Aben Kandel

Novelist, Screenwriter

About

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Born
August 15, 1897
Died
January 28, 1993
Cause of Death
Heart Failure

Biography

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Novelist turned occasional screenwriter from the 1930s on. Kandel had enjoyed some success with his novels "Vaudeville" (1927), "Black Sun" (1929) and "City for Conquest" (1936, the source for the fine 1940 James Cagney film) before penning such enjoyable cinematic corn as "Thunder in the City" (1937), "Rio" (1939) and "What's Buzzin' Cousin?" (1943). Kandel ventured into more sober terr...

Filmography

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Craze (1973)
Screenwriter
Trog (1970)
Screenwriter
Berserk (1967)
Screenwriter
Black Zoo (1963)
Screenwriter
Konga (1961)
Screenwriter
Horrors of the Black Museum (1959)
Original story and Screenplay

Photos & Videos

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0 Photos
High Pressure (1932) -- (Movie Clip) No Romance In Sewage
0 Photos
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City For Conquest (1940) -- (Movie Clip) We Just Look That Way

Bibliography

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"City for Conquest"
Aben Kandel (1936)
"Hot Money"
Aben Kandel (1931)
"Black Sun"
Aben Kandel (1929)
"Vaudeville"
Aben Kandel (1927)

Biography

Novelist turned occasional screenwriter from the 1930s on. Kandel had enjoyed some success with his novels "Vaudeville" (1927), "Black Sun" (1929) and "City for Conquest" (1936, the source for the fine 1940 James Cagney film) before penning such enjoyable cinematic corn as "Thunder in the City" (1937), "Rio" (1939) and "What's Buzzin' Cousin?" (1943). Kandel ventured into more sober territory with the biographical tribute to football coach Frank Cavanaugh in "The Iron Major" (1943) and as co-author (with Robert Rossen) of the potent screenplay adaptation of "They Won't Forget" (1937), Mervyn LeRoy's blazing indictment of lynching and mob violence. He later displayed a predilection for horror in collaboration with schlockmeister producer Herman Cohen with "Horrors of the Black Museum" (1959), "Black Zoo" (1963) and two of Joan Crawford's last films, "Berserk!" (1967) and "Trog" (1970).

Filmography

 

Writer (Feature Film)

Craze (1973)
Screenwriter
Trog (1970)
Screenwriter
Berserk (1967)
Screenwriter
Black Zoo (1963)
Screenwriter
Konga (1961)
Screenwriter
Horrors of the Black Museum (1959)
Original story and Screenplay
Singing in the Dark (1956)
Screenwriter
Timetable (1956)
Screenwriter
Singing in the Dark (1956)
Story
Kid Monk Baroni (1952)
Screenwriter
Big City (1948)
Additional Dialogue
High Conquest (1947)
Original Story
Three Russian Girls (1944)
Screenwriter
What's Buzzin' Cousin? (1943)
Based upon a story by
The Iron Major (1943)
Screenwriter
Fisherman's Wharf (1939)
Dial
Rio (1939)
Screenwriter
They Won't Forget (1937)
Screenwriter
More Than a Secretary (1936)
Story
Magnificent Obsession (1936)
Contract Writer
Come Closer, Folks (1936)
Story
Werewolf of London (1935)
Contr to Screenplay const
It Happened in New York (1935)
Contr to Screenplay const
Manhattan Moon (1935)
Adaptation
She Gets Her Man (1935)
Story
She Gets Her Man (1935)
Screenwriter
Sing and Like It (1934)
Story
Infernal Machine (1933)
Contract Writer

Producer (Feature Film)

Django DeBastardo (1969)
Producer

Life Events

1933

Worked on the adaptation of "Dinner at Eight" from stage to screen

1935

First screenplay credits, "Manhattan Moon" and "She Gets Her Man" (based on his own story)

1959

First collaboration with producer Herman Cohen, "Horrors of the Black Museum"

1973

Last major screen credit, writing the screenplay for the horror film "Craze"

