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Charles Brackett

Charles Brackett

Writer and producer · Died March 9, 1969, aged 76 · Saratoga Springs, New York, USA

Charles William Brackett (November 26, 1892 – March 9, 1969) was an American novelist, screenwriter, and film producer. He collaborated with Billy Wilder on sixteen films. Brackett was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, the son of Mary Emma Corliss and New York State Senator, lawyer, and banker Edgar Truman Brackett. The family's roots traced back to the arrival of Richard Brackett in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629, near present-day Springfield, Massachusetts. His mother's uncle, George Henry Corliss, built the Centennial Engine that powered the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. A 1915 graduate of Williams College, he earned his law degree from Harvard University. He joined the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War I. He was awarded the French Medal of Honor. He was a frequent contributor to the Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, and Vanity Fair, and a drama critic for The New Yorker. He wrote five novels: The Counsel of the Ungodly (1920), Week-End (1925), That Last Infirmity (1926), and American Colony (1929). and Entirely Surrounded (1934). Brackett was a president of the Screen Writers Guild (1938–1939) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1949–1955). He either wrote and/or produced over forty films, including To Each His Own, Ninotchka, The Major and the Minor, The Mating Season (1951), Niagara, The King and I, Ten North Frederick, The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker, and Blue Denim. Beginning in August 1936, Brackett worked with Billy Wilder, writing the film classics The Lost Weekend and Sunset Boulevard, both of which won Academy Awards for their respective screenplays. Brackett described their collaboration process as follows: "The thing to do was suggest an idea, have it torn apart and despised. In a few days, it would be apt to turn up, slightly changed, as Wilder's idea. Once I got adjusted to that way of working, our lives were simpler." His partnership with Wilder ended in 1950 and Brackett went to work at 20th Century-Fox as a screenwriter and producer. His script for Titanic (1953) won him another Academy Award. He received an Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1958. Charles Brackett died on March 9, 1969. His diaries covering his screenwriting and social life from 1932 to 1949 were edited by Anthony Slide into Slide's book It's the Pictures That Got Small: Charles Brackett on Billy Wilder and Hollywood's Golden Age.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 26, 1892
Died
March 9, 1969 (aged 76)
From
Saratoga Springs, New York, USA
Works as
Writer and producer
Titles
40 on MovieCove · 58 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 44% in 30 days

What are Charles Brackett's films like?

Across their 38 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
36%
Morality
23%
Self
17%
Power
11%
Society
7%
Survival
5%
Romantic love20 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception12 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 38 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 21 · Serious 8 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 14 · Stylized 21 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 14 · Charged 18 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 18 · Shifting 18 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 15 · Funny 9

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 20 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 25 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 35 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Romantic
22
Tense
18
Melancholic
14
Warm
10
Joyful
10
Other
31

How their films linger

Feel-good18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy19
  • Bittersweet13
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Charles Brackett's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 40 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Charles Brackett's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

58 credits, 40 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • State Fair(1962)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • High Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Producer

  • Journey to the Center of the Earth(1959)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Blue Denim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Producer

  • The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker(1958)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Ten North Frederick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Producer

  • The Gift of Love(1958)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Wayward Bus(1957)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Teenage Rebel(1956)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The King and I(1956)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • D-Day the Sixth of June(1956)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing(1955)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Virgin Queen(1955)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Woman's World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Producer

  • Garden of Evil(1954)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Titanic(1953)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Niagara(1953)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Model and the Marriage Broker(1951)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Mating Season (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Producer · Writer

  • Sunset Boulevard(1950)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Edge of Doom(1950)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Miss Tatlock's Millions(1948)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • A Song Is Born(1948)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • A Foreign Affair(1948)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Emperor Waltz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Producer · Writer

  • The Bishop's Wife(1947)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • To Each His Own(1946)

    Producer · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Masquerade in Mexico (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Original Film Writer

  • The Lost Weekend(1945)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Skirmish on the Home Front (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Director

  • The Uninvited(1944)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Five Graves to Cairo(1943)

    Associate Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Lucky(1943)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Major and the Minor(1942)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Ball of Fire(1941)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Hold Back the Dawn(1941)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Arise, My Love(1940)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Ninotchka(1939)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • What a Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Screenplay

  • Midnight(1939)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • That Certain Age (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Writer

  • Bluebeard's Eighth Wife(1938)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Live, Love and Learn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Screenplay

  • Piccadilly Jim(1936)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Woman Trap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Story

  • Rose of the Rancho(1936)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Jungle Princess(1936)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Last Outpost(1935)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Without Regret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Writer

  • College Scandal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Screenplay

  • Enter Madame!(1934)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Crusades(1935)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Little Women(1933)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Secrets of a Secretary(1931)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Pointed Heels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Short Story

  • Risky Business (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Story

  • Tomorrow's Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Story

  • Sunset Boulevard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Original Film Writer

Career shape

A full career of 55 titles, 54 of them dated from 1925 to 1962.

Biggest box office

The King and I (1956)

$21M worldwide

Highest rated

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 55: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleWriting39 of 55: 25 only writing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score80thProducing27 of 55: 13 only producing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score76thOther crew2 of 55: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

55 titles, 14 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 14 of them.

By decade

1920s3 · crew1930s15 · crew1940s15 · crew1950s19 · crew1960s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Charles Brackett's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of all 40; across their 38 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Reach · how many have seen their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Midcredits score across 40 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

25 of their 40 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser25
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

Rose of the Rancho (1936)

80th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer, producer

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Midcredits 99th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 61/100 and the plot and story 54/100 in their films, across 37 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Charles Brackett's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles5–33 · median 26 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles4–24 · median 11 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles0–7 · median 3 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles25–56 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles5–44 · median 28 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Charles Brackett work with?

People who share at least 2 of Charles Brackett's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Billy Wilder shares the most, 12.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles