Julius J. Epstein
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Julius J. Epstein | |
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Born | New York City, New York, U.S. | August 22, 1909
Died | December 30, 2000 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 91)
Occupation | Screenwriter |
Relatives | Philip G. Epstein (twin brother), Leslie Epstein, nephew Theo Epstein, grandnephew |
Julius J. Epstein (August 22, 1909 – December 30, 2000) was an American
His identical twin died in 1952, a loss that he felt for the rest of his life. He continued writing, receiving two more
Epstein had a less successful result as a playwright in
Biography
Epstein was born Julius Epstein
After college, the Epsteins went to Hollywood, hoping to work in the movies. They became successful screenwriters and began collaborating in 1939. They were noted for their Academy Award-winning
Epstein married the actress Frances Sage and they had two children, James and Elizabeth. They later divorced. Epstein married Ann (1919-2003) and they had a son Philip, who died in 2000.[1]
In 1994, he was interviewed by Walter Matthau.[5]
He died on December 30, 2000, in
Career
Epstein shared an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay of Four Daughters, written with Lenore Coffee (with Thyra Samter Winslow contributing to the treatment and Lawrence Kimble contributing to the script), as an adaptation from Frances Hurst's novel, Sister Act.
In 1944, the Epstein brothers attempted their first film in the capacity of both writers and producers with "Mr. Skeffington." The picture was a box-office success and won both Bette Davis and Claude Rains Oscar nominations.[6][7] After leaving Warner Bros. in 1948, the Epstein brothers wrote five more screenplays together, two of which, The Last Time I Saw Paris and The Brothers Karamazov, were released after Philip Epstein's death in 1952.[6]
Notable quote
About writing under the studio system of the 1930s and '40s, Epstein said in a 1984 interview:[1]
There wasn't one moment of reality in 'Casablanca.' We weren't making art. We were making a living. Movies in those days were prevented from reality. Every leading man had to be a great sexual athlete. Every boy and girl had to 'meet cute,' and the girl had to dislike the hero when they met. If a woman committed adultery, she had to die. Now the woman who commits adultery is your heroine.
Works
- Four Daughters (1938), for which he received his first Oscar nomination for an adapted screenplay.
Together, he and his brother collaborated on the following:[1]
- Casablanca (1942)
- The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
- The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)
- The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
- Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
- Mr. Skeffington (1944)
- My Foolish Heart (1949)
- The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954; released 2 years after Philip's death)
- The Brothers Karamazov (1954; released 6 years after Philip's death)
After his brother's death in 1952, Epstein continued to write. His later films include:
- The Tender Trap (1955)
- Light in the Piazza (1962)
- Send Me No Flowers (1964)
- Return from the Ashes (1965)
- Pete 'n' Tillie (1972)
- House Calls (1978)
- Reuben, Reuben (1983)
He wrote screenplays for more than 50 films in his 50-year career.[1]
Family
Epstein has two living children: a daughter, Elizabeth, and a son, James Epstein, who is a criminal lawyer in Los Angeles. Another son, Philip Epstein, died in 2000.
After his twin brother's death, Epstein looked out for Philip's son, Leslie, who became a novelist and director of the creative writing program at Boston University. Epstein was the great-uncle of Leslie's children: Theo Epstein, former Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations and former Boston Red Sox general manager, and Anya Epstein, a television writer.
Legacy and honors
- 1939: Nomination for Academy Award for his adapted screenplay for Four Daughters, adapted from Fannie Hurst's novel, Sister Act.
- 1943: Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Casablanca, adapted from an unproduced play, Rick's Cafe
- 1973: Nomination for Academy Award for his adapted screenplay for Pete 'n' Tillie, adapted from two novels by Peter De Vries.
- 1984: Nomination for Academy Award for screenplay of Reuben, Reuben, based on a De Vries novel.
- 1998: Los Angeles Film Critics Association career achievement award.
- He received a Writers Guild of America Award.
References
- ^ New York Times. January 1, 2001. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
Julius J. Epstein, a screenwriter of sharp, sardonic dialogue who won an Academy Award for the script of Casablanca, died here on Saturday. He was 91.
- ^ "Henry Miller's Theatre", in Broadway: An Encyclopedia, by Ken Bloom (Routledge, 2013) pp335-336
- ^ The middle initial J. was added at an early stage of his career when he was working with a small advertising agency started by a college friend. The printer who produced their calling cards said that Julius needed an initial in his name to balance his partner's, so Julius Epstein became Julius J. Epstein. Christopher Silvester. Retrieved September 10, 2015
- ^ Tablet Magazine: "The Brothers Who Co-Wrote 'Casablanca' - Writers Julius and Philip Epstein are also forebears of baseball's Theo Epstein" by Adam Chandler August 22, 2013
- ^ Writers Guild Foundation. "The Writer Speaks: Julius Epstein". YouTube.
- ^ a b Joanne L. Yeck, "Julius & Philip Epstein," Films and Filmmakers Series (Writers and Production Artists), St. James Press. 1987.
- ^ Joanne L. Yeck, "Julius J. Epstein" an interview, Magill's Survey of Cinema, 1984, Salem Press, Inc. 1984.
External links
- Julius J. Epstein at IMDb
- Julius J. Epstein at the Internet Broadway Database
- Julius J. Epstein at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Obituary on bbc.co.uk
- Julius J. Epstein at Find a Grave