Alfred A. Cohn
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Alfred A. Cohn (March 26, 1880 – February 3, 1951) was an American author, journalist and newspaper editor, Police Commissioner, and screenwriter of the 1920s and 1930s. He is best remembered for his work on ''
The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolate ...
'', which was nominated for (but did not win) an
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay Film adaptation, adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include st ...
in the
1st Academy Awards The 1st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and hosted by AMPAS president Douglas Fairbanks, honored the best films from 1 August 1927 to 31 July 1928 and took place on May 1 ...
of 1929. Cohn was born in
Freeport, Illinois Freeport is the county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is known for hosting the second Linc ...
but subsequently moved to
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, Ohio where he began work as a newspaper editor and journalist. He then moved to Galveston, Texas where he ran a newspaper. Following his career in journalism, he moved to
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and participated as a secretary in the
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
constitutional convention which led to its statehood in 1912. In the 1920s, he moved to Los Angeles, California and began working as a writer, first doing
title card In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dialo ...
s for
silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
s and, later, scripts and adaptations. He was a co-writer on the 1926 film ''
The Cohens and Kellys ''The Cohens and Kellys'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Harry A. Pollard and starring Charles Murray, George Sidney, Kate Price, and Jason Robards Sr. The film is the first of the ''Cohens and Kellys'' film serials. The f ...
'', the first of the six-film ''Cohens and Kellys'' franchise. His work on adapting The Jazz Singer, one of the first motion pictures with sound, from a play and short story by
Samson Raphaelson Samson Raphaelson (March 30, 1894 – July 16, 1983) was a leading American playwright, screenwriter and fiction writer. While working as an advertising executive in New York, he wrote a short story based on the early life of Al Jolson, called ' ...
, led to his first and only nomination for an
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 ...
. During this period, he was a prolific writer and wrote more than 100 scripts, roughly 40 of which were produced into films. In the 1930s, he retired from screenwriting and was appointed the Police Commissioner of Los Angeles, and he continued writing as a short story writer. He died of a heart condition in 1951.


Partial filmography

* ''
Jazzmania ''Jazzmania'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring his then-wife Mae Murray. In keeping with Murray's previous films and a few of her succeeding films, the movie possesses some of the most provocative ...
'' (1923) * ''
The Unknown Purple ''The Unknown Purple'' is a lost 1923 American silent mystery film that was written and directed by Roland West.The Drums of Jeopardy'' (1923) * ''
Fashion Row ''Fashion Row'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Mae Murray in a dual role, Earle Foxe, and Freeman Wood. The film involves two Russian sisters emigrate to America. One tries to hide her peasant or ...
'' (1924) * ''
Half-A-Dollar-Bill ''Half-A-Dollar-Bill'' is a surviving 1924 American silent drama film directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starring Anna Q. Nilsson. It was produced by an independent company and released through Metro Pictures. Plot As described in a film magazine ...
'' (1924) * '' In Fast Company'' (1924) * '' The Legend of Hollywood'' (1924) * ''
Which Shall It Be? ''Which Shall It Be?'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Renaud Hoffman and starring Willis Marks, Ethel Wales Ethel Wales (April 4, 1878 – February 15, 1952) was an American actress who appeared in more than 130 films du ...
'' (1924) * '' Friendly Enemies'' (1925) * ''
The Cohens and Kellys ''The Cohens and Kellys'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Harry A. Pollard and starring Charles Murray, George Sidney, Kate Price, and Jason Robards Sr. The film is the first of the ''Cohens and Kellys'' film serials. The f ...
'' (1926) * ''
The Midnight Kiss ''The Midnight Kiss'' is a lost 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Janet Gaynor. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. Cast *Richard Walling as Thomas H. Atkins Jr. *Janet Gaynor as Mildr ...
'' (1926) * ''
Flames A flame (from Latin ''flamma'') is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction taking place in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density they ...
'' (1926) * ''
Frisco Sally Levy ''Frisco Sally Levy'' (a.k.a. "Véspera de Natal") is a lost 1927 comedy silent film directed by William Beaudine and starring Sally O'Neil and Roy D'Arcy, which was released on April 2, 1927.The Cat and the Canary'' (1927) * ''
The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolate ...
'' (1927) * ''
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris ''The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris'' is a 1928 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine. It was the first sequel to ''The Cohens and Kellys''. The film title is sometimes listed as ''The Cohens and Kellys in Paris''. It was an early ...
'' (1928) * ''
We Americans ''We Americans'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Edward Sloman and starring George Sidney, Patsy Ruth Miller and George J. Lewis.Erens p.96 Synopsis Two young couples try to cross the mixed ethnic divide in America, something w ...
'' (1928) * ''
The Last Warning ''The Last Warning'' is a 1928 American mystery film directed by Paul Leni, and starring Laura La Plante, Montagu Love, and Margaret Livingston. ''The Last Warning'' was also one of the very last silent films Universal made — except it was a ...
'' (1928) * '' The Carnation Kid'' (1929) * ''
Divorce Made Easy ''Divorce Made Easy'' is a 1929 American Pre-Code sound comedy film directed by Neal Burns and Walter Graham and written by Alfred A. Cohn, Wilson Collison, and Garrett Graham. The film stars Douglas MacLean, Marie Prevost, Johnny Arthur, Fran ...
'' (1929) * '' Always Faithful'' (1929) * ''
Numbered Men ''Numbered Men'' is a 1930 American pre-Code prison drama film (originally with songs) produced and released by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The movie stars Bernice Claire, Conrad Nagel, ...
'' (1930) * '' Sweethearts on Parade'' (1930) * '' A Holy Terror'' (1931) * '' Mystery Ranch'' (1932) * ''
Son of a Sailor ''Son of a Sailor'' is a 1933 American comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Alfred A. Cohn, Paul Gerard Smith, Ernest Pagano, and H. M. Walker. The film stars Joe E. Brown, Jean Muir, Frank McHugh, Thelma Todd, Johnny Mack Brown, ...
'' (1933) * ''
Harold Teen ''Harold Teen'' is a discontinued, long-running American comic strip written and drawn by Carl Ed (pronounced "eed"). Publisher Joseph Medill Patterson may have suggested and certainly approved the strip's concept, loosely based on Booth Tarking ...
'' (1934)


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohn, Alfred 1880 births 1951 deaths Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery American male screenwriters Commissioners of the Los Angeles Police Department People from Freeport, Illinois Screenwriters from Illinois 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters