Herman J. Mankiewicz

Herman J. Mankiewicz

Infobox actor
name = Herman J. Mankiewicz


caption = photo from early 1940s deletable image-caption
birthname = Herman Jacob Mankiewicz
birthdate = birth date|1897|11|7
birthplace = New York, New York, USA
deathdate = death date and age|1953|3|5|1897|11|7
deathplace = Hollywood, California
occupation = Writer, Screenwriter
yearsactive = 1926-1952
spouse = Sara Aaronson (1920-?)
academyawards = Best Original Screenplay
1941 "Citizen Kane"

Herman Jacob Mankiewicz (November 7, 1897 - March 5, 1953) was a Hollywood screenwriter, noted for writing, along with Orson Welles, the screenplay for "Citizen Kane", which is considered one of the most important and most controversial movies in the history of film.

He was widely regarded as one of the brightest minds in Hollywood and was considered a master at witty dialogue. He was often asked to fix the screenplays of other writers. What distinguished his writing from that of other writers were occasional flashes of the "Mankiewicz humor" and satire that became valued in the films of the 1930s. That style of writing included a slick, satirical, and witty humor, which depended almost totally on dialogue to carry the film. It was a style that would become associated with the "typical American film" of that period.

After moving to Hollywood from New York, he became a popular guest at the homes of many of America's most famous and wealthiest families. But his image became tarnished after the continuing battle with Welles over how much of the screenplay for "Citizen Kane" he actually wrote. Despite the conflict, both he and Welles received Academy Awards for their screenplay - the only award "Citizen Kane" received.

Among the more well-known screenplays he wrote, besides "Citizen Kane" were "Man of the World", "Ladies' Man", "Dinner at Eight", "Pride of the Yankees", and "The Pride of St. Louis".

Personal life

Mankiewicz was born in New York City and educated at the Columbia University and the University of Berlin. He was the older brother of Joseph L. Mankiewicz and the son of Jewish immigrants from Germany (Franz Mankiewicz and Johanna Blumenau). [http://www.adherents.com/people/pm/Joseph_Mankiewicz.html]

He was a "bookish, introspective child who, despite his intelligence, was never able to win approval from his demanding father" who was known to belittle his achievements.Kilbourne, Don. "Dictionary of Literary Biography" vol. 26, "American Screenwriter" (1984) Gale Research, pp. 218-224]

His children are screenwriter Don Mankiewicz, politician Frank Mankiewicz and the late novelist Johanna Mankiewicz Davis.

Writer and screenwriter

Early years

While a student at Columbia University, he wrote plays for students at local colleges. After graduating, he worked as a cub reporter for a newspaper, where he met his future wife, Sara Aaronson. He spent a brief time in the U.S. Marines and then worked with the Red Cross press service. He also worked as a publicity man for dancer Isadora Duncan while she did a tour in Europe.

In 1922, after he returned to America, he got a job as George S. Kaufman's assistant on theater coverage for the "New York Times." Through his association with Kaufman, he came in contact with the Algonquin Round Table, a group of literary lights that included Kaufman, Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, Robert Sherwood, and Ben Hecht. Being in the company of this group fired his ambition to become a playwright.

;Writer of satire and comedy

In 1926 Mankiewicz left a job as drama editor at "The New Yorker" magazine to write for Hollywood. Shortly after his arrival on the West Coast, he sent a telegram to journalist-friend Ben Hecht in New York: "Millions are to be grabbed out here and your only competition is idiots. Don't let this get around." He attracted other New York writers to Hollywood who contributed to a burst of creative, tough, and sardonic styles of writing for the fast-growing movie industry. What distinguished his screenplays were "occasional flashes of the Mankiewicz humor and satire that proved to be a foreshadowing of a new type of slick, satirical, typically American film that depended almost totally on dialogue for its success."

Between 1929 and 1935, he was credited with working on a least twenty films, many of which he received no credit for. Between 1930 and 1932 he was either producer or associate producer on four comedies and helped write their screenplays without credit: "Laughter", "Monkey Business", "Horse Feathers", and "Million Dollar Legs", which many critics considered one of the funniest comedies of the early 1930s. In 1933, he co-wrote "Dinner at Eight", which was based on the George S. Kaufman/Edna Ferber play, and became one of the most popular comedies at that time and remains a "classic" comedy today.

