The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story . Beginning with the Oscars for 1957, the two categories were combined to honor only the screenplay.
121-536: Nancy Jane Meyers (born December 8, 1949) is an American filmmaker. She has written, produced, and directed many critically and commercially successful films. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Private Benjamin (1980). Her film Baby Boom (1987) was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy . She co-wrote Father of
242-768: A lithograph company. After establishing Warner Bros. Music, Harry appointed his son, Lewis, to manage the company. By 1931, the studio began to feel the effects of the Great Depression, reportedly losing $ 8 million, and an additional $ 14 million the following year. In 1931, Warner Bros. Music head Lewis Warner died from an infected wisdom tooth . Around that time, Zanuck hired screenwriter Wilson Mizner , who had little respect for authority and found it difficult to work with Jack, but became an asset. As time passed, Warner became more tolerant of Mizner and helped invest in Mizner's Brown Derby restaurant. Mizner died of
363-421: A "gangster studio". The studio's first gangster film, Little Caesar , was a great box office success and Edward G. Robinson starred in many of the subsequent Warner gangster films. The studio's next effort, The Public Enemy , made James Cagney arguably the studio's new top star, and Warner Bros. made more gangster films. "Movie for movie, Warners was the most reliable source of entertainment through
484-485: A Bosko clone. By the end of World War II, a new Schlesinger production team, including directors Friz Freleng (started in 1934), Tex Avery (started in 1935), Frank Tashlin (started in 1936), Bob Clampett (started in 1937), Chuck Jones (started in 1938), and Robert McKimson (started in 1946), was formed. Schlesinger's staff developed a fast-paced, irreverent style that made their cartoons globally popular. In 1935, Avery directed Porky Pig cartoons that established
605-479: A Hollywood couple whose obsession with success destroys their relationship with their daughter, played by eight-year-old Drew Barrymore . Released to a mixed reception by critics, the collaboration became a moderate box office with a gross of $ 12.4 million, but received multiple Golden Globe nominations, including Best Actress nods for Long and Barrymore. Also in 1984, Meyers, Shyer and Miller penned Protocol , another comedy starring Goldie Hawn, in which she portrayed
726-422: A cash settlement. Nevertheless, Cagney left the studio to establish an independent film company with his brother Bill. The Cagneys released their films though Grand National Films ; however, they were not able to get good financing and ran out of money after their third film. Cagney then agreed to return to Warner Bros., after Jack agreed to a contract guaranteeing Cagney would be treated to his own terms. After
847-477: A cocktail waitress who prevents the assassination of a visiting Arab Emir, and thus is offered a job with the United States Department of State as a protocol official. Hawn reportedly disliked their screenplay and hired Buck Henry for a major overhaul, prompting the trio to go into arbitration to settle their differences. While neither Meyers nor Shyer became involved in producing or directing
968-420: A community outreach program where seniors will intern at the firm. Originally set up at Paramount Pictures , the latter was expected to feature Tina Fey and Michael Caine in the lead roles. When a budget could not be settled, Meyers decided to pre-package before going out to other studios and was able to start negotiations for both actors. Handed over to Warner Bros , Fey was replaced by Reese Witherspoon as
1089-526: A deal with Sony. Meyer's next film was The Holiday (2006), a romantic comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two lovelorn women from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean who arrange a home exchange to escape heartbreak during the Christmas and holiday season . Jude Law and Jack Black co-starred as their love interests . Released to mixed reviews from critics, the film became
1210-642: A degree in journalism. After graduating from college, Meyers spent a year working in public television in Philadelphia. When she was 22 years old, Meyers moved to Los Angeles, living with her sister, Sally, in the Coldwater Canyon area. She quickly got a job as a production assistant on the CBS game show The Price Is Right . Inspired by the popular TV show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Meyers decided she wanted to write. She eventually got work as
1331-453: A detail-oriented director, who shoots many takes of scenes and is meticulously involved in designing her films' aesthetic details. Meyers considers her film set to function as a character in her films. Meyers' protagonists are often affluent and live in luxurious homes, which she says is meant to emphasize that they are successful women who can afford to create beautiful, comfortable spaces for themselves. The extravagant design and decoration of
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#17327799039791452-540: A dog brought from France after World War I by an American soldier, established their reputation. Rin Tin Tin's third film was the feature Where the North Begins , which was so successful that Jack signed the dog to star in more films for $ 1,000 per week. Rin Tin Tin became the studio's top star. Jack nicknamed him "The Mortgage Lifter" and the success boosted Darryl F. Zanuck 's career. Zanuck eventually became
1573-707: A few films each year under the First National name until 1938. For thirty years, certain Warner productions were identified (mainly for tax purposes) as 'A Warner Bros.–First National Picture.' In the latter part of 1929, Jack Warner hired George Arliss to star in Disraeli , which was a success. Arliss won an Academy Award for Best Actor and went on to star in nine more movies for the studio. In 1930, Harry acquired more theaters in Atlantic City , despite
1694-756: A follow-up to the first two Father of the Bride films was coming. The first teaser trailer was released on September 23, with an official preview released the following day. The "mini-sequel" was written and directed by Meyers, with the plot including a family reunion over Zoom at the request of Matty Banks, and depicted George Banks' reaction to 2020. Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Kieran Culkin, George Newbern, and Martin Short reprised their respective roles, with Alexandra Shipp and Robert De Niro joining. The film will benefit World Central Kitchen charity, supporting families and children who suffered during
1815-576: A global box office success, grossing $ 205 million worldwide, mostly from its international run. The film won the 2007 Teen Choice Award in the Chick Flick category. In 2009, Meyers' It's Complicated was released. It starred Meryl Streep as a successful bakery owner and single mother of three who starts a secret affair with her ex-husband, played by Alec Baldwin , ten years after their divorce – only to find herself drawn to another man: her architect Adam (portrayed by Steve Martin ). The film
