Robert Klane (born 1941) is an American screenwriter, novelist and filmmaker, best known for early iconoclastic novels and for his screenplays for dark comedies such as ''

Where's Poppa? ''Where's Poppa?'' is a 1970 American black comedy film based on the 1970 novel by Robert Klane and starring George Segal, Ruth Gordon, Ron Leibman, and Trish Van Devere. The plot revolves around the troubled relationship between a lawyer (Segal ...

'' (1970) and ''

Weekend at Bernie's ''Weekend at Bernie's'' is a 1989 American black comedy film directed by Ted Kotcheff and written by Robert Klane, loosely based on the 1959 novella ''The Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell'' by Jorge Amado. The film stars Andrew McCarthy and Jona ...

'' (1989).

Career

A 1963 graduate of the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, Klane first rose to prominence with his debut novel, the acerbic comedy ''The Horse is Dead'' (1968). His second novel, ''Where's Poppa?'' (1970), was adapted by Klane into a feature film directed by

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned seven decades. He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

and starring

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as ''Ship o ...

. For his screenplay, Klane received a

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

nomination. His third novel was also adapted into a feature film, ''

Fire Sale A fire sale is the sale of goods at extremely discounted prices. The term originated in reference to the sale of goods at a heavy discount due to fire damage. It may or may not be defined as a closeout, the final sale of goods to zero inventory ...

'' (1977), starring

Alan Arkin Alan Wolf Arkin (born March 26, 1934) is an American actor, director and screenwriter known for his performances on stage and screen. Throughout his career spanning over six decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award ...

. Klane went on to write screenplays for various films such as ''

The Man with One Red Shoe ''The Man with One Red Shoe'' is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti and starring Tom Hanks and Dabney Coleman. It is a remake of the 1972 French film ''The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe'' starring Pierre Richard and Mireil ...

'' (1985), ''

National Lampoon's European Vacation ''National Lampoon's European Vacation'' is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Robert Klane. The second film in National Lampoon's ''Vacation'' film series, it stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Hill, ...

'' (1985), and ''Weekend at Bernie's''. He also directed several films including '' Thank God It's Friday'' (1978) and ''

Weekend at Bernie's II ''Weekend at Bernie's II'' is a 1993 American black comedy film written and directed by Robert Klane. It is the sequel to Klane's 1989 comedy ''Weekend at Bernie's''. Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman and Terry Kiser reprise their roles. The f ...

'' (1993). Additionally, he wrote for several television shows including ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. The ...

'' and '' Tracey Takes On...''.

Bibliography

*''The Horse is Dead'' (1968) *''Where's Poppa?'' (1970) *''Fire Sale'' (1975)

Partial filmography

*''

'' (1970) - wrote screenplay based on his novel *'' Every Little Crook and Nanny'' (1972) - co-wrote screenplay *''

'' (1977) - wrote screenplay based on his novel *'' Thank God It's Friday'' (1978) - directed *'' Unfaithfully Yours'' (1984) - co-wrote screenplay *''

'' (1985) - wrote screenplay *''

'' (1985) - co-wrote screenplay *'' Walk Like a Man'' - wrote screenplay *''

'' (1989) - wrote screenplay *''

Folks! ''Folks!'' is a 1992 American comedy-drama film directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Robert Klane and starring Tom Selleck as a selfish yuppie who takes in his parents after their house burns down. It was panned by critics, earning Selleck a Raz ...

'' (1992) - wrote screenplay *''

'' (1993) - wrote screenplay and directed

References

External links

* 1941 births University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Jewish American writers American male screenwriters Living people 21st-century American Jews {{US-film-bio-stub