Charles William Brackett (November 26, 1892 – March 9, 1969) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He collaborated 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 ...

on sixteen films.

Life and career

Brackett was born in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

, the son of Mary Emma Corliss and New York State Senator, lawyer, and banker Edgar Truman Brackett. The family's roots traced back to the arrival of Richard Brackett in the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

in 1629, near present-day

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. His mother's uncle,

George Henry Corliss George Henry Corliss (June 2, 1817 – February 21, 1888) was an American mechanical engineer and inventor, who developed the Corliss steam engine, which was a great improvement over any other stationary steam engine of its time. The Corliss ...

, built the Centennial Engine that powered the 1876

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

in Philadelphia. A 1915 graduate of

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

, he earned his law degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He joined the

Allied Expeditionary Force Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF; ) was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in north west Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the commander in SHAEF t ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was awarded the French Medal of Honor. He was a frequent contributor to the ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'', ''

Collier's ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Collie ...

'', and '' Vanity Fair'', and a drama critic for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

''. He wrote five novels: ''The Counsel of the Ungodly'' (1920), ''Week-End'' (1925), ''That Last Infirmity'' (1926), ''American Colony'' (1929), and ''Entirely Surrounded'' (1934). Brackett was a president of the

Screen Writers Guild The Screen Writers Guild was an organization of Hollywood screenplay authors, formed as a union in 1933. In 1954, it became two different organizations: Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East. Founding Screenwriter ...

(1938–1939) and for the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

(1949–1955). He either wrote and/or produced over forty films, including '' To Each His Own'', ''

Ninotchka ''Ninotchka'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch and starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. It was written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Walter Reisch, based o ...

'', ''

The Major and the Minor ''The Major and the Minor'' is a 1942 American comedy film starring Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. It was the first American film directed by Billy Wilder. The screenplay credited to Wilder and Charles Brackett is "suggested by" the 1923 play ''C ...

'', '' The Mating Season'' (1951), '' Niagara'', ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...

'', ''

Ten North Frederick ''Ten North Frederick'' is a novel by John O'Hara, published by Random House in 1955. It tells the story of Joseph Chapin, an ambitious man who desires to become president of the United States, and his relationships with his patrician wife, tw ...

'', ''

The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker ''The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker'' is a 1959 DeLuxe Color film starring Clifton Webb and Dorothy McGuire directed by Henry Levin in CinemaScope. The film is based on the 1953 Broadway play of the same, which ran for 221 performances: Burgess Me ...

'' and ''

Blue Denim ''Blue Denim'' is a 1959 film based on a Broadway play by writer James Leo Herlihy. It starred Carol Lynley and Warren Berlinger who reprised their stage roles. 17-year-old Brandon deWilde appeared in his first "adult" role as the male lead Arth ...

''. Beginning in August 1936, Brackett worked with Billy Wilder, writing the film classics '' The Lost Weekend'' and ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

'', both of which won

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

s for their respective screenplays. Brackett described their collaboration process as follows: "The thing to do was suggest an idea, have it torn apart and despised. In a few days it would be apt to turn up, slightly changed, as Wilder's idea. Once I got adjusted to that way of working, our lives were simpler." His partnership with Wilder ended in 1950 and Brackett went to work at

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

as a screenwriter and producer. His script for ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

'' (1953) won him another Academy Award. He received an

Honorary Oscar The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Mot ...

for Lifetime Achievement in 1958. Charles Brackett died on March 9, 1969. His diaries covering his screenwriting and social life from 1932 to 1949 were edited by Anthony Slide into Slide's book ''It's the Pictures That Got Small: Charles Brackett on Billy Wilder and Hollywood's Golden Age''.

Personal life

Brackett married Elizabeth Barrows Fletcher, a descendant of Stephen Hopkins of the ''

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...

