Herbert Baker (screenwriter)
Herbert Baker (born Herbert Joseph Abrahams; December 25, 1920, New York City – June 30, 1983, Encino, Los Angeles, California) was a songwriter and screenwriter for television and films.
Biography
The only son of composer
Screenwriting
In 1945, Baker wrote for the
He wrote Dream Wife (1953) with Sidney Sheldon for Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, as well as several films for Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis such as Jumping Jacks (1951), Scared Stiff (1953), and Artists and Models (1955). The latter film was directed and co-written by Frank Tashlin, with whom Baker worked again on The Girl Can't Help It.[3]
Baker kept writing songs, including new ones for Rose Marie (1954). He contributed to two Elvis Presley films, Loving You and King Creole. After Martin and Lewis split up, Baker wrote Don't Give Up the Ship for Jerry Lewis and worked on Lewis's television show.[3] One of Baker's best popular songs was written in the mid-1950s, I Love To Love, famously recorded by Lena Horne on her 'Live at the Waldorf Astoria' album and also recorded by Peggy Lee.[4]
Baker entered television writing and won
In 1965, Baker wrote for The Dean Martin Show. When Martin agreed to star in and co-produce a series of Matt Helm spy films for producer Irving Allen in the same year, Baker rewrote the screenplay Oscar Saul (A Streetcar Named Desire) had based on the original Matt Helm novels written by Donald Hamilton to reflect Dean Martin's Rat Pack reputation for the third and final draft of The Silencers but only received a screen credit for the song parodies he wrote for Martin.[7]
Baker received sole credit for Murderers' Row that Oscar Saul had rewritten but Baker rewrote again.[7] He wrote the third Matt Helm film, The Ambushers, and later wrote a serious spy adventure for Irving Allen, Hammerhead, based on James Mayo's "Charles Hood" character. Baker's final screen credit was The Jazz Singer in 1980.
Baker taught music and mentored
A member of the
References
- ^ Helen Goes to Troy, ibdb.com; accessed August 5, 2015.
- ^ Profile[permanent dead link], torinofilmfest.org; accessed August 5, 2015.
- ^ IMDb
- ^ RCA albums and Capitol album
- ^ Emmy Award nomination: Herbert Baker, imdb.com; accessed August 5, 2015.
- ^ Obituary, Variety, July 6, 1983; accessed August 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c Profile, cdlib.org; accessed August 5, 2015.
- ^ Profile, ftvdb.bfi.org.uk; accessed August 5, 2015.
- ^ Azar Lawrence profile, thebottomend.co.uk; accessed August 5, 2015.
- ^ Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award Archived 2008-01-02 at the Wayback Machine, wga.org; accessed August 5, 2015.
Links
External links
- Herbert Baker at IMDb