author
Samson Raphaelson
1896–1983
A playwright and screenwriter who helped shape both Broadway and classic Hollywood, he is best known for creating The Jazz Singer and for his elegant collaborations with director Ernst Lubitsch. His work often mixed wit, feeling, and sharp observations about modern life.
1 Audiobook
The Jazz Singer
by Samson Raphaelson
About the author
Born in New York City in 1896, Samson Raphaelson built a career across fiction, theater, and film. His breakthrough came with The Jazz Singer, which began as a short story inspired by Al Jolson's early life and then became a 1925 stage play.
That story reached an even wider audience when it was adapted into the landmark 1927 film often remembered as the first successful talking picture. Raphaelson went on to become one of Hollywood's most admired writers, especially through his collaborations with Ernst Lubitsch on films including Trouble in Paradise, The Shop Around the Corner, and Heaven Can Wait.
Alongside screenwriting, he continued to write for the stage and in prose, earning a reputation for dialogue that felt lively, intelligent, and emotionally precise. He died in 1983, leaving behind work that still stands out for its charm, warmth, and influence on American popular storytelling.