Leonard Spigelgass
Encyclopedia
Leonard Spigelgass was an American
film producer
and screenwriter
.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Spigelgass got his start collaborating on the script for Erich Von Stroheim
's Hello, Sister!
(1933). Additional screen credits include The Big Street
(1942), I Was a Male War Bride
(1949), Ten Thousand Bedrooms
(1957), Silk Stockings
(1957), Pepe
(1960), and Gypsy
(1962).
Spigelgass signed on as a staff writer for Universal Studios
in 1938 and was a colonel
in the US Army Signal Corps.
Spigelgass also was a playwright
and penned such dramas as Dear Me the Sky Is Falling, The Wrong Way Light Bulb, and A Remedy for Winter, the comedy A Majority of One
, and the book for the musical Look to the Lilies
. He also wrote plays for such television series as Playhouse 90
and the novels Million Dollar Baby and Fed to the Teeth.
During his career, Spigelgass wrote the script for eleven Academy Award-winning films. He himself was nominated in 1950 for the story for Mystery Street
and garnered three Writers Guild of America
nominations over the course of his career.
Spigelgass' sister, Beulah Roth, was a political speechwriter for Franklin Roosevelt and Adlai Stevenson, and was married to photographer Sanford H. Roth
. Spigelgass died in Los Angeles, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and 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:...
.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Spigelgass got his start collaborating on the script for Erich Von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
's Hello, Sister!
Hello, Sister!
Hello, Sister! is a 1933 drama film directed by Alan Crosland, Erich von Stroheim, Raoul Walsh, and Alfred L. Werker.-Cast:* James Dunn - Jimmy* Zasu Pitts - Millie* Boots Mallory - Peggy...
(1933). Additional screen credits include The Big Street
The Big Street
The Big Street is a 1942 American drama film, starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, based on the short story "Little Pinks" by Damon Runyon, who also produced the movie. The film was directed by Irving Reis...
(1942), I Was a Male War Bride
I Was a Male War Bride
I Was a Male War Bride is a 1949 comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan.This film was based on I was an Alien Spouse of Female Military Personnel Enroute to the United States Under Public Law 271 of the Congress, a biography of Henri Rochard, a Belgian who...
(1949), Ten Thousand Bedrooms
Ten Thousand Bedrooms
Ten Thousand Bedrooms was Dean Martin's first movie in the wake of the dissolution of his partnership with Jerry Lewis in the team of Martin and Lewis....
(1957), Silk Stockings
Silk Stockings (film)
Silk Stockings is a 1957 MGM musical film remake of Ninotchka. It was directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starred Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse...
(1957), Pepe
Pepe
-People:Pepe is a nickname for José , and an Italian surname.Pepe is a nickname for any person called José, but is also often used with different connotations. Etymologically, it derives from the name of Saint Joseph, the reputed father of Jesus. Thus 'PP' = padre putativo...
(1960), and Gypsy
Gypsy (1962 film)
Gypsy is a 1962 American musical film produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Leonard Spigelgass is based on the book of the 1959 stage musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable by Arthur Laurents, which was adapted from Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee.Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for...
(1962).
Spigelgass signed on as a staff writer for Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in 1938 and was a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the US Army Signal Corps.
Spigelgass also was a 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 penned such dramas as Dear Me the Sky Is Falling, The Wrong Way Light Bulb, and A Remedy for Winter, the comedy A Majority of One
A Majority of One
-Plot:The comedy involves Mrs. Jacoby, a Jewish widow from Brooklyn, New York, and Koichi Asano, a millionaire widower from Tokyo. Mrs. Jacoby is sailing to Japan with her daughter and foreign service officer son-in-law who is being posted to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo...
, and the book for the musical Look to the Lilies
Look to the Lilies
Look to the Lilies is a musical with a book by Leonard Spigelgass, lyrics by Sammy Cahn, and music by Jule Styne.Based on the novel and 1963 film Lilies of the Field, it tells the story of an impoverished group of German nuns, headed by dauntless Mother Superior Maria, who coerce on-the-lam African...
. He also wrote plays for such television series as Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
and the novels Million Dollar Baby and Fed to the Teeth.
During his career, Spigelgass wrote the script for eleven Academy Award-winning films. He himself was nominated in 1950 for the story for Mystery Street
Mystery Street
Mystery Street is a black-and-white film noir directed by John Sturges with cinematography by famed lensman John Alton. The film stars Ricardo Montalban, Bruce Bennett, and Elsa Lanchester....
and garnered three Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
nominations over the course of his career.
Spigelgass' sister, Beulah Roth, was a political speechwriter for Franklin Roosevelt and Adlai Stevenson, and was married to photographer Sanford H. Roth
Sanford H. Roth
Sanford H. Roth was an internationally known photographer whose work has appeared in Time, Life, Look, Fortune, Paris Match, Elle, Der Stern, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Oggi, People, and other publications...
. Spigelgass died in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.