Sylvia Thalberg (August 26, 1907 – April 9, 1988) was an American screenwriter. Her brother was film producer

Irving Thalberg Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather productio ...

Biography

Origins

Sylvia was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, to German-Jewish immigrant parents. She had one brother, Irving, who would grow up to be a famous producer at

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. She spent most of her early life in Brooklyn before joining her brother in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in the late 1920s.

Hollywood career

By 1927, she had begun writing scenarios for

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, and was noted as the youngest member of the studio's writing staff. Some of her earliest screenplays included '' Lovers?'' and '' Baby Mine'', both of which were hits with audiences. With the release of 1930's ''

Montana Moon ''Montana Moon'' is a 1930 pre-Code Western musical film which introduced the concept of the singing cowboy to the screen. Starring Joan Crawford, Johnny Mack Brown, Dorothy Sebastian, and Ricardo Cortez, the film focuses on the budding relat ...

'', she and co-writer Frank Butler were noted as the only screenwriters at the time who had prepared the original story, adaptation, continuity and dialogue for a sound film. She and Butler collaborated on a number of scripts together. In 1933, she resigned her position at MGM aiming to spend her time writing novels. At the time, she had tired of being accused of benefiting from her brother's position, and her novel, ''Too Beautiful'', had been accepted for publication. She wasn't gone from the business long, however; later that year, she was signed to co-write a script at Paramount and later officially joined its staff. In 1944, she signed a new writing contract at the Producers Corporation of America, where it was announced she was writing a remake of ''The Greeks Had a Word for It''. The film was never made.

Personal life

In 1928, she married

Lawrence Weingarten Lawrence Weingarten (December 30, 1897 – February 5, 1975) was an American film producer. He was best known for working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and producing some of the studio's most prestigious films such as '' Adam's Rib'' (1949), ''I'll Cr ...

, a producer at MGM. The marriage ended in divorce in 1943. She later married Paul Streeger, and they remained married until his death.

Selected filmography

* '' As Good as Married'' (1937) * ''

A Son Comes Home ''A Son Comes Home'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by E.A. Dupont and starring Mary Boland, Julie Haydon and Donald Woods (actor), Donald Woods. It was one of three films made by Dupont for Paramount Pictures.St. Pierre p.23 Plot Cast * ...

'' (1936) * '' Now and Forever'' (1934) * '' Christopher Bean'' (1933) * ''

Prosperity Prosperity is the flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health. Competing notions ...

'' (1932) * '' When a Feller Needs a Friend'' (1932) * '' This Modern Age'' (1931) * ''

New Moon In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar eclipse. ...

'' (1930) * ''

Those Three French Girls ''Those Three French Girls '' is a 1930 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Fifi D'Orsay, Reginald Denny, and Cliff Edwards. The dialogue was written by P. G. Wodehouse.Montana Moon ''Montana Moon'' is a 1930 pre-Code Western musical film which introduced the concept of the singing cowboy to the screen. Starring Joan Crawford, Johnny Mack Brown, Dorothy Sebastian, and Ricardo Cortez, the film focuses on the budding relat ...

'' (1930) * ''Untamed'' (1928) * '' China Bound'' (1929) * '' Baby Mine'' (1928) * '' Lovers?'' (1927)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thalberg, Sylvia 1907 births 1988 deaths American women screenwriters American people of German-Jewish descent Writers from Brooklyn Screenwriters from New York City 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters