Sig Herzig (July 25, 1897 – March 12, 1985) was an American
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.
...
and
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
.
Biography
Born Siegfried Maurice Herzig in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, Herzig began his career as the director of the
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ori ...
short ''Husband and Strife'' (1922), but he switched gears to create plot lines for more than three dozen
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
s. His later screen credits included the screenplays for ''
Artists and Models
''Artists and Models'' is a 1955 American musical romantic comedy film in VistaVision directed by Frank Tashlin, marking Martin and Lewis's 14th feature together as a team. The film co-stars Shirley MacLaine and Dorothy Malone, with Eva Gabor an ...
'' (1937), ''
Marry the Girl'' (1937), ''
On Your Toes
''On Your Toes'' (1936) is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939.
While teaching music at Knickerbocker University, Phil "Junior" Dolan ...
'' (1939), ''
Sunny'' (1941), ''
I Dood It
''I Dood It'' (UK title ''By Hook or by Crook'') is a 1943 American musical-comedy film starring Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell, directed by Vincente Minnelli, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay is by Fred Saidy and Sig Herzig an ...
'' (1943), ''
Brewster's Millions'' (1945), ''
London Town'' (1946), and ''
Three on a Spree'' (1961), another
adaptation of ''
Brewster's Millions''.
Herzig's
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...
credits included ''The Vanderbilt Revue'' (1930), ''Shoot the Works'' (1931), ''Ballyhoo of 1932'' (1932), ''Vickie'' (1942), and ''
Bloomer Girl'' (1944).
Herzig's television credits included ''
Topper'', ''
Private Secretary
A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family.
The role exists in t ...
'', and ''
Sugarfoot
''Sugarfoot'' is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ''Cheyenne'' (first season); ''Cheyenne'' and '' Bronco'' (second season); an ...
''.
Herzig died in
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown. It is named after the many oak trees ...
.
Partial filmography
*''
Object: Alimony'' (1928)
*''
The Lone Wolf's Daughter
''The Lone Wolf's Daughter'' is a surviving 1919 American silent era crime/drama/thriller motion picture starring Bertram Grassby, Louise Glaum, and Thomas Holding.
Directed by William P.S. Earle and produced by J. Parker Read, Jr., the scre ...
'' (1929)
*''
Romance in the Rain
''Romance in the Rain'' is a 2001 Chinese television period drama jointly produced by Yi Ren Communications Company (怡人傳播有限公司) in Taiwan and China International Television Corporation (中国国际电视总公司) in mainland China ...
'' (1934)
*''
Lottery Lover'' (1935)
*''
Broadway Gondolier
''Broadway Gondolier '' (1935) is a musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film was released by Warner Bros., and featured Dick Powell, Joan Blondell and Adolphe Menjou.
Plot
Richard "Dick" Purcell (Dick Powell), a taxi driver, aspires to a ...
'' (1935)
*''
Old Man Rhythm'' (1935)
*''
Millions in the Air'' (1935)
*''
Colleen'' (1936)
*''
Sing Me a Love Song
''Sing Me a Love Song'' is a 1936 American musical film directed by Ray Enright and written by Sig Herzig and Jerry Wald. The film stars James Melton, Patricia Ellis, Hugh Herbert, ZaSu Pitts, Allen Jenkins and Nat Pendleton. The Warner Bro ...
'' (1936)
*''
Ready, Willing, and Able'' (1937)
*''
Artists and Models
''Artists and Models'' is a 1955 American musical romantic comedy film in VistaVision directed by Frank Tashlin, marking Martin and Lewis's 14th feature together as a team. The film co-stars Shirley MacLaine and Dorothy Malone, with Eva Gabor an ...
'' (1937)
*''
Marry the Girl'' (1937)
*''
Varsity Show
The Varsity Show is one of the oldest traditions at Columbia University and its oldest performing arts presentation. Founded in 1894 as a fundraiser for the university's fledgling athletic teams, the Varsity Show now draws together the entire Colu ...
'' (1937)
*''
Gold Diggers in Paris
''Gold Diggers in Paris'' is a 1938 Warner Bros. movie musical directed by Ray Enright with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley, starring Rudy Vallee, Rosemary Lane, Hugh Herbert, and Allen Jenkins.
Plot
Maurice Giraud ( ...
'' (1938)
*''
Four's a Crowd'' (1938)
*''
Going Places'' (1938)
*''
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)
*''
Indianapolis Speedway'' (1939)
*''
On Your Toes
''On Your Toes'' (1936) is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939.
While teaching music at Knickerbocker University, Phil "Junior" Dolan ...
'' (1939)
*''
I Wanted Wings
''I Wanted Wings'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by Mitchell Leisen and based on a book by Lieutenant Beirne Lay Jr. The film stars Ray Milland and William Holden. The supporting cast includes Wayne Morris (American actor), Wayne Morris ...
'' (1941)
*''
Sunny'' (1941)
*''
My Favorite Spy'' (1942)
*''
I Dood It
''I Dood It'' (UK title ''By Hook or by Crook'') is a 1943 American musical-comedy film starring Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell, directed by Vincente Minnelli, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay is by Fred Saidy and Sig Herzig an ...
'' (1943)
*''
Meet the People'' (1944)
*''
Brewster's Millions'' (1945)
*''
Where Do We Go from Here?'' (1945)
*''
London Town'' (1946)
*''
Three on a Spree'' (1961)
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Herzig, Sig
American male screenwriters
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
Writers from New York City
1897 births
1985 deaths
American male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American male writers
Screenwriters from New York (state)
20th-century American screenwriters