1936-460: A heart attack on April 3, 1933. By 1932, musicals were declining in popularity, and the studio was forced to cut musical numbers from many productions and advertise them as straight comedies. The public had begun to associate musicals with color, and thus studios began to abandon its use. Warner Bros. had a contract with Technicolor to produce two more pictures in that process. As a result, the first horror films in color were produced and released by
2057-571: A hit among audiences, resulting in the pair's biggest financial success yet at a worldwide gross of $ 90 million. A sequel to the film which centered around the expansion of the family, entitled Father of the Bride Part II , was produced in 1995. Loosely based on the original's 1951 sequel Father's Little Dividend , it largely reprised the success of its predecessor at the box office. A third installment, also penned by Meyers and Shyer, failed to materialize. Also in 1991, Meyers contributed to
2178-575: A major loan. With this new money, the Warners bought the pioneer Vitagraph Company which had a nationwide distribution system. In 1925, Warners' also experimented in radio, establishing a successful radio station, KFWB , in Los Angeles. Warner Bros. was a pioneer of films with synchronized sound (then known as "talking pictures" or "talkies"). In 1925, at Sam's urging, Warner's agreed to add this feature to their productions. By February 1926,
2299-546: A mascot to Warner Bros., its various divisions, and Six Flags (which Time Warner once owned). The success of the compilation film The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie in 1979, featuring the archived film of these characters, prompted Warner Bros. to organize Warner Bros. Animation as a new production division to restart production of original material. According to Warner's autobiography, prior to US entry in World War II , Philip Kauffman, Warner Bros. German sales head,
2420-658: A member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). The company is known for its film studio division, the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group , which includes Warner Bros. Pictures , New Line Cinema , Warner Bros. Pictures Animation , Castle Rock Entertainment , DC Studios , and the Warner Bros. Television Group . Bugs Bunny , a character created for the Looney Tunes series, is the company's official mascot. The company's name originated from
2541-413: A month-long strike. In retaliation, Warner—during his 1947 testimony before Congress about Mission to Moscow —accused multiple employees of ties to Communists. By the end of 1947, the studio reached a record net profit of $ 22 million (equivalent to $ 300 million in 2023). Warner acquired Pathé News from RKO in 1947. On January 5, 1948, Warner offered the first color newsreel , covering
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#17327799039792662-428: A net profit of $ 674,158.00. By 1936, contracts of musical and silent stars were not renewed, instead being replaced by tough-talking, working-class types who better fit these pictures. As a result, Dorothy Mackaill , Dolores del Río , Bebe Daniels , Frank Fay , Winnie Lightner , Bernice Claire , Alexander Gray, Alice White , and Jack Mulhall that had characterized the urban, modern, and sophisticated attitude of
2783-825: A proof-of-concept short film screened at film festivals, was nominated as an original screenplay. Woody Allen has the most nominations in this category with 16, and the most awards with 3 (for Annie Hall (1977), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), and Midnight in Paris (2011)). Paddy Chayefsky and Billy Wilder have also won three screenwriting Oscars: Chayefsky won two for Original Screenplay ( The Hospital and Network ) and one for Adapted Screenplay ( Marty ), while Wilder won one for Adapted Screenplay ( The Lost Weekend , shared with Charles Brackett ), and two for Original Screenplay ( Sunset Boulevard , shared with Brackett and D. M. Marshman Jr. , and The Apartment , shared with I. A. L. Diamond ) Woody Allen also holds
2904-638: A resource in Witherspoon’s own creative endeavors. In 1980, Meyers and Charles Shyer married in Rome . They had been in a relationship since 1976. The pair separated in 1999 and eventually divorced. They have two daughters, Annie Meyers-Shyer and Hallie Meyers-Shyer , both of whom have had minor roles in their films. On February 28, 2020, Meyers published her post-divorce story as part of the New York Times column called "Modern Love". Meyers resides in
3025-431: A result of losses from the Great Depression, and Harry refused to restore it as the company recovered. Zanuck established his own company. Harry thereafter raised salaries for studio employees. In 1933, Warner was able to link up with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst 's Cosmopolitan Films. Hearst had previously worked with MGM, but ended the association after a dispute with head producer Irving Thalberg over
3146-425: A result of their financial problems, Warner Bros. took the next step and released The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson . This movie, which includes little sound dialogue, but did feature sound segments of Jolson singing, was a sensation. It signaled the beginning of the era of "talking pictures" and the twilight of the silent era. However, Sam died the night before the opening, preventing the brothers from attending
3267-458: A result, Harry Warner—while speaking at a convention of 1,500 independent exhibitors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin—was able to convince the filmmakers to spend $ 500,000 in newspaper advertising, and Harry saw this as an opportunity to establish theaters in places such as New York City and Los Angeles. As the studio prospered, it gained backing from Wall Street , and in 1924 Goldman Sachs arranged
3388-474: A small cheesecake business after positive reactions to a cake she made for a dinner party. Meyers was eventually hired as a story editor by film producer Ray Stark, who later fired her after Meyers objected to having two writers working on the same script without the other knowing. In the late 1970s, Meyers started work with Charles Shyer when she was a story editor in the film division at Motown . The pair became friends and, along with Harvey Miller, created
3509-562: A story editor where she read scripts, wrote coverage, and worked with screenwriters on projects that the producers were developing. One of the companies she worked at was producer Ray Stark 's company, Rastar . She worked her way up from there to writing her own scripts. Two years after coming to Los Angeles, Meyers was able to quit her job to focus on a career in screenwriting and took film-making classes where she connected with directors such as Martin Scorsese . To support herself, she started
3630-518: A top producer and between 1928 and 1933 served as Jack's right-hand man and executive producer , with responsibilities including day-to-day film production. More success came after Ernst Lubitsch was hired as head director; Harry Rapf left the studio to join Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . Lubitsch's film The Marriage Circle was the studio's most successful film of 1924, and was on The New York Times best list for that year. Despite
