On this day, December 8, 1915, Ernest Lehman was born. He wrote a few screenplays.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Ernest Lehman

Born: Ernest Paul Lehman; December 8, 1915; New York City, U.S.
Died: July 2, 2005 (aged 89); Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Ernest Paul Lehman (December 8, 1915 – July 2, 2005) was an American screenwriter. He was nominated six times for Academy Awards for his screenplays during his career, but did not win. At the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, he received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of his achievements and his influential works for the screen. He was the first screenwriter to receive that honor. The award was presented to him by Julie Andrews, a friend and star of The Sound of Music.

He received two Edgar Awards of the Mystery Writers of America for screenplays for suspense films he wrote for director Alfred Hitchcock: North by Northwest (1959), his only original screenplay, and Family Plot (1976), one of numerous adaptations.

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Lehman was asked to collaborate on the romantic comedy Sabrina (1954), which was released the same year and also became a hit. Some of his most notable works are the screenplay adaptations of the musical West Side Story (1961) and the mega-hit film version of The Sound of Music (1965), another musical.

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Here's a clip from North by Northwest. "Page Mr. Lester Townsend, please."

North by Northwest (1959) - Framed for Murder Scene (1/10) | Movieclips
52,926 views•Jun 29, 2017

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North by Northwest - Framed for Murder: Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is accused of Lester Townsend’s (Philip Ober) murder while visiting the UN.

[Staph]

1. From IMDB:

Ernest Lehman became the scriptwriter following a lunchtime meeting with Sir Alfred Hitchcock, arranged by their mutual friend, composer Bernard Herrmann. Hitchcock originally wanted him to work on his new project "The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959)" (which was eventually made instead by Michael Anderson), but Lehman refused. Hitchcock was so keen to work with him that he suggested they work together on a different movie using Mary Deare's budget (without MGM's approval) even though he had only three ideas to set Lehman on his way: mistaken identity, the United Nations building, and a chase scene across the faces of Mt. Rushmore.

[Lord Ludd]

2. Even with the plot holes, North by Northwest remains a classic

First saw it as a 12-y.o. with the family at a drive-in.