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Charles Davies Lederer is a Director, Scriptwriter and Additional Dialogue American born on 31 december 1906 at New York City (USA)

Charles Davies Lederer

Charles Davies Lederer
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Nationality USA
Birth 31 december 1906 at New York City (USA)
Death 5 march 1976 (at 69 years) at Los Angeles (USA)

Charles Lederer (December 31, 1911 – March 5, 1976) was a prolific and well-connected American screenwriter and director. He was born into a prominent theatrical family in New York, and after his parents divorced, was raised in California by his aunt, Marion Davies, mistress to newspaper publisher William Randolf Hearst. A child prodigy, he entered college at age 13, but dropped out after a few years to work as a journalist with Hearst's newspapers.

Lederer is recognized for his comic and acerbic adaptations and collaborative screenplays of the 1940s and early 1950s. His screenplays frequently delved into the corrosive influences of wealth and power. His comedy writing was considered among the best of the period, and he, along with writer friends Ben Hecht and Herman Mankiewicz, became major contributors to the film genre known as "screwball comedy".

Among his notable screenplays which he wrote or co-wrote, were The Front Page (1931), the critically acclaimed His Girl Friday (1940), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), Ocean's 11 (1960), and Mutiny on the Bounty (1962).

Best films

Ocean's Eleven (2001)
(Original Film Writer)
The Front Page (1931)
(Scriptwriter)

Usually with

Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht
(13 films)
Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks
(6 films)
Cedric Gibbons
Cedric Gibbons
(10 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Charles Davies Lederer (42 films)

Display filmography as list

Director

On the Loose, 1h18
Directed by Charles Davies Lederer, James Anderson
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Actors Joan Evans, Melvyn Douglas, Lynn Bari, Ida Lupino, Hugh O'Brian, Robert Arthur
Rating60% 3.0019153.0019153.0019153.0019153.001915
Just a teenager, Jill Bradley has become suicidal over recent events. Almost everything in her life has gone wrong since her birthday, which her parents all but ignored, going out for the evening and leaving her by herself with a cake.
Fingers at the Window, 1h20
Directed by Charles Davies Lederer
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Actors Lew Ayres, Laraine Day, Basil Rathbone, Walter Kingsford, Miles Mander, James Flavin
Rating62% 3.145543.145543.145543.145543.14554
An axe murderer stalks Chicago. After six murders, the police identify six suspects, all of whom are lunatics not responsible for the crimes. Only one victim, socialite Edwina Brown (Laraine Day), has survived; she was rescued by actor Oliver Duffy (Lew Ayres).
Double or Nothing, 1h30
Directed by Theodore Reed, Charles Davies Lederer, Benjamin Glazer
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Musical films
Actors Bing Crosby, Martha Raye, Andy Devine, Mary Carlisle, William Frawley, Samuel S. Hinds
Rating63% 3.1927553.1927553.1927553.1927553.192755
Eccentric millionaire philanthropist Axel Clark wishes to prove that all people are essentially honest and good. Following his death and as a provision of his will, his lawyers drop wallets on the streets of town that each have $100 in them, with information for contacting the lawyers. The four honest people who return the wallets then find themselves unexpectedly in a sort of lottery. The first person who could double that sum within one month, through honest means, would inherit Clark's entire estate. Otherwise, the entire estate would go to Clark's greedy brother, who is determined to thwart the plan.

