author
Samuel Hoffenstein
1889–1947
A witty poet turned Hollywood screenwriter, he moved easily from newspaper rooms and magazine pages to some of the best-known films of the 1930s and 1940s. His sharp humor and polished dialogue gave his work an energy that still feels lively.
1 Audiobook
The Broadway Anthology
by Edward L. Bernays, Samuel Hoffenstein, Walter J. Kingsley, Murdock Pemberton
About the author
Born in the Russian Empire in 1890 and brought to the United States as a child, Samuel Hoffenstein grew up in Pennsylvania and graduated from Lafayette College. He began in journalism, working as a reporter and later as a drama critic in New York, while also contributing stories and verse to magazines including Vanity Fair.
He first made his name as a humorist and poet, known for light verse and a dry, quotable wit. In time he moved into screenwriting, and his career in Hollywood included credits on films such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Phantom of the Opera (1943), and Laura (1944).
That mix of literary playfulness and studio craftsmanship is what makes him memorable: he was a writer who could be funny on the page and effective on the screen. He died in Los Angeles in 1947, leaving behind work that connects early 20th-century American magazine culture with classic Hollywood.