George Seligman Oppenheimer (February 7, 1900 in New York City – August 14, 1977) was an American screenwriter, playwright, and journalist.

Career

In 1925, Oppenheimer cofounded

The Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...

, but becoming more interested in writing than publishing, he began a career as a screenwriter in Hollywood in 1933, hired to complete the screenplay of

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor a ...

's comedy ''

Roman Scandals ''Roman Scandals'' is a 1933 American black-and-white pre-Code musical film starring Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold and David Manners. It was directed by Frank Tuttle. The film features a number of intricate production ...

'' (1933). For the rest of the 1930s he was employed by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

, primarily as a

script doctor A script doctor is a writer or playwright hired by a film, television, or theatre production company to rewrite an existing script or improve specific aspects of it, including structure, characterization, dialogue, pacing, themes, and other elemen ...

, rewriting, editing or polishing existing scripts. Oppenheimer was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Awards, Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Be ...

for his work on ''

The War Against Mrs. Hadley ''The War Against Mrs. Hadley'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Harold S. Bucquet and starring Fay Bainter and Edward Arnold. The plot depicts how wealthy society matron Stella Hadley selfishly refuses to sacrifice her family or materi ...

'' at the 15th Academy Awards of 1942. His contributions to theater criticism are recognized by the Newsday George Oppenheimer Award, which was awarded annually from 1979 to 2007 to the best New York debut production by an American playwright for a non-musical play. Oppenheimer graduated from

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 ...

and studied at

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 ...

with

George Pierce Baker George Pierce Baker (April 4, 1866 – January 6, 1935) was a professor of English at Harvard and Yale and author of ''Dramatic Technique'', a codification of the principles of drama. Biography Baker graduated in the Harvard College class of 188 ...

. He joined

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

in 1955 to write the weekly "On Stage" column, became a daily critic in 1963, and was named Sunday drama critic in 1972. Oppenheimer, a homosexual, never married. Oppenheimer was the occasional sexual partner of the young

Harry Hay Henry "Harry" Hay Jr. (April 7, 1912 – October 24, 2002) was an American gay rights activist, communist, and labor advocate. He was a co-founder of the Mattachine Society, the first sustained gay rights group in the United States, as well as ...

; the pair met while cruising on

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1933) * '' Rendezvous'' (1935) * ''

Libeled Lady ''Libeled Lady'' is a 1936 screwball comedy film starring Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy, and Spencer Tracy, written by George Oppenheimer, Howard Emmett Rogers, Wallace Sullivan, and Maurine Dallas Watkins, and directed by Jack Conway (fi ...

'' (1936) * '' We Went to College'' (1936) * '' London by Night'' (1937) * '' The Last of Mrs. Cheyney'' (1937) * ''

Married Before Breakfast ''Married Before Breakfast'' is a 1937 American romantic comedy film directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring Robert Young, Florence Rice and June Clayworth. Plot After years of struggling, inventor Tom Wakefield sells his hair-removal invention ...

'' (1937) * '' I'll Take Romance'' (1937) * '' A Day at the Races'' (1937) * ''

Three Loves Has Nancy ''Three Loves Has Nancy'' is a 1938 romantic comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Janet Gaynor, Robert Montgomery and Franchot Tone. It is set in New York City. Plot The seduction plans of novelist Malcolm Niles go awry when ac ...

'' (1938) * '' The Crowd Roars'' (1938) * ''

A Yank at Oxford ''A Yank at Oxford'' is a 1938 comedy-drama film directed by Jack Conway and starring Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan, Vivien Leigh and Edmund Gwenn. The screenplay was written by John Monk Saunders and Leon Gordon. The ...

'' (1938) * ''

Paradise for Three ''Paradise for Three'', titled ''Romance for Three'' in the United Kingdom, is a 1938 romantic comedy film starring Frank Morgan as a wealthy industrialist who decides to find out about his German workers by temporarily living among them incognit ...

'' (1938) * ''

Man-Proof ''Man-Proof'' is a 1938 American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe. The film is based on the 1937 novel ''The Four Marys'' written by Fannie Heaslip Lea. Plot The daughter of wealthy and famous novelist Meg Swift, Mimi is a young ...

