Ernest Lehman
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Biography
Born and raised in New York City, Ernest Lehman worked as a publicity writer for The Hollywood Reporter columnist Irving Hoffman and utilized his experience in scripting Alexander Mackendrick's "Sweet Smell of Success" (1957). Though the screenplay bears the stamp of Lehman's co-writer Clifford Odets, this dark and cruel tale originated as a story published by Lehman in Cosmopolitan (1951). This and other stories, one of which became Allan Dwan's "The Inside Story" (1948), brought him to the attention of Hollywood, where he settled in 1953.
That year began his association with Robert Wise on the screenplay for "Executive Suite," and their collaboration continued with "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (1956) through the acclaimed musicals "West Side Story" (1961) and "The Sound of Music" (1965). Nominated four times for Academy Awards for Best Screenplay, he received his first nod for his work with Billy Wilder on "Sabrina" (1954). Though he would never win an Oscar, Lehman was honored with five Writers Guild of America awards for his screenplays, and he served as that organization's president from 1983-85.
Lehman wrote perhaps his finest screenplay, "North by Northwest" (1959), for Alfred Hitchcock. A sublime mix of farce, chase and layered character, its final scenes on Mount Rushmore make it one of Hitchcock's most memorable movies. When the two of them tried to repeat the success of that classic comic thriller in Hitchcock's final movie "Family Plot" (1976), they fell a bit short, though it did give the Old Master a chance to coast along tongue-in-cheek and display his formidable directing skills one last time. Lehman's other multiple collaborations were with Mark Robson ("From the Terrace" 1960 and "The Prize" 1963) and with John Frankenheimer, who directed a Rod Serling adaptation of a Lehman novelette, "The Comedian" (1957), for "Playhouse 90" and shared screenwriting credit on "Black Sunday" (1976).
The astonishing success of "The Sound of Music" enabled Lehman to land the job of writer-producer for Mike Nichols' "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966) which resulted in one last Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay and a Writers Guild of America Award. He wrote and produced the overblown, critically disparaged "Hello, Dolly!" (1969) and added director to that list for "Portnoy's Complaint" (1972), a resounding failure which nipped his directing career in the bud. He published two novels, "The French Atlantic Affair" (1977) and "Farewell Performance" (1983), "Screening Sickness" (1981), a collection of writings on the cinema, and worked as a writer on the 1987, 1988 and 1990 Academy Award shows.
Regrettably, Ernest Lehman stopped writing scripts before turning 60, at least none have reached the screen. His reputation does not rest solely on the smart, funny and beautifully constructed screenplays that hold up to this day like "Sabrina," "Sweet Smell of Success," "North by Northwest" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?." He also displayed a remarkable talent for bringing the stage musical to the screen. Lehman learned to leave the sound stage, taking full advantage of the streets, and his movie musicals, particularly "The King and I" (1956), "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music" are a big part of his legacy.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
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Writer (Special)
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Misc. Crew (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1948
Sold story to Hollywood that became "The Inside Story", directed by Allan Dwan
1951
Published "Tell Me About It Tomorrow" in <i>Cosmopolitan</i>, the basis for "The Sweet Smell of Success"
1953
Wrote screenplay for Robert Wise's "Executive Suite"
1953
Moved to Hollywood
1954
Shared screenwriting credit with Billy Wilder and Samuel Taylor on Wilder's "Sabrina"
1956
Wrote screenplay for "Somebody Up There Likes Me"
1956
Adapted the stage musical "The King and I" as a feature
1957
Rod Serling adapted his novellete "The Comedian" for a "Playhouse 90" production of same name directed by John Frankenheimer
1957
Published "Sweet Smell of Success and Other Stories"
1957
Shared screenwriting credit with Clifford Odets on Alexander Mackendrick's "The Sweet Smell of Success", adapted from Lehman's short story, "Tell Me About It Tomorrow"
1959
Scripted Hitchcock's "North by Northwest"
1960
Wrote screenplay for Mark Robson's "From the Terrace"
1961
Provided screenplay adaptation for Wise's "West Side Story"
1963
Wrote screenplay for Robson's "The Prize"
1965
Reteamed with Wise as writer of "The Sound of Music"
1966
Adapted Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" for the screen; also produced film
1969
Wrote and produced "Hello, Dolly!", directed by Gene Kelly
1976
Was co-screenwriter on Frankenheimer's "Black Sunday"
1976
Wrote screenplay for Hitchcock's final movie "Family Plot"
1977
Published novel "The French Atlantic Affair"
1981
Published "Screening Sickness", a collection of writings on the cinema
1982
Published novel "Farewell Performance"
1983
Served as President of Writers Guild of America West
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