Benjamin Glazer

Who was Benjamin Glazer?

Benjamin Glazer was a screenwriter, producer, foley artist, and director of American films from the 1920s through the 1950s. He made the first translation of Ferenc Molnár's play Liliom into English in 1921. His translation was used in the original Broadway production, in the 1930 film version, and in every production in English of the play until recently. It also served as the basis for the libretto for Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel, as well as for Phoebe and Henry Ephron's screenplay for the 1956 film version of the classic musical.

Glazer was born in Belfast, Ireland. After moving to the United States, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and passed the bar exam to become a lawyer in 1906.

Glazer was one of the founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is best known for his Oscar-winning writing for Seventh Heaven and Arise, My Love. Additional screenwriting credits include The Merry Widow, Flesh and the Devil, Mata Hari, A Farewell to Arms, We're Not Dressing, and Tortilla Flat.

Glazer also directed one film, the 1948 Song of My Heart, a highly fictionalized biography of Tchaikovsky.