Norman Krasna
Encyclopedia
Norman Krasna was an American
screenwriter
, playwright
, and film director
. He is best known for penning screwball comedies
, melodrama
, and early films noir
. Krasna also directed three films during a forty-year career in Hollywood. He garnered four Academy Award screenwriting nominations, winning once for 1943's Princess O'Rourke
, a film he also directed. Later in his career, he also wrote plays, including Time for Elizabeth (1948) cowritten with Groucho Marx
, and the popular Kind Sir which he adapted into the movie Indiscreet (1958). He married Al Jolson
's widow Erle in 1951, and they remained married until Krasna's death.
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:...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He is best known for penning screwball comedies
Screwball comedy film
The screwball comedy is a principally American genre of comedy film that became popular during the Great Depression, originating in the early 1930s and thriving until the early 1940s. It is characterized by fast-paced repartee, farcical situations, escapist themes, and plot lines involving...
, melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
, and early films noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
. Krasna also directed three films during a forty-year career in Hollywood. He garnered four Academy Award screenwriting nominations, winning once for 1943's Princess O'Rourke
Princess O'Rourke
Princess O'Rourke is a 1943 romantic comedy film. It was directed and written by Norman Krasna and starring Olivia de Havilland, Robert Cummings and Charles Coburn...
, a film he also directed. Later in his career, he also wrote plays, including Time for Elizabeth (1948) cowritten with Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
, and the popular Kind Sir which he adapted into the movie Indiscreet (1958). He married Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
's widow Erle in 1951, and they remained married until Krasna's death.
Selected filmography
- BombshellBombshell (film)Bombshell is a Pre-Code film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan, C. Aubrey Smith, Mary Forbes and Franchot Tone.-Plot:...
(1933, screenplay) - Meet the BaronMeet the BaronMeet the Baron is a comedy film starring Jack Pearl, Jimmy Durante, Edna May Oliver, Zasu Pitts, Ted Healy and the Three Stooges.-Plot:...
(1933, co-author of screenplay with Herman J. MankiewiczHerman J. MankiewiczHerman Jacob Mankiewicz was an American screenwriter, who, with Orson Welles, wrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane . Earlier, he was the Berlin correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and the drama critic for The New York Times and The New Yorker. Alexander Woollcott, said that Herman Mankiewicz was...
) - The Richest Girl in the World (1934, screenplay and story)
- Hands Across the TableHands Across the TableHands Across the Table is a 1935 American romantic screwball comedy film released by Paramount Pictures. It stars Carole Lombard as a manicurist looking for a rich husband and Fred MacMurray as a poor playboy, with Ralph Bellamy as a wealthy but handicapped ex-pilot...
(1935, screenplay) - Four Hours to Kill!Four Hours to Kill!Four Hours to Kill! is a 1935 drama film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Richard Barthelmess.-Cast:* Richard Barthelmess - Tony Mako* Joe Morrison - Eddie* Gertrude Michael - Mrs. Sylvia Temple* Helen Mack - Helen* Dorothy Tree - Mae Danish...
(1935, screenplay) - Wife vs. SecretaryWife vs. SecretaryWife vs. Secretary is a comedy film directed and co-produced by Clarence Brown. It stars Clark Gable as a successful businessman, Jean Harlow as his secretary, and Myrna Loy as his wife, supported by May Robson as his mother and James Stewart, in one of his first memorable roles, as the...
(1936, screenplay) - FuryFury (1936 film)Fury is a 1936 American drama film which tells the story of an innocent man who narrowly escapes being lynched and the revenge he seeks. Directed by Fritz Lang, the film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and stars Spencer Tracy, Sylvia Sidney and Bruce Cabot and features Walter Abel, Edward...
(1936, story) - The King and the Chorus Girl (1937, co-writer with Groucho MarxGroucho MarxJulius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
) - Bachelor MotherBachelor MotherBachelor Mother is an American comedy film directed by Garson Kanin, and starring Ginger Rogers , David Niven, and Charles Coburn. The screenplay was written by Norman Krasna based on a Academy Award nominated story by Felix Jackson...
(1939, screenplay) - The Flame of New OrleansThe Flame of New OrleansThe Flame of New Orleans is a 1941 comedy film directed by René Clair and starring Bruce Cabot in his first comedy role and Marlene Dietrich. It was nominated an Academy Award for Best Art Direction by Martin Obzina, Jack Otterson and Russell A...
(1941, screenplay) - Mr. & Mrs. SmithMr. & Mrs. Smith (1941 film)Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a 1941 screwball comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Norman Krasna, and starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery...
(1941, screenplay) - The Devil and Miss JonesThe Devil and Miss JonesThe Devil and Miss Jones is a 1941 comedy film starring Jean Arthur and Charles Coburn. Directed by Sam Wood and scripted by Norman Krasna, the film was the product of an independent collaboration between Krasna and producer Frank Ross...
