Aubrey Lionel Wisberg (October 20, 1909 – March 14, 1990) was a British-American filmmaker.

Biography

Born in London, Wisberg emigrated to the United States in 1921, attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and married Barbara Duberstein. Wisberg made his career as a screenwriter, director, and producer with credits in more than 40 films including '' The Big Fix'', ''

The Man from Planet X ''The Man from Planet X'' is a 1951 independently made American black-and-white science fiction horror film, produced by Jack Pollexfen and Aubrey Wisberg, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, that stars Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, and William Sch ...

'', '' Hercules in New York'', ''

The Neanderthal Man ''The Neanderthal Man'' is a 78-minute, 1953 American black-and-white science fiction film produced independently by Aubrey Wisberg and Jack Pollexfen, as Global Productions Inc., from their own original screenplay. It starred Robert Shayne, Ri ...

'', ''

Captive Women ''Captive Women'' is a 1952 American black-and-white post-apocalyptic science-fiction film. It stars Robert Clarke and Margaret Field. The film has a running time of 64 minutes. It deals with the effects of a nuclear war and how life would be af ...

'', ''

Port Sinister ''Port Sinister'' (a.k.a. ''Beast of Paradise Isle'' in the UK) is a 1953 American independently made black-and-white adventure science fiction film, produced by Jack Pollexfen and Albert Zugsmith, and directed by Harold Daniels. The film was w ...

'' and ''

Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl ''Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl'' is a 1954 American adventure film directed by Lew Landers and starring Anthony Dexter, Eva Gabor, and Alan Hale Jr. It was distributed by United Artists. A woman who disguises herself as a slave girl in order ...

''. Three of his early screenplays were World War II films: ''

Counter-Espionage Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or o ...

'' and '' Submarine Raider'' in 1942 and ''

They Came to Blow Up America ''They Came to Blow Up America'', also known as ''School for Sabotage'' and ''School for Saboteurs'', is a 1943 American war spy film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring George Sanders and Anna Sten. It is based on the World War II Operation P ...

'' in 1943. Wisberg's 1945 film ''

The Horn Blows at Midnight ''The Horn Blows at Midnight'' is a 1945 comedy fantasy film directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Jack Benny. Following its poor box-office, Benny often exploited the film's failure for laughs over the next 20 years in his radio and television c ...

'' starred the comedian

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

. Wisberg was associate producer for Edward Small Productions; founder and executive producer for Wisberg Productions; and co-founder of American Pictures Corporation and Mid-Century Films. Production credits for Mid-Century Film include, ''The Man From Planet X'' (1951), '' Return to Treasure Island'' (1954) and ''

Murder Is My Beat ''Murder Is My Beat'' is a 1955 film noir mystery film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring Paul Langton, Barbara Payton and Robert Shayne.. Plot Businessman Frank Deane is found dead with his face and hands burned beyond recognition. Detectiv ...

'' (1955). Wisberg was the author of several books, including ''Patrol Boat 999'', ''Savage Soldiers'', ''This Is the Life'' and ''Bushman at Large''. Wisberg was also a radio and television dramatist in the United States, Australia, and England; a radio diffusionist in Paris; and a journalist. He won the International Unity Award, from the Inter-Racial Society, for ''

The Burning Cross ''The Burning Cross'' is a 1947 American drama film directed by Walter Colmes. It was written by Aubrey Wisberg and released by Screen Guild Productions. The film depicts Ku Klux Klan activities and was censored in Virginia and Detroit. Plot A ...

''. Aubrey Wisberg died of cancer in 1990 in New York City. He was 80 years old.

Selected filmography

* 1947: '' The Big Fix'' *1947: Heaven Only Knows (original story) * 1951: ''

'' * 1954: ''

'' * 1954: '' Return to Treasure Island'' * 1955: ''

Son of Sinbad ''Son of Sinbad'' is a 1955 American adventure film directed by Ted Tetzlaff. It takes place in the Middle East and consists of a wide variety of characters, including over 127 women. The film was shot in 1953 and planned to be released in 3 ...

'' * 1956: ''

The Women of Pitcairn Island ''The Women of Pitcairn Island'' is a 1956 American adventure drama film directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring Lynn Bari, John Smith and Sue England. The film's sets were designed by the art director Dave Milton. Plot Nearly twenty years af ...

'' * 1969: '' Hercules in New York''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisberg, Aubrey 1909 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers American film producers American male screenwriters Columbia University alumni Deaths from cancer in New York (state) British emigrants to the United States English film producers English male screenwriters New York University alumni Writers from London 20th-century English businesspeople