3751-515: A top star and signed him to a new contract, tripling his salary. In 1936, Harry's daughter Doris read a copy of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind and was interested in making a film adaptation. Doris offered Mitchell $ 50,000 for screen rights. Jack vetoed the deal, realizing it would be an expensive production. Major Paramount star George Raft also eventually proved to be a problem for Jack. Warner had signed him in 1939, finally bringing
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3872-686: A top star. Following High Sierra and after Raft had once again turned the part down, Bogart was given the leading role in John Huston 's successful 1941 remake of the studio's 1931 pre-Code film, The Maltese Falcon , based upon the Dashiell Hammett novel. Warner's cartoon unit had its roots in the independent Harman and Ising studio. From 1930 to 1933, Walt Disney Studios alumni Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising produced musical cartoons for Leon Schlesinger , who sold them to Warner. Harman and Ising introduced their character Bosko in
3993-545: A top studio in Hollywood , but this changed after 1935 as other studios, notably MGM, quickly overshadowed the prestige and glamor that previously characterized Warner Bros. However, in the late 1930s, Bette Davis became the studio's top draw and was even dubbed as "The Fifth Warner Brother". In 1935, Cagney sued Jack Warner for breach of contract. Cagney claimed Warner had forced him to star in more films than his contract required. Cagney eventually dropped his lawsuit after
4114-460: A very successful musical under the direction of Lloyd Bacon. Warner assigned Bacon to "more expensive productions including Footlight Parade , Wonder Bar , Broadway Gondolier " (which he also starred in), and Gold Diggers that saved the company from bankruptcy. In the wake of 42nd Street 's success, the studio produced profitable musicals. These starred Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell and were mostly directed by Busby Berkeley . In 1935,
4235-420: Is additionally the only person to win or even be nominated for Best Original Screenplay for a short film ( The Red Balloon , 1956). Frances Marion ( The Big House ) was the first woman to win for her original script, although she won Best Writing, which then included both original and adapted screenplays before a separate award for Best Original Screenplay was introduced. Muriel Box ( The Seventh Veil )
4356-528: Is next?" Meyers has had a significant impact on the filmmaking industry as a female filmmaker, gaining her the reputation as one of the most influential women filmmakers in the romantic-comedy genre and in the Hollywood industry. This is due to her recognizable directorial style with notable sets and the limited number of female directors in the space. She is one of only 36 female filmmakers to be on Disney+ out of their catalogue of over 500 films going back to
4477-468: The 89th Academy Awards , Moonlight was campaigned as an original screenplay, being based on an unpublished play, but was ultimately placed in the adapted screenplay category, which it won. Similarly, Whiplash was considered an adapted screenplay at the 87th Academy Awards despite being written as an original screenplay because a scene from the script was produced as a proof-of-concept short film . However, 2008's Frozen River , which similarly had
4598-525: The Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay See also the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay , a similar award for screenplays that are adaptations of pre-existing material. Screenplays are eligible if they are not based on "previously published material". The Writer's Branch of the academy determines if a screenplay is adapted or original, based on possible sources in question, interviews given about
4719-585: The Poverty Row section of Hollywood, and acquire a much larger studio lot in Burbank . They expanded by acquiring the Stanley Corporation, a major theater chain. This gave them a share in rival First National Pictures , of which Stanley owned one-third. In a bidding war with William Fox , Warner Bros. bought more First National shares on September 13, 1928; Jack also appointed Zanuck as
4840-818: The Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl Game . In 1948, Bette Davis, still their top actress and now hostile to Jack, was a big problem for Harry after she and others left the studio after completing the film Beyond the Forest . Warner was a party to the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. antitrust case of the 1940s. This action, brought by the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission , claimed
4961-467: The Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California , and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Founded in 1923 by four brothers, Harry , Albert , Sam , and Jack Warner , the company established itself as a leader in the American film industry before diversifying into animation , television , and video games , and is one of the "Big Five" major American film studios , as well as
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5082-480: The box office and the studio's net loss increased. During this time, Harry and six other movie studio figures were indicted for conspiracy to violate the Sherman Antitrust Act , through an attempt to gain a monopoly over St Louis movie theaters. In 1935, Harry was put on trial; after a mistrial, Harry sold the company's movie theaters and the case was never reopened. 1935 also saw the studio make
5203-592: The movie theater business, having acquired a movie projector with which they showed films in the mining towns of Pennsylvania and Ohio . In the beginning, Sam and Albert Warner invested $ 150 to present Life of an American Fireman and The Great Train Robbery . They opened their first theater, the Cascade , in New Castle, Pennsylvania , in 1903. When the original building was in danger of being demolished,
5324-407: The "independent woman" ideal, and foregrounds the problems that plague professional women in heteronormative relationships. Thus, against contemporary charges that the rom-com genre is tired and overdone, Meyers has the ability to use the genre’s tropes in a regenerative, original manner. In Paszkiewicz's words, "If postfeminist values marked the decades of the 1990s and 2000s, Meyers seems to ask: what
5445-464: The 1920s gave way to James Cagney , Joan Blondell , Edward G. Robinson , Warren William and Barbara Stanwyck , who would be more acceptable to the common man. The studio was one of the most prolific producers of Pre-Code pictures and had a lot of trouble with the censors once they started clamping down on what they considered indecency (around 1934). As a result, Warner Bros. turned to historical pictures from around 1935 to avoid confrontations with
5566-581: The 1930s and 1940s such as His Girl Friday and Woman of the Year . Written for and starring Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte , the film was not well received by critics but grossed over $ 30 million in box-office receipts in the United States. While the script for Toast of the Town , another Meyers/Shyer collaboration, that Meyers described as "a Depression -era comedy about a small-town girl who comes to
5687-439: The 1930s. Meyers' overall popularity in the romantic-comedy genre has allowed her work to become cited many times as a filmmaker important to audience nostalgia. In her later works, her depictions of older women on screen created more popularity within the genre. In addition to her popularity with audiences, Meyers has been said to have left an impact on the actors she has worked with. Reese Witherspoon even identifies Meyers as
5808-551: The B's". Foy was able to garnish arguably more profits than any other B-film producer at the time. During Foy's time at the studio, however, Warner fired him seven different times. During 1936, The Story of Louis Pasteur proved a box office success and star Paul Muni won the Oscar for Best Actor in March 1937. The studio's 1937 film The Life of Emile Zola gave the studio the first of its seven Best Picture Oscars . In 1937,
5929-520: The Breen office. In 1936, following the success of The Petrified Forest , Jack signed Humphrey Bogart to a studio contract. Warner, however, did not think Bogart was star material, and cast Bogart in infrequent roles as a villain opposite either James Cagney or Edward Robinson over the next five years. After Hal B. Wallis succeeded Zanuck in 1933, and the Hays Code began to be enforced in 1935,
6050-509: The Bride (1991), Father of the Bride Part II (1995), and both wrote and directed The Parent Trap (1998), What Women Want (2000), Something's Gotta Give (2003), The Holiday (2006), It's Complicated (2009), and The Intern (2015). Meyers was married to filmmaker Charles Shyer , with whom she had two children, including filmmaker Hallie Meyers-Shyer . Meyers was born in Philadelphia . Her father, Irving Meyers,
6171-759: The Flame (1930), Song of the West (1930), The Life of the Party (1930), Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930), Under a Texas Moon (1930), Bride of the Regiment (1930), Viennese Nights (1931), Woman Hungry (1931), Kiss Me Again (1931), 50 Million Frenchmen (1931) and Manhattan Parade (1932). In addition to these, scores of features were released with Technicolor sequences, as well as numerous Technicolor Specials short subjects . The majority of these color films were musicals. In 1929, Warner Bros. bought
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#17327799039796292-687: The St. Louis-based theater chain Skouras Brothers Enterprises . Following this takeover, Spyros Skouras , the driving force of the chain, became general manager of the Warner Brothers Theater Circuit in America. He worked successfully in that post for two years and turned its losses into profits. Harry produced an adaptation of a Cole Porter musical titled Fifty Million Frenchmen . Through First National,
6413-464: The attached star, though Witherspoon later left the film due to scheduling conflicts. In 2014, Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro replaced her and Caine. In September 2015, Meyers announced that her next self-directed project would see her reteaming with Steve Martin. She also served as a producer on Home Again (2017), the directorial debut of her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer , starring Reese Witherspoon . In September 2020, Nancy Meyers announced
6534-526: The beginning of every showing of Don Juan across the country) in 1926. Many film production companies questioned the necessity. Don Juan did not recoup its production cost and Lubitsch left for MGM. By April 1927, the Big Five studios (First National, Paramount, MGM, Universal Pictures , and Producers Distributing) had ruined Warners, and Western Electric renewed Warner's Vitaphone contract with terms that allowed other film companies to test sound. As
6655-420: The beginning of the Great Depression. In July 1930, the studio's banker, Motley Flint, was murdered by a disgruntled investor in another company. Harry acquired a string of music publishers (including M. Witmark & Sons , Remick Music Corp. , and T.B. Harms, Inc. ) to form Warner Bros. Music. In April 1930, Warner Bros. acquired Brunswick Records . Harry obtained radio companies, foreign sound patents and
6776-446: The big city, loses her values and then finds them again," found no buyers, another project called Love Crazy failed to materialize after lead actor Hugh Grant dropped out of the project after months of negotiations. Having turned down Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing 's offer to direct the 1996 comedy blockbuster The First Wives Club , Meyers eventually agreed on making her directorial debut with The Parent Trap (1998), following
6897-401: The brothers acquired the studio in 1928. Thanks to the success of The Jazz Singer , the studio was cash-rich. Jolson's next film for the company, The Singing Fool was also a success. With the success of these first talkies ( The Jazz Singer , Lights of New York , The Singing Fool and The Terror ), Warner Bros. became a top studio and the brothers were now able to move out from
7018-604: The character as the studio's first animated star. In addition to Porky, Daffy Duck (who debuted in 1937's Porky's Duck Hunt ), Elmer Fudd ( Elmer's Candid Camera , 1940), Bugs Bunny ( A Wild Hare , 1940), and Tweety ( A Tale of Two Kitties , 1942) would achieve star power. By 1942, the Schlesinger studio had surpassed Walt Disney Studios as the most successful producer of animated shorts. Warner Bros. bought Schlesinger's cartoon unit in 1944 and renamed it Warner Bros. Cartoons . However, senior management treated
7139-528: The company's remaining one-third share from Fox. The Justice Department agreed to allow the purchase if First National was maintained as a separate company. When the Great Depression hit, Warner asked for and got permission to merge the two studios. Soon afterward Warner Bros. moved to the First National lot in Burbank. Though the companies merged, the Justice Department required Warner to release
7260-531: The coronavirus pandemic. Father of the Bride Part 3(ish) was released on September 25, 2020, exclusively through Netflix , while also streaming on the service's YouTube and Facebook pages. In April 2022, Netflix announced Meyers would write, direct and produce a new feature film for the streaming service, an untitled ensemble comedy. In March 2023, it was reported that the film, under the working title Paris Paramount , would not move forward at Netflix after
7381-440: The credited screenplay author also contributed to the story alongside at least one other credited scribe). Winners are listed first in the colored row and denoted by double dagger (‡), followed by the other nominees. Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. , or abbreviated as WB , or WBEI ) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at
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#17327799039797502-528: The early 1920s they acquired their first studio facilities on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Sam and Jack produced the pictures, while Harry and Albert, along with their auditor and now-controller Chase, handled finance and distribution in New York City. During World War I their first nationally syndicated film, My Four Years in Germany , based on a popular book by former ambassador James W. Gerard ,
7623-590: The elder Wonsal children gradually acquired anglicized versions of their Yiddish -sounding names: Szmuel Wonsal became Samuel Warner (nicknamed "Sam"), Hirsz Wonsal became Harry Warner, and Aaron Wonsal (although born with a given name common in the Americas) became Albert Warner. Jack, the youngest brother, was born in London, Ontario , during the family's two-year residency in Canada. The three elder brothers began in
7744-414: The fantasy of romance itself becomes a "fulfilling and desirable commodity", but says there is a question of whether the power of her films derives from the emotional terrain and romances of her characters, or from her seductive, pleasurable mise-en-scène and the upwardly mobile desires it generates. In a 2009 New York Times profile of Meyers, writer Daphne Merkin points out that her films sometimes have
7865-698: The feature Don Juan starring John Barrymore . The film was silent, but it featured a large number of Vitaphone shorts at the beginning. To hype Don Juan ' s release, Harry acquired the large Piccadilly Theater in Manhattan , New York City , and renamed it Warners' Theatre. Don Juan premiered at the Warners' Theatre in New York on August 6, 1926. Throughout the early history of film distribution, theater owners hired orchestras to attend film showings, where they provided soundtracks . Through Vitaphone, Warner Bros. produced eight shorts (which were played at
7986-471: The film and the film's publicity materials, and sometimes places screenplays in a different category than the Writers Guild of America . For the 75th Academy Awards , Gangs of New York was nominated as an original screenplay despite being based on the book The Gangs of New York because the writers based the film on the book's historical research but largely invented the characters and plot. For
8107-442: The film in motion control , a requirement she considered rather complicated. "I really didn't know how to do it," she said. "We had a prep day to go over the process, and by the end of the day I had a little better understanding. But I approached the movie like it wasn't an effects film; I just tried to make it authentic." Released to positive reviews from critics, The Parent Trap brought in $ 92 million worldwide. In 1998, following
8228-425: The film was followed by a short-lived television series starring Kate Jackson . In 1990, Meyers and Shyer, working from earlier material for the first time, re-teamed with Keaton to remake the 1950 Vincente Minnelli film Father of the Bride . Starring Steve Martin as a father losing his daughter and his bank account at the same time, their 1991 version was released to generally positive reception. It became
8349-516: The film, fearing that the lead characters were too old to be bankable. As a result, the film ended up as a co-production between Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures . While critical reaction to the film as a whole was more measured, Something's Gotta Give received generally favorable notice and became a surprise box-office hit following its North American release, eventually grossing US$ 266.6 million worldwide, mostly from its international run. In 2005, her Waverly Films production company signed
8470-404: The film, it fared slightly better at the box office than Irreconcilable Differences , garnering $ 26.3 million in total. Meyers eventually returned to producing with Baby Boom (1987), a film about a New York City female executive, who out of the blue becomes the guardian of her distant cousin's 14-month-old daughter. The film marked her debut collaboration with Diane Keaton . The catalyst for
8591-667: The film—sued the studio for displaying "vicious, untrue and false attacks" against him in the film. After appearing in the Warner's film The Man Who Played God , Bette Davis became a top star. In 1933, relief for the studio came after Franklin D. Roosevelt became president and began the New Deal . This economic rebound allowed Warner Bros. to again become profitable. The same year, Zanuck quit. Harry Warner's relationship with Zanuck had become strained after Harry strongly opposed allowing Zanuck's film Baby Face to step outside Hays Code boundaries. The studio reduced his salary as
8712-476: The first Looney Tunes cartoon, Sinkin' in the Bathtub , and created a sister series, Merrie Melodies , in 1931. Harman and Ising broke away from Schlesinger in 1933 due to a contractual dispute, taking Bosko with them to MGM. As a result, Schlesinger started his own studio, Leon Schlesinger Productions , which continued with Merrie Melodies while starting production on Looney Tunes starring Buddy ,
8833-453: The five integrated studio-theater chain combinations restrained competition. The Supreme Court heard the case in 1948, and ruled for the government. As a result, Warner and four other major studios were forced to separate production from the exhibition. In 1949, the studio's net profit was only $ 10 million (equivalent to $ 128.06 million in 2023). Warner Bros. had two semi-independent production companies that released films through
8954-652: The founding Warner brothers (born Wonsal, Woron, and Wonskolaser before Anglicization): Harry , Albert , Sam , and Jack Warner. Harry, Albert and Sam emigrated as young children with their Polish-Jewish mother to the United States from Krasnosielc , Poland (then part of Congress Poland within the Russian Empire ), in October 1889, a year after their father emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Baltimore , Maryland . As in many other immigrant families,
9075-455: The governments of England and the United States. By the middle of 1943, however, audiences had tired of war films, but Warner continued to produce them, losing money. In honor of the studio's contributions to the cause, the Navy named a Liberty ship after the brothers' father, Benjamin Warner. Harry christened the ship. By the time the war ended, $ 20 million in war bonds were purchased through
9196-731: The kitchens in her films have received particular media attention. The academic and writer Deborah Jermyn has dubbed Nancy Meyers "Hollywood's reigning 'romcom queen.'" Scholarship and criticism of Meyers' oeuvre has discussed the postfeminist aesthetics and ideologies that her films embody, in which wealthy, successful, and independent women often play the protagonists. In a 2020 article for Bustle , Dana Schwartz writes in praise of this, saying, "Where Hollywood desexualizes and disposes of women over 40, Nancy Meyers celebrates them, showing them as women who have crushed their careers and become financially stable enough to buy objectively stunning pieces of property". Film scholar Michele Schreiber argues that