'' (1938) * ''

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

'' (1939) * ''

Broadway Melody of 1940 ''Broadway Melody of 1940'' is a 1940 MGM film musical starring Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell and George Murphy (Astaire's first male dancing partner on film). It was directed by Norman Taurog and features music by Cole Porter, including "Begin the ...

'' (1940) * '' I Love You Again'' (1940) * ''

Two-Faced Woman ''Two-Faced Woman'' is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by George Cukor and starring Greta Garbo in her final film role, Melvyn Douglas, Constance Bennett, and Roland Young. The movie was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Garbo pla ...

'' (1941) * ''

The Big Store ''The Big Store'' is a 1941 American comedy film starring the Marx Brothers (Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx and Chico Marx) that takes place in a large department store. Groucho appears as private detective Wolf J. Flywheel (a character name originatin ...

'' (1941) * '' The Feminine Touch'' (1941) * ''

'' (1942) * ''

Pacific Rendezvous ''Pacific Rendezvous'' is a 1942 American mystery film directed by George Sidney. It stars Lee Bowman and Jean Rogers. The previous film version was the 1935 film '' Rendezvous'', starring William Powell and Rosalind Russell, directed by William ...

'' (1942) * ''

A Yank at Eton ''A Yank at Eton'' is an American comedy-drama film directed by Norman Taurog for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Mickey Rooney, Ian Hunter, and Peter Lawford. Released in 1942, it is a kind of junior thematic sequel to MGM's British-made f ...

'' (1942) * ''

Slightly Dangerous ''Slightly Dangerous'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film starring Lana Turner and Robert Young. The screenplay concerns a bored young woman in a dead-end job who runs away to New York City and ends up impersonating the long-lost daughter of ...

'' (1943) * ''

The Youngest Profession ''The Youngest Profession'' is a 1943 film directed by Edward Buzzell, and starring Virginia Weidler, Edward Arnold, John Carroll, Scotty Beckett, and Agnes Moorehead. Based on a short story series and book written by Lillian Day, it contains c ...

'' (1943) * ''

Killer McCoy ''Killer McCoy'' is a 1947 American drama film about a boxer starring Mickey Rooney. It is a remake of '' The Crowd Roars'' (1938). The picture was directed by Roy Rowland with a supporting cast featuring Brian Donlevy, Ann Blyth, James Dun ...

'' (1947) * ''

Adventures of Don Juan ''Adventures of Don Juan'' is a 1948 American Technicolor swashbuckling adventure romance film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Errol Flynn and Viveca Lindfors, with Robert Douglas, Alan Hale, Ann Rutherford, and Robert Warwick. Also in ...

'' (1948) * '' Born to Be Bad'' (1950) * '' Perfect Strangers'' (1950) * ''

Anything Can Happen ''Anything Can Happen'' is a 1952 American comedy-drama film directed by George Seaton, starring José Ferrer and Kim Hunter. José Ferrer stars as Giorgi Papashvily, who emigrates from Georgia (country), Georgia in the Soviet Union to the Unit ...

'' (1952) * ''

Decameron Nights ''Decameron Nights'' is a 1953 anthology Technicolor film based on three tales from ''The Decameron'' by Giovanni Boccaccio, specifically the ninth and tenth tales of the second day and the ninth tale of the third. It stars Joan Fontaine and, a ...

'' (1953) * ''

Tonight We Sing ''Tonight We Sing'' is a 1953 American musical biopic film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring David Wayne, Ezio Pinza and Roberta Peters. It is based on the life and career of the celebrated impresario Sol Hurok. The film is based on the 1 ...

'' (1953)

Publications

* ''The Passionate Playgoer. A Personal Scrapbook,'' 1958 (editor) * ''The View from the Sixties: Memories of a Spent Life, 1966

References

External links

ObituaryVeröffentlichungsnachweis
in the

Open Library Open Library is an online project intended to create "one web page for every book ever published". Created by Aaron Swartz, Brewster Kahle, Alexis Rossi, Anand Chitipothu, and Rebecca Malamud, Open Library is a project of the Internet Archive, ...

1900 births 1977 deaths 20th-century American memoirists Screenwriters from New York (state) Songwriters from New York (state) Jewish American screenwriters American gay writers LGBT Jews Williams College alumni LGBT people from New York (state) Writers from New York City 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American Jews 20th-century LGBT people {{US-screen-writer-stub