"Citizen Kane"

Mankiewicz is best known for his collaboration with Orson Welles on the screenplay of "Citizen Kane", for which they both won an Academy Award and later became a source of controversy over who wrote what. (Pauline Kael attributed Kane's screenplay to Mankiewicz in an essay for which she did not interview Welles and has since been hotly disputed by Welles and Peter Bogdanovich.) Much debate has centered around this issue, largely because of the importance of the film itself, which most agree is a fictionalized biography of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, one of the most important figures in the 20th century. According to film biographer David Thomson, however, "No one can now deny Herman Mankiewicz credit for the germ, shape, and pointed language of the screenplay..."Thomson, David, "A Biographical Dictionary of Film", 3rd, ed. (1995) Alfred A. Knopf]

According to film historian Otto Friedrich, it made Mankiewicz "unhappy to hear Welles quoted in Louella Parsons's column, before the question of screen credits was officially settled, as saying, 'So I wrote "Citizen Kane".' Mankiewicz went to the Screen Writers Guild and declared that he was the original author. Welles later claimed that he planned on a joint credit all along, but Mankiewicz claimed that Welles offered him a bonus of ten thousand dollars if he would let Welles take full credit. ... The Screen Writers Guild eventually decreed a joint credit, with Mankiewicz's name first."Friedrich, Otto, "City of Nets - a portrait of Hollywood in the 1940's", (1986) Harper & Row]

;Hearst's inner circleHe became good friends with Hollywood screenwriter Charles Lederer who was Marion Davies's nephew. Lederer grew up as a Hollywood habitué, spending much time at San Simeon, where Davies reigned as William Randolph Hearst's mistress. As one of his admirers in the early 1930s, Hearst often invited Mankiewicz to spend the weekend at San Simeon.

"Herman told Joe [his brother] to come to the office of their mutual friend Charlie Lederer ..."Meryman, Richard. "Mank" (New York, William Morrow, 1978)] rp|144 “Mankiewicz found himself on story-swapping terms with the power behind it all, Hearst himself. When he had been in Hollywood only a short time, he met Marion Davies and Hearst through his friendship with Charles Lederer, a writer, then in his early twenties, whom Ben Hecht had met and greatly admired in New York when Lederer was still in his teens. Lederer, a child prodigy, who had entered college at thirteen, got to know Mankiewicz ..."Kael, Pauline. "For Keeps" (New York, Penguin Books, 1994)] rp|254-255 Herman eventually “saw Hearst as ‘a finagling, calculating, Machiavellian figure.’ But also, with Charlie Lederer, ... wrote and had printed parodies of Hearst newspapers ...”rp|212-213

In 1939, he suffered a broken leg in a driving accident and had to be hospitalized. During his hospital stay, one of his visitors was Orson Welles, who met him earlier and had become a great admirer of his wit. During the months after his release from the hospital, he and Welles began working on story ideas which led to the creation of "Citizen Kane", "regarded by many as the greatest achievement in the history of film."

Despite Welles' denial that the film was about Hearst, few people were convinced - including Hearst. After the release of "Citizen Kane", Hearst pursued a longtime vendetta against Mankiewicz and Welles for writing the story."Certain elements in the film were taken from Mankiewicz's own experience: the sled Rosebud was based - according to some sources - on a very important bicycle that was stolen from him.... [and] some of Kane's speeches are almost verbatim copies of Hearst's." ;Other worksMankiewicz wrote and co-wrote many other screenplays (including the original version of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "The Pride of the Yankees"), "Dinner at Eight", and "Pride of St. Louis".

After "Citizen Kane", Mankiewicz's career declined, likely a result of alcoholism. He died of uremic poisoning in Hollywood, CA on March 5, 1953. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=H. J. Mankiewicz, Screenwriter, 56. Winner of Academy Award in 1941 Dies. Playwright Was Former Newspaper Man. |url= |quote=His brother, Joseph, is a well known screen author, producer and director. ... A sister, Mrs. Erna Stenbuck of New York, also survives. |publisher=New York Times |date=March 6, 1953 |accessdate=2008-07-02 ]

Producer

Mankiewicz was the executive producer of such early sound comedy classics as "Million Dollar Legs" (1932), and three Marx Brothers movies, "Monkey Business" (1931), "Horsefeathers" (1932), and "Duck Soup" (1933). [Siegel, Scott, and Siegel, Barbara, "The Encyclopedia of Hollywood", 2nd ed. (2004) Checkmark Books]

Writing filmography [IMDB Pro [http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0542534/filmoname] ]

*"Lux Video Theatre" (TV series) - Writer (1 episode, 1955)
*"The Enchanted Cottage" (1955) - Writer (original screenplay)
*"The Pride of St. Louis" (1952) - Writer (writer)
*"A Woman's Secret" (1949) - Writer (screenplay), producer
*"The Spanish Main" (1945) - Writer (screenplay)
*"The Enchanted Cottage" (1945) - Writer (writer)
*"Christmas Holiday" (1944) - Writer (writer)
*"The Good Fellows" (1943) - Writer (play)
*"Stand by for Action" (1942) - Writer (screenplay)
*"The Pride of the Yankees" (1942) - Writer (screenplay)
*"This Time for Keeps" (1942) - Writer (characters)
*"Rise and Shine" (1941) - Writer (screenplay)
*"Citizen Kane" (1941) - Writer (screenplay), Newspaperman (uncredited)
*"The Wild Man of Borneo" (1941) - Writer (play)
*"Keeping Company" (1940) - Writer (story)
*"Comrade X" (1940) - Writer (uncredited)
*"The Ghost Comes Home" (1940) - Writer (contributing writer)
*"The Wizard of Oz" (1939) - Writer (uncredited)
*"It's a Wonderful World" (1939) - Writer (story)
*"My Dear Miss Aldrich" (1937) - Writer (original story and screenplay)
*"The Emperor's Candlesticks" (1937) - contributor to dialogue (uncredited)
*"John Meade's Woman" (1937) - Writer (writer)
*"Love in Exile" (1936) - Writer (writer)
*"The Show Goes On" (1936) - Writer (writer)
*"Escapade" (1935) - Writer (writer)
*"After Office Hours" (1935) - Writer (writer)
*"Stamboul Quest" (1934) - Writer (screenplay)
*"The Show-Off" (1934) - Writer (writer)
*"Duck Soup" (1933) - producer (uncredited)
*"Meet the Baron" (1933) - Writer (writer)
*"Dinner at Eight" (1933) - Writer (screenplay)
*"Another Language" (1933) - Writer (writer)
*"Horse Feathers" (1932) - producer (uncredited)
*"Million Dollar Legs" (1932) - producer
*"Girl Crazy" (1932) - Writer (writer)
*"Dancers in the Dark" (1932) - Writer (writer)
*"The Lost Squadron" (1932) - Writer (additional dialogue)
*"Monkey Business" (1931) - producer (uncredited)
*"Ladies' Man" (1931) - Writer (writer)
*"Man of the World" (1931) - Writer (screenplay) (story)
*"Jede Frau hat etwas" (1931) - Writer (adaptation)
*"The Front Page" (1931) - Bit (uncredited)
*"Salga de la cocina" (1931) - Writer (adaptation)
*"The Royal Family of Broadway" (1930) - Writer (adaptation)
*"Laughter" (1930) - Writer (writer)
*"Love Among the Millionaires" (1930) - Writer (dialogue)
*"True to the Navy" (1930) - Writer (dialogue)
*"Ladies Love Brutes" (1930) - Writer (screenplay)
*"Honey" (1930) - Writer (scenario) (titles)
*"Men Are Like That" (1930) - Writer (adaptation)
*"The Vagabond King" (1930) - Writer (screenplay) (story)
*"The Mighty" (1929) - Writer (titles)
*"Thunderbolt" (1929) - Writer (writer)
*"The Man I Love" (1929) - Writer (story)
*"The Dummy" (1929) - Writer (writer)
*"The Canary Murder Case" (1929) - Writer (titles)
*"The Love Doctor" (1929) - Writer (titles)
*"Three Weekends" (1928) - Writer (titles)
*"The Barker" (1928) - Writer (titles)
*"Avalanche" (1928) - Writer (screenplay) (titles)
*"The Water Hole" (1928) - Writer (titles)
*"The Mating Call" (1928) - Writer (titles), Newspaperman (uncredited)
*"The Magnificent Flirt" (1928) - Writer (titles)
*"The Dragnet" (1928) - Writer (titles)
*"His Tiger Wife" (1928) - Writer (titles)
*"Abie's Irish Rose" (1928) - Writer (titles)
*"A Night of Mystery" (1928/I) - Writer (titles)
*"Something Always Happens" (1928) - Writer (titles)
*"The Last Command" (1928) - Writer (titles)
*"Love and Learn" (1928) - Writer (titles)
*"Two Flaming Youths" (1927) - Writer (titles)
*"The Gay Defender" (1927) - Writer (titles)
*"Honeymoon Hate" (1927) - Writer (titles)
*"The City Gone Wild" (1927) - Writer (titles)
*"Fashions for Women" (1927) - Writer (writer)
*"Stranded in Paris" (1926) - Writer (adaptation)

Quotations

*"I don't know how it is that you start working at something you don't like, and before you know it you're an old man." [Halliwell, Leslie, "Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies", 4th ed. (2006) HarperCollins]
*"If I hadn't been so rich, I might have been a really great man." (from "Citizen Kane") [Halliwell, Leslie, "Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies", 4th ed. (2006) HarperCollins]

Notes

Further reading

*Kael, Pauline, "The Citizen Kane Book", (1971) Bantam Books
*Lambert, Gavin, "On Cukor" (1972) Putnam
*Marion, Frances, "Off With Their Heads" (1972) Macmillan
*Meryman, Richard "Mank: The wit, world, and life of Herman Mankiewicz" (1978). ISBN 0-688-03356-3
*Naremore, James, "The Magic World of Orson Welles" (1978) Oxford University Press

External links

*imdb name|id= 0542534|name= Herman J. Mankiewicz

Persondata
NAME= Mankiewicz, Herman J.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Mankiewicz, Herman Jacob
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Writer, Screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH= 1897-11-7
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH= 1953-3-5
PLACE OF DEATH= Hollywood, California


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  • Herman J. Mankiewicz — Herman Jacob Mankiewicz (* 7. November 1897 in New York City; † 5. März 1953 in Hollywood) war ein deutsch US amerikanischer Hollywood Drehbuchautor[1] [2]. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Biographie 2 Filmographie (Auswahl …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Herman J. Mankiewicz — Herman Jacob Mankiewicz (7 de noviembre de 1897, Nueva York 5 de marzo de 1953, Hollywood, California) es uno de los más legendarios guionistas de Hollywood, recordado, entre otras cosas, por su humor ácido y cínico (fue capaz de bromear sobre el …   Wikipedia Español

  • Herman J. Mankiewicz — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Mankiewicz. Herman J. Mankiewicz Données clés Nom de naissance Herman Jacob Mankiewicz Naissance 7 novembre 1897 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Herman Mankiewicz — Herman Jacob Mankiewicz (* 7. November 1897 in New York City; † 5. März 1953 in Hollywood) war ein deutsch US amerikanischer Hollywood Drehbuchautor[1] [2]. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Biographie 2 Filmographie (Auswahl) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Mankiewicz — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Herman J. Mankiewicz (1897–1953), US amerikanischer Hollywood Drehbuchautor Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909–1993), US amerikanischer Filmregisseur Tom Mankiewicz (1942–2010), US amerikanischer Drehbuchautor und …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Mankiewicz, Joseph L. — ▪ American filmmaker born February 11, 1909, Wilkes Barre, Pa., U.S. died February 5, 1993, Mount Kisco, N.Y.       major American producer, director, and screenwriter known for his witty, literary, urbane dialogue and memorable characters. He… …   Universalium

  • MANKIEWICZ, HERMAN JACOB — (1897–1953), U.S. journalist, playwright, and screenwriter. Mankiewicz was born in New York City. In 1905, the family moved to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, where his father was an editor for a German language newspaper and his mother worked as a… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • MANKIEWICZ, JOSEPH LEO — (1909–1993), U.S. film writer, producer, and director. Born in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Mankiewicz worked on scripts for Paramount, MGM, and Fox. He received Academy Awards for A Letter to Three Wives (Best Director and Best Screenplay, 1949.… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

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