language film, 1941) – (uncredited, as a Jewish writer in Nazi-occupied France) * '' Heartbeat'' (dir.

Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as ''A Night at the Opera (film), A Night at the Opera'', ''A Day at the Races (fi ...

, English-language film, 1946) – Remake of ''Beating Heart'' (1940) * ''

Germany, Year Zero ''Germany, Year Zero'' ( it, Germania anno zero) is a 1948 film directed by Roberto Rossellini, and is the final film in Rossellini's unofficial war film trilogy, following '' Rome, Open City'' and '' Paisà''. ''Germany Year Zero'' takes place ...

'' (dir.

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...

, 1948) * '' Once a Thief'' (dir. W. Lee Wilder, English-language film, 1950) * ''

Love Without Illusions ''Love Without Illusions'' (German: ''Liebe ohne Illusion'') is a 1955 West German drama film directed by Erich Engel and starring Sonja Ziemann, Curd Jürgens and Heidemarie Hatheyer.Hake p.114 It was shot at the Spandau Studios in Berlin with ...

'' (dir.

Erich Engel Erich Gustav Otto Engel (14 February 1891 – 10 May 1966) was a German film and theatre director.He is often confused with another German film director called Erich Engels, who specialised in comedy, and crime films. Biography Engel was ...

, German-language film, 1955) * ''

Her First Date ''Her First Date'' (German: ''Ihr erstes Rendezvous'') is a 1955 Austrian-West German romantic comedy film directed by Axel von Ambesser and starring Nicole Heesters, Paul Dahlke and Adrian Hoven.Fritsche p.255 It was shot in Agfacolor at the S ...

'' (dir.

Axel von Ambesser Axel Eugen Alexander von Oesterreich (22 June 1910 – 6 September 1988), better known as Axel von Ambesser, was a German playwright, actor and film director. Ambesser's father was Alexander Constantin von Oesterreich. Ambesser was born in Hambur ...

, German-language film, 1955) – Remake of ''Premier rendez-vous'' (1941) * '' The Man Who Couldn't Say No'' (dir. , German-language film, 1958)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Colpet, Max 1905 births 1998 deaths Mass media people from Königsberg American male screenwriters American lyricists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters German emigrants to the United States