'', on June 2, 1919. They had two daughters, Alexandra Corliss Brackett, Mrs. Larmore (1920–1965) and Elizabeth Fletcher Brackett (1922–1997). His wife died on June 7, 1948. In 1953, Brackett married Lillian Fletcher, the sister of his first wife. They had no children. Brackett was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

who voted for

Alf Landon Alfred Mossman Landon (September 9, 1887October 12, 1987) was an American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential ...

in 1936 and supported

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...

in the

1964 United States presidential election The 1964 United States presidential election was the 45th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1964. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic President of the Un ...

Partial filmography

*'' Tomorrow's Love'' (1925) – based on a story ''Interlocutory'' *''

Risky Business ''Risky Business'' is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Brickman (in his directorial debut) and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. Best known as Cruise's breakout film, ''Risky Business'' was a critical ...

'' (1926) – based on a story ''Pearls Before Cecily'' *'' Pointed Heels'' (1929) – based on a story *''

Secrets of a Secretary ''Secrets of a Secretary'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by George Abbott, and starring Claudette Colbert and Herbert Marshall. The film was stage actress Mary Boland's first role in a talkie. Premise Society girl becomes a so ...

'' (1931) – based on a story *''

College Scandal ''College Scandal'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent and written by Frank Partos, Charles Brackett and Marguerite Roberts. The film stars Arline Judge, Kent Taylor, Wendy Barrie, William Frawley, Benny Baker, William Ben ...

'' (1935) – writer *'' Without Regret'' (1935) – writer *'' The Last Outpost'' (1935) – writer *'' Rose of the Rancho'' (1936) – writer *'' Woman Trap'' (1936) – writer *''

Piccadilly Jim ''Piccadilly Jim'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 24 February 1917 by Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, and in the United Kingdom in May 1918 by Herbert Jenkins, London.McIlvaine (1990), pp. 31–31, A20. ...

'' (1936) – writer *''

Live, Love and Learn ''Live, Love and Learn'' is a 1937 romantic comedy film starring Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, and Robert Benchley. The movie was directed by George Fitzmaurice. Cast * Robert Montgomery as Bob Graham *Rosalind Russell as Julie Stoddard ...

'' (1937) – writer *''

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife ''Bluebeard's Eighth Wife'' is a 1938 Paramount Pictures American romantic comedy film directed and produced by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Claudette Colbert and Gary Cooper. The film is based on the 1921 French play ''La huitième femme de Bar ...

'' (1938)* – writer *'' What a Life'' (1939)* – writer *''

'' (1939)* – writer *''

Arise, My Love ''Arise, My Love'' is a 1940 American romantic comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Claudette Colbert, Ray Milland and Dennis O'Keefe. It was made by Paramount Pictures and written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett and Jacques T ...

'' (1940)* – writer *''

Hold Back the Dawn ''Hold Back the Dawn'' is a 1941 American romantic drama film in which a Romanian gigolo marries an American woman in Mexico in order to gain entry to the United States, but winds up falling in love with her. It stars Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havi ...

'' (1941)* – writer *''

Ball of Fire ''Ball of Fire'' is a 1941 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. This Samuel Goldwyn Productions film (originally distributed by RKO) concerns a group of professors laboring to ...

'' (1941)* – writer *''

'' (1942)* – writer *''

Five Graves to Cairo ''Five Graves to Cairo'' is a 1943 war film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Franchot Tone and Anne Baxter. Set in World War II, it is one of a number of films based on Lajos Bíró's 1917 play ''Hotel Imperial: Színmű négy felvonásba ...

'' (1943)* – writer, producer *'' The Uninvited'' (1944) – producer *'' The Lost Weekend'' (1945)* – producer, writer *'' To Each His Own'' (1946) – writer, producer *''

The Bishop's Wife ''The Bishop's Wife'' (also known as ''Cary and the Bishop's Wife'') is a 1947 American romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven. The plot is about an angel who helps a bishop with his ...