9317-453: The latter. Jordan Peele became the first and only African-American to win in this category for 2017's Get Out . Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won became the first Asian writers to win either Screenplay award, for 2019's Parasite . This was also the most recent of 10 occasions when Oscars in this category have been awarded to writers for both screenplay AND story on one film (sometimes they have been completely different, and sometimes
9438-429: The manager of First National Pictures. In 1928, Warner Bros. released Lights of New York , the first all-talking feature. Due to its success, the movie industry converted entirely to sound almost overnight. By the end of 1929, all the major studios were exclusively making sound films. In 1929, First National Pictures released their first film with Warner Bros., Noah's Ark . Despite its expensive budget, Noah's Ark
9559-496: The modern Warner Bros. called the current building owners and arranged to save it. The owners noted people across the country had asked them to protect it for its historical significance. In 1904, the Warners founded the Pittsburgh -based Duquesne Amusement & Supply Company, to distribute films. In 1912, Harry Warner hired an auditor named Paul Ashley Chase . By the time of World War I , they had begun producing films; in
9680-406: The most successful commercial female filmmaker. Paszkiewicz contends that Meyers' reliance on the rom-com genre may be more complex and self-reflexive than it appears. In The Intern (2015), for example, many traditional rom-com tropes are recast and reimagined by making the focal relationship, between Jules and Ben, a non-romantic, intergenerational one. The film also highlights disenchantment with
9801-675: The only father-daughter pair to win. The Lucas Bros are the only African-American siblings to receive a nomination in this category ( Judas and the Black Messiah , 2021 ) . Preston Sturges was nominated for two different films in the same year (1944): Hail the Conquering Hero and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek . Oliver Stone achieved the same distinction in 1986, for Platoon and Salvador . Maurice Richlin and Stanley Shapiro were nominated in 1959 for both Operation Petticoat and Pillow Talk and won for
9922-403: The personal and the professional. Meyers' films are known to redirect the male gaze and instead take a critical view of male leads through the female gaze . Meyers generally spends a year writing, followed by six months of filming and another six months of editing. She has final cut privilege on her films, which is uncommon for directors working with major American studios. Meyers is known as
10043-447: The post-divorce comedy Something's Gotta Give (2003), starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson as a successful 60-something and 50-something, who find love for each other at a different time of life, despite being complete opposites. Nicholson and Keaton, aged 63 and 57 respectively, were seen as bold casting choices for leads in a romantic comedy, and 20th Century Fox , the film's original distributor, reportedly declined to produce
10164-426: The premiere. Jack became sole head of production. Sam's death also had a great effect on Jack's emotional state, as Sam was arguably Jack's inspiration and favorite brother. In the years to come, Jack kept the studio under tight control. Firing employees was common. Among those whom Jack fired were Rin Tin Tin (in 1929) and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (in 1933), the latter having served as First National's top star since
10285-515: The project was a series of situations that Meyers and Shyer and their friends had experienced while managing a life with a successful career and a growing family. Baby Boom was favorably received by critics and audiences alike. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and earned a respectable $ 1.6 million in its opening weekend in the US, and approximately $ 26.7 million in its entire run. As with Private Benjamin
10406-579: The quality of "tidy unreality," which is the aspect of her filmmaking that often draws harsh criticism. Some criticism has taken note of how the "independent woman" figure in Nancy Meyers film always appears as heterosexual, upper-class, and white, leveling charges of white feminism on her work. Katarzyna Paszkiewicz asserts that Meyers' ability to simultaneously carve out a particular, feminized niche in her work, while still providing mainstream (and even male) audiences with "what they want," has made her
10527-460: The record as the oldest winner (76) for Midnight in Paris . Ben Affleck is the youngest winner (25) for Good Will Hunting , co-written with Matt Damon (27). Richard Schweizer was the first to win for a foreign-language film, Marie-Louise . Other winners for a non-English screenplay include Albert Lamorisse , Pietro Germi , Claude Lelouch , Pedro Almodóvar , Bong Joon-ho , Han Jin-won , Justine Triet and Arthur Harari . Lamorisse
10648-555: The revival was affected by Berkeley's arrest for killing three people while driving drunk. By the end of the year, people again tired of Warner Bros. musicals, and the studio — after the huge profits made by 1935 film Captain Blood — shifted its focus to Errol Flynn swashbucklers . With the collapse of the market for musicals, Warner Bros., under Zanuck, turned to more socially realistic storylines. Because of its many films about gangsters, Warner Bros. soon became known as
10769-502: The script for the comedy Private Benjamin (1980) together, a film about a spoiled young woman who joins the U.S. Army after her husband dies on their wedding night during sex. The film starred actress Goldie Hawn , who along with Meyers and Shyer executive produced the project. It was Hawn's agent who made Warner Brothers executive Robert Shapiro buy the script after practically "everybody [had] turned it down. Everybody. More than once," according to Meyers. Meyers described how hard it
10890-472: The script for the ensemble comedy Once Upon a Crime (1992), directed by Eugene Levy , and became one out of several script doctors consulted to work on the Whoopi Goldberg comedy Sister Act (1992). Her next project with Shyer was I Love Trouble (1994), a comedy thriller about a cub reporter and a seasoned columnist who go after the same story, that was inspired by screwball comedies of
11011-412: The signing of a development deal with Walt Disney Pictures in 1997. A remake of the same-titled 1961 original based on Erich Kästner 's novel Lottie and Lisa , it starred Lindsay Lohan in her motion picture debut, in a dual role of estranged twin sisters who try to reunite their long-divorced parents, played by Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson . Lohan's casting as twins forced Meyers to shoot
11132-427: The studio had declined to approve a requested production budget of $ 150 million; a few days later, Warner Bros. Pictures entered talks to acquire the project, with the possibility that the film could begin production in the summer if picked up. Meyers attributes her major influences to the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. Her films frequently center the experiences of middle-aged women facing conflict between
