Herman J. Mankiewicz
Herman J. Mankiewicz
Biography
Herman Jacob Mankiewicz (November 7, 1897 – March 5, 1953; New York City) was an American screenwriter, who, with Orson Welles, wrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane (1941). Earlier, he was the Berlin correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and the drama critic for The New York Times and The New Yorker. Alexander Woollcott said that Herman Mankiewicz was the "funniest man in New York". Both Mankiewicz and Welles received Academy Awards for their screenplay. Mankiewicz's younger brother was Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909–1993), an Oscar-winning Hollywood director, screenwriter, and producer. His nephew Tom Mankiewicz (1942 – 2010) was also a screenwriter and director. He was often asked to fix the screenplays of other writers, with much of his work uncredited. Occasional flashes of what came to be called the "Mankiewicz humor" and satire distinguished his films, and became valued in the films of the 1930s. The style of writing included a slick, satirical, and witty humor, which depended almost totally on dialogue to carry the film. It was a style that would become associated with the "typical American film" of that period. Among the screenplays he wrote or worked on, besides "Citizen Kane", were "The Wizard of Oz", "Man of the World", "Dinner at Eight", "Pride of the Yankees", and "The Pride of St. Louis". Film critic Pauline Kael credits Mankiewicz with having written, alone or with others, "about forty of the films I remember best from the twenties and thirties. ... he was a key linking figure in just the kind of movies my friends and I loved best.". Mankiewicz was an alcoholic. Ten years before his death, he wrote: “I seem to become more and more of a rat in a trap of my own construction, a trap that I regularly repair whenever there seems to be danger of some opening that will enable me to escape. I haven’t decided yet about making it bomb proof. It would seem to involve a lot of unnecessary labor and expense". A future Hollywood biographer went so far as to suggest that Mankiewicz’s behavior “made him seem erratic even by the standards of Hollywood drunks.” Herman Mankiewicz died March 5, 1953, of uremic poisoning, at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles.
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Writing
Known Credits
108
Gender
Male
Birthday
1897-11-07 (127 years old)
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Acting

1941

Citizen Kane as Newspaperman (uncredited)

1931

The Front Page as (Undetermined Secondary Role)

1928

The Mating Call as Newspaperman
Crew

1989

Dinner at Eight Writer

1952

The Pride of St. Louis Screenplay

1950

Lux Video Theatre Screenplay

1949

A Woman's Secret Producer

1949

A Woman's Secret Screenplay

1945

The Spanish Main Screenplay

1945

The Enchanted Cottage Screenplay

1944

Christmas Holiday Screenplay

1943

The Human Comedy Writer

1943

The Good Fellows Screenplay

1942

This Time for Keeps Characters

1942

Stand by for Action Screenplay

1942

The Pride of the Yankees Screenplay

1941

Citizen Kane Screenplay

1941

Rise and Shine Screenplay

1941

The Wild Man of Borneo Screenplay

1940

Keeping Company Story

1940

The Ghost Comes Home Staff Writer

1940

Comrade X Writer

1939

It's a Wonderful World Original Story

1937

My Dear Miss Aldrich Screenplay

1937

John Meade's Woman Writer

1937

My Dear Miss Aldrich Original Story

1937

Street of Shadows Writer

1936

Love in Exile Writer

1936

The Three Maxims Adaptation

1936

San Francisco Writer

1936

Suzy Writer

1935

Escapade Screenplay

1935

After Office Hours Screenplay

1935

The Murder Man Writer

1935

It's in the Air Writer

1934

Stamboul Quest Screenplay

1934

Operator 13 Writer

1934

Come On, Marines! Writer

1934

The Show-Off Screenplay

1933

Duck Soup Producer

1933

Another Language Writer

1933

Meet the Baron Story

1933

Fast Workers Screenplay

1933

Dinner at Eight Screenplay

1932

Horse Feathers Producer

1932

Million Dollar Legs Producer

1932

Girl Crazy Adaptation

1932

The Lost Squadron Dialogue

1931

Man of the World Screenplay

1931

Man of the World Story

1931

Ladies' Man Writer

1931

Monkey Business Producer

1931

Leave The Kitchen! Adaptation

1931

Dude Ranch Additional Dialogue

1930

The Vagabond King Screenplay

1930

True to the Navy Dialogue

1930

Ladies Love Brutes Screenplay

1930

Men Are Like That Adaptation

1930

Honey Writer

1930

Honey Dialogue

1930

Laughter Writer

1929

The Man I Love Story

1929

Thunderbolt Writer

1929

The Dummy Writer

1929

The Love Doctor Dialogue

1929

The Mighty Dialogue

1929

Fast Company Writer

1929

The Canary Murder Case Additional Writing

1928

Love and Learn Dialogue

1928

The Last Command Writer

1928

The Big Killing Writer

1928

His Tiger Lady Dialogue

1928

The Magnificent Flirt Dialogue

1928

Avalanche Dialogue

1928

The Drag Net Dialogue

1928

A Night of Mystery Dialogue

1928

Avalanche Screenplay

1928

The Mating Call Dialogue

1928

The Water Hole Dialogue

1928

Take Me Home Dialogue

1928

Three Week Ends Dialogue

1928

What a Night! Dialogue

1928

Abie's Irish Rose Dialogue

1928

The Barker Dialogue

1927

Figures Don't Lie Writer

1927

Fashions for Women Writer

1927

Honeymoon Hate Dialogue

1927

The Gay Defender Dialogue

1927

The City Gone Wild Dialogue

1927

Two Flaming Youths Dialogue

1927

The Spotlight Dialogue

1927

Serenade Dialogue

1926

Stranded in Paris Adaptation