(1941, screenplay and producer) - Princess O'RourkePrincess O'RourkePrincess O'Rourke is a 1943 romantic comedy film. It was directed and written by Norman Krasna and starring Olivia de Havilland, Robert Cummings and Charles Coburn...
(1943, screenplay and director) - The Big Hangover (1950, screenplay, director, and producer)
- Two Tickets to BroadwayTwo Tickets to BroadwayTwo Tickets to Broadway is a 1951 musical film directed by James V. Kern. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording .-Cast:* Tony Martin as Dan Carter* Janet Leigh as Nancy Peterson* Gloria DeHaven as Hannah Holbrook...
(1951) - The Blue VeilThe Blue VeilThe Blue Veil is a 1951 American drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt. The screenplay by Norman Corwin is based on a story by François Campaux, which was adapted for the French language film Le Voile bleu in 1942.-Plot:...
(1951, producer) - Clash by NightClash by NightClash by Night is a black-and-white drama with some film noir aspects, directed by Fritz Lang and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Marilyn Monroe and Robert Ryan. The movie was based on the play by Clifford Odets, adapted by writer Alfred Hayes...
(1952, producer) - The Lusty Men (1952, producer)
- White ChristmasWhite Christmas (film)White Christmas is a 1954 Technicolor musical film starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that features the songs of Irving Berlin, including the titular "White Christmas"...
(1954, screenplay) - The Ambassador's DaughterThe Ambassador's Daughter (1956 film)The Ambassador's Daughter is a 1956 romantic comedy film starring Olivia de Havilland and John Forsythe. When a visiting American Senator decides to make Paris off-limits to rowdy military personnel, the daughter of the Ambassador to France decides to show him that American servicemen can be...
(1956, screenplay, director, and producer) - Indiscreet (1958, screenplay and play)
- Let's Make LoveLet's Make LoveLet's Make Love is a 1960 musical comedy film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by George Cukor and produced by Jerry Wald from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, Hal Kanter and Arthur Miller...
(1960, screenplay) - My GeishaMy GeishaMy Geisha is a 1962 American comedy film directed by Jack Cardiff, starring Yves Montand, Shirley MacLaine, and Edward G. Robinson, and released by Paramount Pictures...
(1962, screenplay) - Sunday in New YorkSunday in New YorkSunday in New York, filmed in Metrocolor, is a 1963 American comedy film directed by Peter Tewksbury and starring Jane Fonda, Cliff Robertson, and Rod Taylor. It was one of Fonda's earliest films, and she was called "the loveliest and most gifted of all our new young actresses" by Newsday...
(1963, screenplay and play)
Theatre Credits
- Louder, Please (1932)
- Small Miracle (1935)
- The Man with Blond Hair (1941)
- Dear RuthDear RuthDear Ruth is a 1947 romantic comedy film starring Joan Caulfield, William Holden, Mona Freeman, and Edward Arnold. It was based on the Broadway play of the same name by Norman Krasna. A teenage girl has a soldier for a pen pal, but uses her older sister's name and photograph...
(1945) - John Loves MaryJohn Loves MaryJohn Loves Mary is a 1949 film directed by David Butler. It stars Ronald Reagan and Jack Carson.-Cast:*Ronald Reagan as John Lawrence*Jack Carson as Fred Taylor*Wayne Morris as Lt. Victor O'Leary*Edward Arnold as Sen. James McKinley...
(1947) - Time for Elizabeth (1949) - written with Groucho MarxGroucho MarxJulius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
- Kind Sir (1954)
- Who Was That Lady I Saw You With? (1958)
- Sunday in New York (1962)
- Love in E-Flat (1967)
- Watch the Birdie! (1969)
- Bunny (1970)
- We Interrupt This Program (1975)
Won
- Best Original Screenplay (Princess O'Rourke, 1943)
Nominated
- Best Original StoryAcademy Award for Best StoryThe Academy Award for Best Story was an Academy Award given from the beginning of the Academy Awards until 1957, when it was eliminated in favor of the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay, which had been introduced in 1940.-1920s:...
(The Richest Girl in the World, 1934) - Best Original StoryAcademy Award for Best StoryThe Academy Award for Best Story was an Academy Award given from the beginning of the Academy Awards until 1957, when it was eliminated in favor of the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay, which had been introduced in 1940.-1920s:...
(FuryFury (1936 film)Fury is a 1936 American drama film which tells the story of an innocent man who narrowly escapes being lynched and the revenge he seeks. Directed by Fritz Lang, the film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and stars Spencer Tracy, Sylvia Sidney and Bruce Cabot and features Walter Abel, Edward...
, 1936) - Best Original Screenplay (The Devil and Miss JonesThe Devil and Miss JonesThe Devil and Miss Jones is a 1941 comedy film starring Jean Arthur and Charles Coburn. Directed by Sam Wood and scripted by Norman Krasna, the film was the product of an independent collaboration between Krasna and producer Frank Ross...
, 1941)