11253-576: The studio hired Midwestern radio announcer Ronald Reagan , who would eventually become the President of the United States . Although Reagan was initially a B-film actor, Warner Bros. was impressed by his performance in the final scene of Knute Rockne, All American , and agreed to pair him with Flynn in Santa Fe Trail (1940). Reagan then returned to B-films. After his performance in the studio's 1942 Kings Row , Warner decided to make Reagan
11374-545: The studio in January 2000, Disney dismissed the film and the project eventually went to Paramount. By the following year, Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt had signed on to star in leading roles and the project had been retitled What Women Want . Released in 2000 to mixed reviews, it became the then-most successful film ever directed by a woman, taking in $ 183 million in the United States, and grossing upward of $ 370 million worldwide. Following her divorce, Meyers wrote and directed
11495-411: The studio reported a net loss of $ 333,413. After a long period denying Sam's request for sound, Harry agreed to change, as long as the studio's use of synchronized sound was for background music purposes only. The Warners signed a contract with the sound engineer company Western Electric and established Vitaphone . In 1926, Vitaphone began making films with music and effects tracks, most notably, in
11616-467: The studio since 1935. The court ruled in de Havilland's favor and she left the studio in favor of RKO Radio Pictures, and, eventually, Paramount. Through de Havilland's victory, many of the studio's longtime actors were now freed from their contracts, and Harry decided to terminate the studio's suspension policy. The same year, Jack signed newly released MGM actress Joan Crawford , a former top star who found her career fading. Crawford's first role with
11737-587: The studio was 1944's Hollywood Canteen . Her first starring role at the studio, in the title role as Mildred Pierce (1945), revived her career and earned her an Oscar for Best Actress. In the post-war years, Warner Bros. prospered greatly and continued to create new stars, including Lauren Bacall and Doris Day . By 1946, company payroll reached $ 600,000 a week and net profit topped $ 19.4 million (equivalent to $ 303.1 million in 2023). Jack Warner continued to refuse to meet Screen Actors Guild salary demands. In September 1946, employees engaged in
11858-399: The studio was forced to abandon this realistic approach in order to produce more moralistic, idealized pictures. The studio's historical dramas, melodramas (or "women's pictures"), swashbucklers, and adaptations of best-sellers, with stars like Bette Davis , Olivia de Havilland , Paul Muni , and Errol Flynn , avoided the censors. In 1936, Bette Davis, by now arguably the studio's top star,
11979-408: The studio's profit increased substantially. After the success of the studio's 1929 First National film Noah's Ark , Harry agreed to make Michael Curtiz a major director at the Burbank studio. Mort Blumenstock, a First National screenwriter, became a top writer at the brothers' New York headquarters. In the third quarter, Warner Bros. gained complete control of First National, when Harry purchased
12100-513: The studio's top gangster stars after appearing in the successful film, which convinced audiences to question the American legal system. By January 1933, the film's protagonist Robert Elliot Burns—still imprisoned in New Jersey—and other chain gang prisoners nationwide appealed and were released. In January 1933, Georgia chain gang warden J. Harold Hardy—who was also made into a character in
12221-1049: The studio, the Red Cross collected 5,200 pints of blood plasma from studio employees and 763 of the studio's employees served in the armed forces, including Harry Warner's son-in-law Milton Sperling and Jack's son Jack Warner Jr. Following a dispute over ownership of Casablanca 's Oscar for Best Picture, Wallis resigned. After Casablanca made Bogart a top star, Bogart's relationship with Jack deteriorated. In 1943, Olivia de Havilland (whom Warner frequently loaned to other studios) sued Warner for breach of contract. De Havilland had refused to portray famed abolitionist Elizabeth Blackwell in an upcoming film for Columbia Pictures . Warner responded by sending 150 telegrams to different film production companies, warning them not to hire her for any role. Afterwards, de Havilland discovered employment contracts in California could only last seven years ; de Havilland had been under contract with
12342-682: The studio: Doctor X (1932) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933). In the latter part of 1931, Harry Warner rented the Teddington Studios in London, England. The studio focused on making " quota quickies " for the domestic British market and Irving Asher was appointed as the studio's head producer. In 1934, Harry officially purchased the Teddington Studios. In February 1933, Warner Bros. produced 42nd Street ,
12463-410: The success of Yankee Doodle Dandy at the box office, Cagney again questioned if the studio would meet his salary demand and again quit to form his own film production and distribution company with Bill. Another employee with whom Warner had troubles was studio producer Bryan Foy . In 1936, Wallis hired Foy as a producer for the studio's low budget B movies leading to his nickname "the keeper of
12584-444: The success of The Parent Trap and her separation from Shyer, Disney's Touchstone Pictures chairman Joe Roth asked Meyers to reconstruct an original script named Head Games about a man who gains the power to hear everything women are thinking, an idea originally conceived by The King of Queens producers Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith. Subsequently, Meyers penned two drafts of the script before agreeing to direct, but as Roth left
12705-698: The success of Rin Tin Tin and Lubitsch, Warner's remained a lesser studio. Sam and Jack decided to offer Broadway actor John Barrymore the lead role in Beau Brummel . The film was so successful that Harry signed Barrymore to a long-term contract; like The Marriage Circle , Beau Brummel was named one of the ten best films of the year by the Times . By the end of 1924, Warner Bros. was arguably Hollywood's most successful independent studio, where it competed with "The Big Three" Studios ( First National , Paramount Pictures , and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)). As
12826-459: The third top 1930s gangster actor into the Warners fold, knowing that he could carry any gangster picture when either Robinson or Cagney were on suspension. Raft had difficulty working with Bogart and refused to co-star with him. Eventually, Warner agreed to release Raft from his contract in 1943. After Raft had turned the role down, the studio gave Bogart the role of "Mad Dog" Roy Earle in the 1941 film High Sierra , which helped establish him as
12947-476: The thirties and forties, even though it was clearly the most budget-conscious of them all." — Film historian Andrew Sarris in "You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet.": The American Talking Film History & Memory, 1927–1949 . Another gangster film the studio produced was the critically acclaimed I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang , based on a true story and starring Paul Muni , joining Cagney and Robinson as one of