Scriptwriter

Ocean's Eleven, 1h56
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Comedy thriller, Action, Crime
Themes Heist films, Gangster films, Escroquerie
Actors George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, Brad Pitt, Holly Marie Combs, Steven Soderbergh
Roles Original Film Writer
Rating76% 3.84773.84773.84773.84773.8477
Following release from prison, Daniel "Danny" Ocean (George Clooney) violates his parole by traveling to California to meet his partner-in-crime and friend Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) to propose a caper. The two go to Las Vegas to pitch the plan to wealthy friend and former casino owner Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould). The plan consists of simultaneously robbing the Bellagio, The Mirage, and the MGM Grand casinos. Reuben's familiarity with casino security makes him very reluctant to get involved, but when he starts to think of it as a good way to get back at his rival, Terry Benedict (Andy García), who owns all three casinos, Reuben agrees to finance the operation. Because the casinos are required by the Nevada Gaming Commission to have enough cash on hand to cover all their patrons' bets, the three predict that, on the upcoming night of a highly anticipated boxing match, the Bellagio vault will contain more than $150,000,000.
Kiss of Death, 1h37
Directed by Barbet Schroeder
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Actors David Caruso, Nicolas Cage, Samuel L. Jackson, Helen Hunt, Ving Rhames, Stanley Tucci
Roles Original Film Writer
Rating58% 2.9482352.9482352.9482352.9482352.948235
Jimmy Kilmartin is an ex-con living in Astoria in the New York City borough of Queens, trying to stay clean and raising a daughter with his wife Bev. They are both recovering alcoholics. Bev leaves Jimmy alone to go to an AA meeting. While she is gone, Jimmy is awoken by his cousin Ronnie who is in desperate need of a driver to help him move some stolen cars. Jimmy tries to eject Ronnie, knowing that he could go back to prison just for being seen with him. Ronnie's right ring finger is broken, and he confesses that if Jimmy does not help him move the cars, Little Junior Brown will kill him.
A Global Affair, 1h24
Directed by Jack Arnold
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors Bob Hope, Michèle Mercier, Elga Andersen, Robert Sterling, Yvonne De Carlo, Miiko Taka
Rating54% 2.706732.706732.706732.706732.70673
A baby is abandoned at the United Nations headquarters in New York by a mother who has heard the UN's Frank Larrimore speak out on behalf of women's rights.
Mutiny on the Bounty, 2h58
Directed by Lewis Milestone, Carol Reed
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Historical, Romance
Themes Medical-themed films, Seafaring films, Psychologie, Transport films, Films about psychiatry
Actors Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Richard Harris, Hugh Griffith, Gordon Jackson, Richard Haydn
Roles Ecrivain
Rating71% 3.5978253.5978253.5978253.5978253.597825
In the year 1787, the Bounty sets sail from England for Tahiti under the command of captain William Bligh (Trevor Howard). Her mission is to transport breadfruit to Jamaica, where hopefully it will thrive and provide a cheap source of food for the slaves.
Follow That Dream, 1h49
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Musical
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Elvis Presley, Anne Helm, Arthur O'Connell, Joanna Moore, Simon Oakland, Jack Kruschen
Rating64% 3.2464853.2464853.2464853.2464853.246485
A vagabond family composed of Pop Kwimper (Arthur O'Connell), his son Toby (Elvis Presley), and various "adopted" children, including nineteen-year-old Holly Jones (Anne Helm), is traveling in Florida when Pop drives onto an as-yet-unopened section of highway. When the car runs out of gas, Holly persuades Toby to persuade Pop to take up residence on the land next to the road. A chance encounter with an avid fisherman (Herbert Rudley) gives Holly an idea. They build a thriving business catering to sports fishermen.
Ocean's Eleven, 2h2
Directed by Lewis Milestone, Richard Lang
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Comedy thriller, Action, Adventure, Musical, Crime
Themes Heist films, Gangster films, Escroquerie
Actors Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Patrice Wymore, Joey Bishop
Rating64% 3.249183.249183.249183.249183.24918
A gang of World War II 82nd Airborne veterans is recruited by Danny Ocean (Sinatra) and Jimmy Foster (Lawford) to rob five different Las Vegas casinos (Sahara, Riviera, Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn, Sands and the Flamingo) on a single night.
Can-Can
Can-Can (1960)
, 2h11
Directed by Walter Lang
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Films based on plays, Films based on musicals, Children's films
Actors Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Juliet Prowse, Marcel Dalio
Rating63% 3.1504653.1504653.1504653.1504653.150465
À Paris, en 1896, Simone Pistache, directrice et meneuse de revues du cabaret Bal du Paradis à Montmartre, brave la censure en présentant le cancan, une danse qu’une ligue de dames vertueuses a déclarée « obscène et lascive » (sic) bien que ces dames ne l’aient jamais vue. François Durnais, avocat et amant de Simone, est censé avoir négocié un accord avec la police, mais celle-ci fait irruption à chaque tentative de représentation. Lors du procès, le président du tribunal, Paul Barrière (un ami de François), apprend que c’est l’un des juges de sa cour qui a validé la plainte : le jeune et nouveau Philippe Forestier. Un soir, lorsque ce dernier se rend incognito au Bal du Paradis pour constater le délit, il fait la connaissance de Simone et en tombe amoureux. Une rivalité s’érige entre Durnais et Forestier. Simone est très liée à Durnais, mais contrariée, car ce dernier fait du refus du mariage une question de principe. Forestier propose plusieurs rendez-vous à Simone, mais elle temporise jusqu’à ce qu’il lui demande de l’épouser. Simone accepte, stupéfaite de se voir spontanément offrir ce que Durnais lui a toujours refusé. Durnais, avec la complicité de Barrière, cherche alors un plan pour rompre leurs fiançailles. Invité à la réception donnée sur une péniche par Forestier pour présenter sa future épouse à son distingué entourage, Durnais profite de l’appréhension de Simone d’être confrontée à la gent bourgeoise pour lui faire exagérément boire du champagne avant de la pousser à exécuter un numéro de cabaret qui scandalise l’assistance. Simone réalise que sa prestation a compromis son mariage et s’enfuit en regagnant les quais à la nage. Elle imagine un stratagème pour se venger de Durnais : elle lui demande de lui prêter de l’argent en contrepartie de quoi elle lui fait signer un document stipulant qu’il restera propriétaire du Bal du Paradis tant que l’argent ne lui sera pas remboursé. Quand le cancan est représenté au cabaret, la police fait une descente et arrête son propriétaire, Durnais en l’occurrence. Celui-ci passe au tribunal, et Simone, estimant que sa vengeance va trop loin, refuse de l’enfoncer davantage, mais ne veut plus avoir affaire à lui. Durnais a finalement recours à un subterfuge pour reconquérir Simone et lui faire enfin sa demande en mariage.
It Started with a Kiss, 1h44
Directed by George Marshall
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Themes Transport films, Road movies
Actors Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds, Eva Gabor, Edgar Buchanan, Harry Morgan, Gustavo Rojo
Rating59% 2.997892.997892.997892.997892.99789
After a whirlwind courtship, an Air Force staff sergeant who is a Korean War veteran, Joe Fitzpatrick (Ford), and his wife
The Fiend Who Walked The West, 1h41
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Origin USA
Genres Western
Actors Robert Evans, Hugh O'Brian, Dolores Michaels, Linda Cristal, Stephen McNally, Edward Andrews
Roles Adaptation
Rating63% 3.191753.191753.191753.191753.19175
Version Western du "Carrefour de la mort" (1947) d'Henry Hathaway servi par la musique de "Le jour où la Terre s’arrêta" (1951) de Robert Wise, ce film tant décrié a néanmoins de nombreux atouts. Synoptique: Daniel, un pilleur de banque, purge sa peine avec pour compagnon de cellule, Felix, criminel et psychopathe. Une fois libre, Felix entreprend de terroriser la famille de Dan et d'assassiner ses amis...
The Spirit of St. Louis, 2h15
Directed by Billy Wilder
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Action, Adventure, Historical
Themes Transport films, Aviation films
Actors James Stewart, Patricia Smith, Creighton Hale, Aaron Spelling, Bartlett Robinson, Murray Hamilton
Roles Adaptation
Rating70% 3.5455453.5455453.5455453.5455453.545545
On May 19, 1927, after waiting for a week for the rain to stop, pilot Charles A. "Slim" Lindbergh (James Stewart) tries to rest in a hotel near Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, prior to a transatlantic flight from New York to Paris. His friend Frank Mahoney (Bartlett Robinson) guards his hotel room door from reporters. Unable to sleep, Lindbergh reminisces about his time as an airmail pilot.
Tip on a Dead Jockey, 1h38
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about drugs, Transport films, Aviation films
Actors Robert Taylor, Dorothy Malone, Marcel Dalio, Martin Gabel, Gia Scala, Jack Lord
Rating60% 3.049363.049363.049363.049363.04936
Phyllis Tredman is shocked when husband Lloyd, a decorated Korean War pilot, sends word to her after his discharge from military service requesting a divorce.
Gaby
Gaby (1956)
, 1h36
Directed by Curtis Bernhardt
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Théâtre, Films based on plays
Actors Leslie Caron, John Kerr, Cedric Hardwicke, Ruta Lee, Taina Elg, Margalo Gillmore
Rating60% 3.0009453.0009453.0009453.0009453.000945
Gaby (Caron) is a ballet dancer in 1944 London who runs into corporal Gregory Wendell (Kerr) while rushing to catch the bus. Greg is mesmerized by Gaby and goes to the ballet to see her on stage, but Gaby wants nothing to do with Greg. He persists, and by the end of the day, she agrees to marry him.