Videos

Movie Clip

High Pressure (1932) -- (Movie Clip) No Romance In Sewage Rescued from a bender, promoter Gar Evans (William Powell) meets buddy Mike (Frank McHugh) and entrepreneur Ginsberg (George Sidney), early in High Pressure, 1932, from a play by Aben Kandel.
City For Conquest (1940) -- (Movie Clip) We Just Look That Way At a neighborhood send-off party, boxer Danny (James Cagney) and dancer Peggy (Ann Sheridan) before a tearful goodbye, in Warner Bros. City For Conquest, 1940.
City For Conquest (1940) -- (Movie Clip) Your Cup Or My Bean With first-time dance partner Murray (Anthony Quinn), Peggy (Ann Sheridan) wins her first contest, celebrations going not so well with boyfriend Danny (James Cagney) and pals (Frank McHugh, George Tobias), in City For Conquest, 1940.
City For Conquest (1940) -- (Movie Clip) These Boys Better Be Good James Cagney as trucker Danny dipping his toe back into fighting, Frank McHugh as corner-man Mutt, Donald Crisp the visiting promoter, George Tobias his wing-man, and Kit Guard as the worse-for-wear ex-fighter, early in Warner Bros.’ City For Conquest, co-starring Ann Sheridan and Arthur Kennedy.
City For Conquest (1940) -- (Movie Clip) Song Of The Magic Isle Nice brother-bonding scene by director Anatole Litvak, musical Eddie (Arthur Kennedy) and bread-winner Danny (James Cagney), early in Warner Bros. City For Conquest, 1940.
More Than A Secretary -- (Movie Clip) Stimulates The Liver Secretarial school owner Carol (Jean Arthur), working incognito at "Body And Brain" magazine, with fitness chief Ernest (Lionel Stander) and boss Fred (George Brent), in More Than A Secretary, 1936.
Thunder In The City (1937) -- (Movie Clip) You Mean The Blimps? Auto baron Snyderling (James Carew) and minions are talking about ad-man Armstrong, the character played by Edward G. Robinson, who personally arranged a re-write by his friend Robert E. Sherwood, for this picture for which he was loaned out to Columbia's English subsidiary, opening Thunder In The City, 1937.
Thunder In The City (1937) -- (Movie Clip) The Duchess Fails Knocking about the English manor home of distant relatives, American ad-man Armstrong (Edward G. Robinson), cut loose by his firm, meets the forthright duke and duchess (Nigel Bruce, Constance Collier) and their daughter (Luli Deste), with her suitor (Ralph Richardson), in Thunder In The City, 1937.
They Won't Forget (1937) -- (Movie Clip) In Need Of Some Instruction After a prologue with geezer Confederate veterans, in a southern city ca. 1910, we meet dishy Mary (Lana Turner) and Imogene (Linda Perry) at business school, swooning over their instructor (Edward Norris), in Mervyn LeRoy's fact-based They Won't Forget, 1937, starring Claude Rains.
Hot Money (1936) -- (Movie Clip) What A Big House! Hustler Willy (Andrew Tombes) arrives with investor Dourfuss (Joseph Cawthorne) to collect P-R man Chick (Ross Alexander) from his temporary home in Ossining, NY, crackpot inventor Dr. David (Paul Graetz) secured in the back seat, early in Hot Money, 1936.
Hot Money (1936) -- (Movie Clip) Female Typewriters! Deal-maker Willy (Andrew Tombes) trying to reassure investor Dourfuss (Joseph Cawthorne) that Chick (Ross Alexander) isn't splurging on the new firm, job applicants Ruth (Anne Nagel) and Grace (Beverly Roberts) arriving, in Hot Money, 1936.
High Pressure (1932) -- (Movie Clip) That Golden Opportunity! First arranging his thoughts then making the big pitch to potential investors, promoter Gar Evans (William Powell) winds up with a song, in High Pressure, 1932, directed by Mervyn LeRoy.

Trailer

Berserk - (Original Trailer) When Joan Crawford cracks the whip, a circus makes murder the main attraction in Berserk (1967).
They Won't Forget - (Original Trailer) Bigotry flares when a Jewish businessman is accused of killing a small-town girl in the South in They Won't Forget (1937) starring Claude Rains.
Iron Major, The - (Original Trailer) Frank Cavanaugh proves himself as a football coach and a World War I hero in the true story of The Iron Major (1943), starring Pat O'Brien.

Family

Stephen Kandel
Son
Survived him.
Lenore Kandel
Daughter
Survived him.

Bibliography

"City for Conquest"
Aben Kandel (1936)
"Hot Money"
Aben Kandel (1931)
"Black Sun"
Aben Kandel (1929)
"Vaudeville"
Aben Kandel (1927)

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