13068-610: The treatment of Hearst's longstanding mistress, actress Marion Davies , who was struggling for box office success. Through his partnership with Hearst, Warner signed Davies to a studio contract. Hearst's company and Davies' films, however, did not increase the studio's profits. In 1934, the studio lost over $ 2.5 million, of which $ 500,000 was the result of a 1934 fire at the Burbank studio, destroying 20 years' worth of early Vitagraph, Warner Bros. and First National films. The following year, Hearst's film adaption of William Shakespeare 's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) failed at
13189-446: The unit with indifference, beginning with the installation as senior producer of Edward Selzer , whom the creative staff considered an interfering incompetent. Jack Warner had little regard for the company's short film product and reputedly was so ignorant about the studio's animation division that he was mistakenly convinced that the unit produced cartoons of Mickey Mouse , the flagship character of Walt Disney Productions . He sold off
13310-464: The unit's pre-August 1948 library for $ 3,000 each, which proved a shortsighted transaction in light of its eventual value. Warner Bros. Cartoons continued, with intermittent interruptions, until 1969 when it was dissolved as the parent company ceased its production of film shorts entirely. Characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety , Sylvester , and Porky Pig became central to the company's image in subsequent decades. Bugs in particular remains
13431-520: The war, eliminating its B Pictures unit in 1941. Bryan Foy joined Twentieth Century Fox. During the war era, the studio made Casablanca ; Now, Voyager ; Yankee Doodle Dandy (all 1942); This Is the Army , and Mission to Moscow (both 1943). The last of these films became controversial a few years afterwards. At the premieres of Yankee Doodle Dandy (in Los Angeles, New York, and London), audiences purchased $ 15.6 million in war bonds for
13552-1030: Was an executive at a voting machines manufacturer. Her mother, Patricia Meyers (née Lemisch), was an interior designer who also worked as a volunteer with the Head Start Program and the Home for the Blind. The younger of two daughters, Meyers was raised in a Jewish household in the Drexel Hill area . After reading playwright Moss Hart 's autobiography Act One at the age of twelve, Meyers became interested in theater and started to act in local stage productions. Her interest in screenwriting did not emerge until she saw Mike Nichols ' film The Graduate in 1967. Meyers attended Lower Merion High School in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania . In 1970, Meyers graduated from American University with
13673-485: Was announced that Meyers was planning to direct The Chelsea , an ensemble dramedy set in the Chelsea Apartments in New York. Based on a screenplay by daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer , it was set to star Felicity Jones ; the project failed to materialize however as Meyers was also finishing her own screenplay for The Intern (2015), a comedy about the founder of a fashion based e-commerce company who agrees to
13794-648: Was met with mixed reviews from critics, who declared it rather predictable despite fine work by an appealing cast, but became another commercial hit for Meyers upon its Christmas Day opening release in the United States. It played well through the holidays and into January 2010, ultimately closing on April 1 with $ 112.7 million. Worldwide, It's Complicated eventually grossed $ 219.1 million, and surpassed The Holiday to become Meyer's third highest-grossing project to date. It's Complicated earned Meyers two Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Screenplay . In 2012, it
13915-596: Was murdered by the Nazis in Berlin in 1936. Harry produced the successful anti-German film The Life of Emile Zola (1937). After that, Harry supervised the production of more anti-German films, including Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), The Sea Hawk (1940), which made King Philip II an equivalent of Hitler , Sergeant York , and You're In The Army Now (1941). Harry then decided to focus on producing war films. Warners' cut its film production in half during
14036-492: Was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing , as were Hawn and her co-star, Eileen Brennan , for their performances, and won the team a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay . In addition, the film spawned a same-titled short-lived but Golden Globe -winning television series that aired from 1981 until 1983. Meyers and Shyer's next project, Irreconcilable Differences (1984), marked Shyer's directorial debut. Shelley Long and Ryan O'Neal played
14157-498: Was profitable. In 1929, Warner Bros. released On with the Show! , the first all-color all-talking feature. This was followed by Gold Diggers of Broadway which would play in theaters until 1939. The success of these pictures caused a color revolution. Warner Bros. color films from 1929 to 1931 included The Show of Shows (1929), Sally (1929), Bright Lights (1930), Golden Dawn (1930), Hold Everything (1930), Song of
14278-431: Was released. On April 4, 1923, with help from money loaned to Harry by his banker Motley Flint, they formally incorporated as Warner Bros. Pictures, Incorporated . (As late as the 1960s, Warner Bros. claimed 1905 as its founding date.) The first important deal was the acquisition of the rights to Avery Hopwood 's 1919 Broadway play, The Gold Diggers , from theatrical impresario David Belasco . However, Rin Tin Tin ,
14399-503: Was the first woman to win in this category; she shared the award with her husband, Sydney Box . They are also the first of two married couples to win in this category; Earl W. Wallace and Pamela Wallace ( Witness ) are the others. In 1996, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen became the only siblings to win in this category (for Fargo ). Francis Ford Coppola ( Patton , 1970) and Sofia Coppola ( Lost in Translation , 2003) are
14520-405: Was to get the film made, noting, "Every single studio in Hollywood read it and passed on it... One studio called Goldie and said 'if you make this movie it's a career ender.'” Contrary to the conventional wisdom at the time, that a female lead with no male star was box office poison, Private Benjamin became one of the biggest box office hits of the year 1980, grossing nearly $ 70 million in total. It
14641-447: Was unhappy with her roles. She traveled to England and tried to break her contract. Davis lost the lawsuit and returned to America. Although many of the studio's employees had problems with Jack Warner, they considered Albert and Harry fair. In the 1930s many actors and actresses who had characterized the realistic pre-Code era, but who were not suited to the new trend into moral and idealized pictures, disappeared. Warner Bros. remained
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