'' (1947) – uncredited writer *''

A Foreign Affair ''A Foreign Affair'' is a 1948 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, and John Lund. The screenplay by Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Richard L. Breen is based on a story by David ...

'' (1948)* – writer, producer *''

The Emperor Waltz ''The Emperor Waltz'' (german: Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame) is a 1948 American musical film directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine.Bookbinder 1977, p. 179. Written by Wilder and Charles Brackett, the film is about ...

'' (1948)* – writer, producer *''

Miss Tatlock's Millions ''Miss Tatlock's Millions'' is an American screwball comedy film directed by Richard Haydn in 1948. Plot Movie stuntman Tim Burke is offered $1000 for a couple of days of work by Denno Noonan. Noonan was the "social secretary" for the mentally in ...

'' (1948) – writer, producer *''

'' (1950)* – writer, producer *''

Edge of Doom ''Edge of Doom'' is a 1950 black-and-white film noir directed by Mark Robson and starring Dana Andrews, Farley Granger, and Joan Evans. Plot The story concerns a young mentally disturbed man, Martin Lynn (Farley Granger), who goes on a rampage ...

'' (1950) – writer (uncredited) *'' The Mating Season'' (1951) – writer, producer *''

The Model and the Marriage Broker ''The Model and the Marriage Broker'' is a 1951 romantic comedy film about a marriage broker. Though Jeanne Crain (as the model) is top billed, the movie revolves around Thelma Ritter's character (the broker), in a rare leading role for Ritter. ...

'' (1951) – writer, producer *'' Niagara'' (1953) – writer, producer *''

'' (1953) – writer, producer *''

Woman's World ''Woman's World'' is an American supermarket weekly magazine with a circulation of 1.6 million readers. Printed on paper generally associated with tabloid publications and priced accordingly, it concentrates on short articles about subjects such a ...

'' (1954) – producer *''

Garden of Evil ''Garden of Evil'' is a 1954 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Henry Hathaway, about three somewhat disreputable 19th-century soldiers of fortune, played by Gary Cooper as an ex-lawman, Richard Widmark as a gambler, and Cameron M ...

'' (1954) – producer *'' The Virgin Queen'' (1955) – producer *''

The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing ''The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing'' is a 1955 American film directed by Richard Fleischer from a screenplay by Walter Reisch and Charles Brackett, and starring Joan Collins, Ray Milland, and Farley Granger. The CinemaScope film was released ...

'' (1955) – writer, producer *''

Teenage Rebel ''Teenage Rebel'' is a 1956 American drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Ginger Rogers and Michael Rennie. It was nominated for two Academy Awards; Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction ( Lyle R. Wheeler, Jack Martin Smith ...

'' (1956) – writer, producer *''

'' (1956) – producer *''

D-Day the Sixth of June ''D-Day the Sixth of June'' is a DeLuxe Color 1956 CinemaScope romance war film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Henry Koster and produced by Charles Brackett from a screenplay by Ivan Moffat and Harry Brown, based on the 1955 novel, ...

'' (1956) – producer *''

The Wayward Bus ''The Wayward Bus'' is a novel by American author John Steinbeck, published in 1947. The novel's epigraph is a passage from 15th-century English play ''Everyman (15th-century play), Everyman'', with its archaic English intact; the quotation refe ...

'' (1957) – producer *''

The Gift of Love ''The Gift of Love'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope drama romance film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack. The film's screenplay was based on the short story "The Little Horse" by Nelia Gardner White, origi ...

'' (1958) – producer *''

'' (1959) – producer *''

Journey to the Center of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...

'' (1959) – writer, producer *'' High Time'' (1960) – producer *''

State Fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in th ...

'' (1962) – producer ("*" indicates collaboration with Wilder)

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brackett, Charles 1892 births 1969 deaths Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Golden Globe Award-winning producers Presidents of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Harvard Law School alumni American male screenwriters People from Saratoga Springs, New York Film producers from New York (state) Academy Honorary Award recipients Williams College alumni Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters