Irving Brecher (January 17, 1914, New York City – November 17, 2008, Los Angeles) enjoyed early success as a screenwriter for the Marx Brothers; he was the only writer to get sole credit on a Marx Brothers film including At the Circus in 1939 and Go West in 1940. He was also one of the numerous uncredited writers on the screenplay of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. Some of his other screenplays were Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), Ziegfeld Follies (1946) and Bye Bye Birdie (1963).
He wrote and directed Sail A Crooked Ship starring Ernie Kovacs and a young Robert Wagner.
He received an Academy Award nomination in 1944 for his screenplay of Meet Me in St Louis.
His memoir is scheduled for 2008 publication by Ben Yehuda Press
Death of Irving Brecher
Irving Brecher died of age-related causes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Irving Brecher was 94 years old at the time of his death.