Lesser Samuels

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Lesser Samuels (born July 26, 1894 in Allegheny , Pennsylvania , † December 23, 1980 in New York City ) was an American screenwriter .

Life

After studying metallurgy at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , Lesser Samuels initially worked in the steel industry. He later turned to writing and from 1936 worked as a screenwriter for the Gaumont British Picture Corporation in London . In 1939 he finally went to Hollywood , where he worked as a writer for various film studios. His works include MGM's film drama The miraculous escape ( Strange Cargo , 1940) with Joan Crawford and Clark Gable , as well as Columbia Pictures ' movie musical Tonight and Every Night (1945) with Rita Hayworth . In 1951 he was nominated for the film Der Haß ist blind ( No Way Out ) together with Joseph L. Mankiewicz for an Oscar in the category Best Original Screenplay. A year later, he received his second Oscar nomination in the same category for Billy Wilder's Reporters of Satan ( Ace in the Hole ). However, he failed to win the trophy both times.

For the Bible film The Silver Chalice ( The Silver Chalice , 1954), with Paul Newman made his feature film debut, Samuels wrote one of his last film scripts. He was also used as an “associate producer” of the film. Shortly before Samuels also had Victor Saville's The long wait ( The Long Wait contributed, 1954) produced and also for the script. In 1956, Samuels retired from the film business. Two years later he went to New York to devote himself to the theater. Together with Frank Loesser he wrote the libretto for the musical Greenwillow , which was performed on Broadway in 1960 with Anthony Perkins in the leading role . From 1975 Samuels lived with his daughter Helene Beck in Belmont , Massachusetts . He died in a New York nursing home in 1980 at the age of 86.

Filmography (selection)

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d The New York Times Biographical Service . Volume 11, New York Times & Arno Press, 1980, p. 1810.
personal data
SURNAME Samuels, Lesser
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH July 26, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Allegheny , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH December 23, 1980
Place of death New York City