Julius J. Epstein
Encyclopedia
Julius J. Epstein was an American
screenwriter
, who had a long career, best remembered for the adaptation - in partnership with his twin brother, Philip
, and others - of the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's
that became the screenplay for the film Casablanca
(1942), for which its team of writers won an Academy Award
. Following his brother's death in 1952, he continued writing, receiving two more Oscar nominations and, in 1998, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association
career achievement award. His credits included Four Daughters
(1938), The Bride Came C.O.D.
(1941), The Man Who Came to Dinner
(1942), Mr. Skeffington
(1944), The Tender Trap
(1955), Light in the Piazza (1962), Send Me No Flowers
(1964), Pete 'n' Tillie
(1972), and Reuben, Reuben
(1983).
Jack Warner
, head of Warner Bros.
, had a tortuous relationship with the Epstein brothers. While he could not argue with their commercial acumen, he deplored their pranks, their work habits and the hours they kept. In 1952, Warner gave their names to the House Un-American Activities Committee
(HUAC). They never testified before the committee, but on a HUAC questionnaire, when asked if they ever were members of a "subversive organization," they responded, "Yes. Warner Brothers." He died on December 30, 2000 in Los Angeles, California
.
, director of the creative writing
program at Boston University
and accomplished novelist and the great-uncle of Boston Red Sox
General Manager Theo Epstein
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, who had a long career, best remembered for the adaptation - in partnership with his twin brother, Philip
Philip G. Epstein
Philip G. Epstein was an American screenwriter most known for his adaptation in partnership with his twin brother, Julius, and others, of the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's which became the Academy Award-winning screenplay of the film Casablanca .Epstein was born in New York City and...
, and others - of the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's
Everybody Comes to Rick's
Everybody Comes to Rick's is an unpublished play which was the basis for the movie Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. It was written by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison...
that became the screenplay for the film Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
(1942), for which its team of writers won an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
. Following his brother's death in 1952, he continued writing, receiving two more Oscar nominations and, in 1998, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association was founded in 1975. Its main purpose is to present yearly awards to members of the film industry who have excelled in their fields. These awards are presented each January...
career achievement award. His credits included Four Daughters
Four Daughters
Four Daughters is a 1938 musical drama film that tells the story of a happy musical family whose lives and loves are disrupted by the arrival of a cynical young composer who interjects himself into the daughters' romantic lives...
(1938), The Bride Came C.O.D.
The Bride Came C.O.D.
The Bride Came C.O.D. is a 1941 Warner Bros. screwball romantic comedy starring James Cagney as a pilot and Bette Davis as a runaway heiress. Although the film was publicized as the first movie pairing of Warner Bros.' two biggest stars, they had actually made Jimmy the Gent together in 1934.The...
(1941), The Man Who Came to Dinner
The Man Who Came to Dinner
The Man Who Came to Dinner is a comedy in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939 at the Music Box Theatre in New York City. It then enjoyed a number of New York and London revivals. The first London production was staged at The Savoy Theatre starring Robert...
(1942), Mr. Skeffington
Mr. Skeffington
Mr. Skeffington is a 1944 American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman, based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth von Arnim.The film stars Bette Davis as a beautiful woman whose many suitors, and self-love, distract her from returning the affections of her husband, Job Skeffington...
(1944), The Tender Trap
The Tender Trap
The Tender Trap can refer to:*The Tender Trap , a 1954 Broadway play by Robert Paul Smith and Max Shulman, starring Robert Preston*The Tender Trap , a 1955 movie based on the play, starring Debbie Reynolds and Frank Sinatra...
(1955), Light in the Piazza (1962), Send Me No Flowers
Send Me No Flowers
Send Me No Flowers: a 1964 American comedy film, directed by Norman Jewison and starring Rock Hudson, Doris Day, and Tony Randall. After Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back, it is the third and final film in which Hudson, Day and Randall starred together.The screenplay by Julius J...
(1964), Pete 'n' Tillie
Pete 'n' Tillie
Pete 'n' Tillie is a 1972 American comedy-drama film starring Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett in the title roles. Its advertising tagline was "Honeymoon's over...
(1972), and Reuben, Reuben
Reuben, Reuben
Reuben, Reuben is a 1983 comedy drama film. It stars Tom Conti, Kelly McGillis, Roberts Blossom, Cynthia Harris, and Joel Fabiani.The film was adapted by Julius J. Epstein from the play Spofford by Herman Shumlin, which in turn was adapted from the novel Reuben, Reuben by Peter De Vries. It was...
(1983).
Biography
Epstein was born on August 22, 1909 in New York City, New York. He graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 1931 with a BA in Arts and Letters. Both brothers boxed for the varsity squad there; in fact, Julius became an NCAA Bantamweight Champion. He maintained close ties with Penn State throughout his life (often as a guest lecturer at the film school), and was buried in a Penn State polo shirt.Jack Warner
Jack Warner
Jack Leonard "J. L." Warner , born Jacob Warner in London, Ontario, was a Canadian American film executive who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California...
, head of Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, had a tortuous relationship with the Epstein brothers. While he could not argue with their commercial acumen, he deplored their pranks, their work habits and the hours they kept. In 1952, Warner gave their names to the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
(HUAC). They never testified before the committee, but on a HUAC questionnaire, when asked if they ever were members of a "subversive organization," they responded, "Yes. Warner Brothers." He died on December 30, 2000 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Legacy
Epstein was the uncle of Leslie EpsteinLeslie Epstein
Leslie Donald Epstein is an American novelist.He has written nine novels including King of the Jews , Pandaemonium , and San Remo Drive: A Novel from Memory , based on his childhood growing up in Hollywood in the 1940s and 50s...
, director of the creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
program at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and accomplished novelist and the great-uncle of Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
General Manager Theo Epstein
Theo Epstein
Theo Nathan Epstein is the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs.On November 25, 2002, he became the youngest GM in the history of Major League Baseball when the Boston Red Sox hired him at the age of 28...
.
External links
- Julius J. Epstein at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Obituary on bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...