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Liam O'Brien (screenwriter)
Encyclopedia
Liam O'Brien was an American
screenwriter
and television producer
best known for writing the movie Here Comes the Groom
.
and Manhattan College
. He had been a poet, a cartoonist and labor organizer before World War II
, when he served in the Signal Corps. After the war, he headed to Hollywood, where his younger brother Edmond O'Brien
was already an established star. He became an overnight success six years later when his first screenplay, the romantic comedy Here Comes the Groom, with Bing Crosby
and Jane Wyman
, earned him an Oscar nomination in 1951.
The following year, his play The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker became a Broadway hit featuring Burgess Meredith
. This romantic comedy was filmed by 20th Century Fox
in 1959 with Clifton Webb
in the title role. The play remains popular in amateur theatres, partly because there are so many roles to be filled: the industrialist Mr. Pennypacker is a loveable bigamist with 17 children.
His widow, Claudette O'Brien, claimed Pennypacker was based on the actual double life of an O'Brien relative – one who "laughed louder than anyone on opening night".
O'Brien collapsed in his wife's arms and died of a heart attack
at his Los Angeles
home at age 83.
His son, Devin Liam O' Brien, has been an associate producer of the Academy Award television broadcast.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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:...
and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
best known for writing the movie Here Comes the Groom
Here Comes the Groom
Here Comes the Groom is a 1951 musical romantic comedy film starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Directed and produced by Frank Capra, the film was released by Paramount Pictures.-Plot:...
.
Life and career
O'Brien was educated at FordhamFordham
Fordham may refer to:In business:*Fordham Brewing Company, a brewing company based in Dover, Delaware*Fordham Company, a real estate development firm based in Chicago, IllinoisIn education:...
and Manhattan College
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college in the Lasallian tradition in New York City, United States. Despite the college's name, it is no longer located in Manhattan but in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, roughly 10 miles north of Midtown. Manhattan College offers...
. He had been a poet, a cartoonist and labor organizer before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when he served in the Signal Corps. After the war, he headed to Hollywood, where his younger brother Edmond O'Brien
Edmond O'Brien
Edmond O'Brien was an American actor who is perhaps best remembered for his role in D.O.A. and his Oscar winning role in The Barefoot Contessa...
was already an established star. He became an overnight success six years later when his first screenplay, the romantic comedy Here Comes the Groom, with Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman was an American singer, dancer, and character actress of film and television. She began her film career in the 1930s, and was a prolific performer for two decades...
, earned him an Oscar nomination in 1951.
The following year, his play The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker became a Broadway hit featuring Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
. This romantic comedy was filmed by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
in 1959 with Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...
in the title role. The play remains popular in amateur theatres, partly because there are so many roles to be filled: the industrialist Mr. Pennypacker is a loveable bigamist with 17 children.
His widow, Claudette O'Brien, claimed Pennypacker was based on the actual double life of an O'Brien relative – one who "laughed louder than anyone on opening night".
O'Brien collapsed in his wife's arms and died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at his Los Angeles
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...
home at age 83.
His son, Devin Liam O' Brien, has been an associate producer of the Academy Award television broadcast.
Writer
- Chain Lightning (1950)
- Of Men and Music (1951)
- The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951)
- Here Comes the Groom (1951)
- Diplomatic Courier (1952)
- The Stars Are Singing (1953)
- Young at HeartYoung at Heart (1954 film)Young at Heart is a 1954 film, directed by Gordon Douglas. It was a remake of the 1938 film Four Daughters, and it starred Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Gig Young, Ethel Barrymore, Alan Hale, Jr and Dorothy Malone and was the first of five films that Gordon Douglas directed with Frank...
(1954) - Lux Video TheatreLux Video TheatreLux Video Theatre, is a weekly television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays....
(1 episode, 1956) - TrapezeTrapeze (film)Trapeze is a 1956 circus film directed by Carol Reed and starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida, making her debut in American films....
(1956) - The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959)
- The Great ImpostorThe Great ImpostorThe Great Impostor is a 1961 movie based on the true story of an impostor named Ferdinand Waldo Demara.Loosely based on Robert Crichton's 1959 biography of the same name, it stars Tony Curtis in the title role, directed by Robert Mulligan....
(1961) - The Devil at 4 O'ClockThe Devil at 4 O'ClockThe Devil at 4 O'Clock is a 1961 disaster film with elevated themes, starring Spencer Tracy and Frank Sinatra and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Based upon an eponymous novel by Max Catto, film was a precursor to the disaster movies of the 1970s, such as The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, and The...
(1961) - Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love (1974)
- Gibbsville (1 episode, 1976)
- Police Story (1 episode, 1977)
- The Awakening Land (1974)
Producer
- Police Story (Unknown episodes)
- The Mississippi (Unknown episodes)
- Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
(4 episodes, 1985–1986)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Nominated | Writers Guild of America Award Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949... |
Best Written American Musical | Here Comes the Groom (Shared with Virginia Van Upp & Myles Connolly) |
| 1952 | Nominated | Academy Award | Best Writing, Motion Picture Story | Here Comes the Groom (Shared with Robert Riskin Robert Riskin Robert Riskin was an American screenwriter and playwright, best known for his collaborations with director-producer Frank Capra.-Career:... ) |
| 1976 | Won | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Outstanding Drama Series | Police Story (Shared with David Gerber David Gerber David Gerber was a television executive producer. His notable work on television included the 1970s TV series Police Story and Police Woman. Other executive producer credits include The Ghost & Mrs... , Stanley Kallis & Carl Pingitore) |
| 1977 | Nominated | Outstanding Drama Series | Police Story (Shared with David Gerber & Mel Swope) | |
| 1985 | Nominated | Outstanding Drama Series | Miami Vice (Shared with Richard Brams, George E. Crosby, Michael Mann, John Nicolella, Mel Swope & Anthony Yerkovich Anthony Yerkovich Anthony Yerkovich is an American television producer and writer.He is best known for creating the 1980s cop show Miami Vice. He served as the show's executive producer along with Michael Mann before handing over full executive responsibilities to Mann after only six episodes... ) |
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