About

Known credits:
108
Birthday:
1897-11-07
Place of birth:
New York City, New York, USA
Website:
N/A

Herman J. Mankiewicz

Overview

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

Acting
1941 Citizen Kane Actor Newspaperman (uncredited) 78
Good
1931 The Front Page Actor (Undetermined Secondary Role) 59
Average
1928 The Mating Call Actor Newspaperman 58
Average

Writing
2013 The Wizard of Oz 3D Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1989 Dinner at Eight Writing Writer 58
Average
1952 The Pride of St. Louis Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1949 A Woman's Secret Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1945 The Spanish Main Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1945 The Enchanted Cottage Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1945 The Enchanted Cottage Writing Writer 59
Average
1944 Christmas Holiday Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1944 See Here, Private Hargrove Writing Writer 59
Average
1943 The Good Fellows Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1943 The Human Comedy Writing Writer 59
Average
1942 Stand by for Action Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1942 The Pride of the Yankees Writing Screenplay 61
Fair
1942 This Time for Keeps Writing Characters 59
Average
1941 Rise and Shine Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1941 Citizen Kane Writing Screenplay 78
Good
1941 The Wild Man of Borneo Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1940 Keeping Company Writing Story 59
Average
1940 Comrade X Writing Writer 58
Average
1940 The Ghost Comes Home Writing Staff Writer 59
Average
1939 It's a Wonderful World Writing Original Story 59
Average
1937 Live, Love and Learn Writing Writer 58
Average
1937 My Dear Miss Aldrich Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1937 My Dear Miss Aldrich Writing Original Story 59
Average
1937 The Emperor's Candlesticks Writing Dialogue 58
Average
1937 Street of Shadows Writing Writer 59
Average
1937 John Meade's Woman Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1936 Love in Exile Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1936 Suzy Writing Writer 58
Average
1936 San Francisco Writing Writer 59
Average
1936 The Three Maxims Writing Adaptation N/A
N/A
1935 The Perfect Gentleman Writing Writer 58
Average
1935 It's in the Air Writing Writer 58
Average
1935 The Murder Man Writing Writer 59
Average
1935 Escapade Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1935 After Office Hours Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1934 Stamboul Quest Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1934 Operator 13 Writing Writer 58
Average
1934 Come On, Marines! Writing Writer 58
Average
1934 The Show-Off Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1933 Dinner at Eight Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1933 Meet the Baron Writing Story 58
Average
1933 Another Language Writing Writer 59
Average
1933 Fast Workers Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1932 Girl Crazy Writing Adaptation 58
Average
1932 The Lost Squadron Writing Dialogue 59
Average
1932 Dancers in the Dark Writing Writer 58
Average
1931 Dude Ranch Writing Writer 58
Average
1931 Ladies' Man Writing Writer 58
Average
1931 Man of the World Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1931 Man of the World Writing Story 58
Average
1931 Every Woman Has Something Writing Adaptation N/A
N/A
1931 Leave The Kitchen! Writing Adaptation N/A
N/A
1930 The Royal Family of Broadway Writing Adaptation 58
Average
1930 Laughter Writing Writer 58
Average
1930 Love Among the Millionaires Writing Dialogue 59
Average
1930 True to the Navy Writing Dialogue 59
Average
1930 Ladies Love Brutes Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1930 Honey Writing Dialogue 58
Average
1930 Honey Writing Writer 58
Average
1930 Men Are Like That Writing Adaptation 59
Average
1930 The Vagabond King Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1929 The Mighty Writing Dialogue 58
Average
1929 Fast Company Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1929 Thunderbolt Writing Writer 58
Average
1929 The Man I Love Writing Story 59
Average
1929 The Dummy Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1929 The Love Doctor Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 What a Night! Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 Three Week Ends Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 Avalanche Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1928 Avalanche Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 Take Me Home Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 Moran of the Marines Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1928 The Barker Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 The Water Hole Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 The Mating Call Writing Dialogue 58
Average
1928 The Big Killing Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1928 The Magnificent Flirt Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 His Tiger Lady Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 The Drag Net Writing Dialogue 59
Average
1928 Abie's Irish Rose Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 A Night of Mystery Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 Something Always Happens Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1928 The Last Command Writing Writer 60
Fair
1928 Love and Learn Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1927 Serenade Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1927 Two Flaming Youths Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1927 The Gay Defender Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1927 Honeymoon Hate Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1927 The Spotlight Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1927 The City Gone Wild Writing Dialogue N/A
N/A
1927 Figures Don't Lie Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1927 A Gentleman of Paris Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1927 Fashions for Women Writing Writer 58
Average
1926 Stranded in Paris Writing Adaptation N/A
N/A
1926 The Road to Mandalay Writing Story 59
Average

Production
1949 A Woman's Secret Production Producer 58
Average
1933 Duck Soup Production Producer 67
Fair
1932 Horse Feathers Production Producer 61
Fair
1932 Million Dollar Legs Production Producer 59
Average
1931 Monkey Business Production Producer 62
Fair

Crew
1976 That's Entertainment, Part II Crew Thanks 59
Average
1929 The Canary Murder Case Crew Additional Writing 58
Average