Benjamin Glazer (May 7, 1887 – March 18, 1956) was a screenwriter, producer, foley artist, and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of American films from the 1920s through the 1950s. He made the first translation of

Ferenc Molnár Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; 12 January 18781 April 1952), often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarian-born author, stage-director, dramatist, and poet, widely regarded as Hungary’s most celebrated and controversial play ...

's play ''

Liliom ''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''. P ...

'' into English in 1921. His translation was used in the original Broadway production, in the 1930 film version, and in every production in English of the play until recently. It also served as the basis for the libretto for

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

's '' Carousel'', as well as for Phoebe and Henry Ephron's screenplay for the 1956 film version of the classic musical. Glazer was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, Ireland, into a Hungarian Jewish family.The forgotten career of an Ulster Oscar winner
/ref> After moving to the United States, he studied at the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldes ...

and passed the

bar exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associat ...

to become a lawyer in 1906. Glazer was one of the founding members of 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 ...

. He is best known for his Oscar-winning writing for '' 7th Heaven'' (1927) and ''

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 ...

'' (1941). Additional screenwriting credits include ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'', ''

Flesh and the Devil ''Flesh and the Devil'' is an American silent romantic drama film released in 1927 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and stars Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lars Hanson, and Barbara Kent, directed by Clarence Brown, and based on the novel ''The Undying ...

'', ''

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...

'', '' A Farewell to Arms'', ''

We're Not Dressing ''We're Not Dressing'' is a 1934 pre-Code screwball musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard, George Burns, Gracie Allen and Ethel Merman. Based on the 1902 J. M. Barrie play ''The Admirable Crichton'' ...

'', and '' Tortilla Flat''. Glazer also directed one film, the 1948 ''

Song of My Heart ''Song of My Heart'' is a 1948 American historical drama film directed by Benjamin Glazer and starring Frank Sundström, Audrey Long and Cedric Hardwicke. It is a highly fictionalised biopic of the nineteenth century Russian composer Pyotr Ilyic ...

'', a highly fictionalized biography of

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

. Glazer was married to actress

Sharon Lynn Sharon Lynn (born D'Auvergne Sharon Lindsay, April 9, 1901 – May 26, 1963) was an American actress and singer. She began playing in silent films but enjoyed her biggest success in the early sound years of motion pictures before fading away i ...

. He died of circulatory failure in Hollywood, at the age of 68.

Selected filmography

(as screenwriter unless otherwise noted) * ''

Sinners in Silk ''Sinners in Silk'' is a 1924 silent romantic drama film directed by Hobart Henley. The film stars Eleanor Boardman, Adolphe Menjou, Hedda Hopper, Conrad Nagel, and Jean Hersholt. It was written by Benjamin Glazer and Carey Wilson. The film a ...

'' (1924) * '' The Great Divide'' (1924) * '' Fine Clothes'' (1925) * ''

'' (1925) * '' Memory Lane'' (1926) * '' The Gay Deceiver'' (1926) * '' Wild Oats Lane'' (1926) * ''

'' (1926) * '' The Lady in Ermine'' (1927) * '' 7th Heaven'' (1927) * ''

Paid to Love Paid or PAID may refer to: * ''Paid'' (1930 film), an American film starring Joan Crawford * ''Paid'' (2006 film), a Dutch film *'' Personality and Individual Differences'', a journal See also * Paide Paide is a town in Estonia and the ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Trail of '98 ''The Trail of '98'' is a 1928 American silent action-adventure/drama film featuring Harry Carey and Dolores del Río about the Klondike Gold Rush. The film was originally released by MGM in a short-lived widescreen process called “Fantom S ...

'' (1928) * ''

Beggars of Life ''Beggars of Life'' is an American film directed by William Wellman and starring Wallace Beery and Richard Arlen as hobos, and Louise Brooks as a young woman who dresses as a young man and flees the law. The film is regarded as Brooks's best Ame ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Boudoir Diplomat ''The Boudoir Diplomat'' is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair, produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, from the play ''The Command To Love'' by Fritz Gottwald and Rudolph Lothar. The film is ...

'' (1930) * '' The Devil to Pay!'' (1930) * ''

'' (1930) * '' Pagan Lady'' (1931) * ''

'' (1931) * ''

Monsieur Albert ''Monsieur Albert'' is a 1932 French comedy film directed by Karl Anton and starring Noël-Noël, Betty Stockfeld and Marcel Barencey.Oscherwitz, Dayna & Higgins, MaryEllen. ''The A to Z of French Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2009. p. 167. It w ...

'' (1932) * '' A Farewell to Arms'' (1932) * '' No Man Of Her Own'' (1932) * '' The Way to Love'' (1933) * ''

'' (1934) * '' She Loves Me Not'' (1934) (also producer) * ''

Rhythm on the Range ''Rhythm on the Range'' is a 1936 American Western musical film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Bing Crosby, Frances Farmer, and Bob Burns. Based on a story by Mervin J. Houser, the film is about a cowboy who meets a beautiful young wom ...

'' (1934) (also producer) * ''

Four Daughters ''Four Daughters'' is a 1938 American romance film that tells the story of a happy musical family whose lives and loves are disrupted by the arrival of a charming young composer who interjects himself into the daughters' romantic lives. His cynic ...

'' (1938) (assoc. producer) * '' Going Places'' (1938) (assoc. producer) * '' Yes, My Darling Daughter'' (1939) (assoc. producer) * ''

They Made Me a Criminal ''They Made Me a Criminal'' is a 1939 American crime drama film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring John Garfield, Claude Rains, and The Dead End Kids. It is a remake of the film '' The Life of Jimmy Dolan'' (1933). The film was later featu ...

'' (1939) (assoc. producer) * ''

'' (1940) (story) * '' Paris Calling'' (1941) * '' Tortilla Flat'' (1942) * ''

'' (1948) (also director) * '' Carousel'' (1955) (libretto)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Glazer, Benjamin Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Best Story Academy Award winners Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Irish Jews 1887 births 1956 deaths University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Screenwriters from Northern Ireland Male writers from Northern Ireland Television writers from Northern Ireland Television directors from Northern Ireland