November 17, 2008, Los Angeles, California, United States
Spouse
Norma Brecher, Eve Bennett
Fact
Profiled in "The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and TV's Golden Age" by Jordan Young (BearManor Media).
Irving Brecher was born on August 8, 1914 in New York City. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. He had two brothers and one sister. Brecher’s early education was in the New York City public school system. He then attended the City College of New York, where he majored in English.
After college, Brecher began his career as a writer for radio shows. He later wrote for television and film. Some of his most famous works include the screenplay for the film “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek” (1944) and the television series “The Honeymooners” (1955-1956). Brecher was also a successful producer, directing the films “The Great Gatsby” (1974) and “Logan’s Run” (1976).
He was married three times and had four children. Brecher died on April 23, 2008 at the age of 93.
General Info
Died
November 17, 2008, Los Angeles, California, United States
Profession
Film director, Screenwriter, Television Director, Television producer
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Norma Brecher, Eve Bennett
Accomplishments
Nominations
Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay
Movies
Meet Me in St. Louis, The Wizard of Oz, Bye Bye Birdie, At the Circus, Go West, Shadow of the Thin Man, Yolanda and the Thief, Sail a Crooked Ship, Ziegfeld Follies, Somebody Loves Me, Du Barry Was a Lady, The Life of Riley, Best Foot Forward, Cry for Happy, Summer Holiday, New Faces of 1937, Fools ...
American radio writer, who became a close friend of Groucho Marx and went on to script two classic Marx Brothers comedies (At the Circus (1939) and Go West (1940). Brecher jokingly referred to "Go West" "as the longest short ever made". He began his career as an usher at a Manhattan movie theater. A critic from "Variety" magazine told him that he could earn money writing jokes for comedians and he consequently moved to Hollywood in 1937. He wrote gags for Milton Berle and worked at MGM for some time, afterwards creating, producing and writing the popular radio sitcom "The Life of Riley" and then turning it into a feature film and a TV series.
2
Talks about considering Lon Chaney Jr. for the top role in TV's "The Life of Riley" in the book "A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde" (McFarland & Co., 2010) by Tom Weaver.
3
Profiled in "The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and TV's Golden Age" by Jordan Young (BearManor Media).
Movies
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
The People's Choice
TV Series producer - 31 episodes, 1955 - 1957 executive producer - 1 episode, 1957
The Life of Riley
1949-1950
TV Series producer - 26 episodes
The Life of Riley
1949
producer
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Best Foot Forward
1943
screenplay
Du Barry Was a Lady
1943
screenplay
Ship Ahoy
1942
uncredited
Shadow of the Thin Man
1941
screen play
Go West
1940
original screenplay
At the Circus
1939
screen play
The Wizard of Oz
1939
contributing writer - uncredited
Fools for Scandal
1938
additional dialogue - as Irv Brecher
New Faces of 1937
1937
screenplay - as Irv S. Brecher
Bye Bye Birdie
1963
screen play
Cry for Happy
1961
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
1959
TV Series written by - 1 episode
Meet Me in St. Louis
1959
TV Movie original screenplay
The People's Choice
TV Series creator - 4 episodes, 1956 - 1957 writer - 1 episode, 1958
Somebody Loves Me
1952
written by
The Life of Riley
TV Series written by - 25 episodes, 1949 - 1950 writer - 1 episode, 1949
The Life of Riley
1949
writer
Summer Holiday
1948
adaptation
Yolanda and the Thief
1945
screenplay
Ziegfeld Follies
1945
written by - segment "The Babbitt and the Bromide", uncredited
Meet Me in St. Louis
1944
screen play
The Heavenly Body
1944
uncredited
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Sail a Crooked Ship
1961
The People's Choice
1955
TV Series 2 episodes
Somebody Loves Me
1952
The Life of Riley
1949
TV Series 1 episode
The Life of Riley
1949
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Remarks on Marx
2004
Video short special thanks
The Unknown Marx Brothers
1993
TV Movie documentary special thanks - as Irv Brecher
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
On Your Marx, Get Set, Go!
2004
Video documentary short
Himself
Remarks on Marx
2004
Video short
Himself
Great Performances
1996
TV Series
Himself
The Unknown Marx Brothers
1993
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Screenwriter-Director (as Irv Brecher)
A Museum of Broadcasting Tribute: Milton Berle - Mr. Television