Richard L. Breen

Writer · Died February 1, 1967, aged 48 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Richard L. Breen (June 26, 1918 – February 1, 1967) was a Hollywood screenwriter and director. He began as a freelance radio writer. After a stint in the US Navy during World War II, he began writing for films and worked alone and in collaboration with such distinguished writers as Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. He won an Oscar for his work on the screenplay to "Titanic" (1953), and was nominated for "A Foreign Affair" (1948) and "Captain Newman, M.D." (1963). In 1957, he directed "Stopover Tokyo", and then returned to screenwriting. He was president of the Screenwriters' Guild from 1952 to 1953. He was also credited as "Richard Breen" and "Robert Breen". Text from Wikipedia.

What are Richard L. Breen's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy11 titles58^th

Crime5 titles61^st

Drama2 titles80^th

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

Morality

32%

Bonds

28%

Power

13%

Self

11%

Society

10%

Survival

5%

Ideas

1%

Romantic love7 Deception6 Duty5 Family bonds3 Justice3 Community5 Identity3 Corruption2

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films

ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Earnest

Tone · Sincerity

ironicearnest

Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 19

Serious

Tone · Weight

lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 3 · Dark 5

Stylized

Tone · Style

naturalisticheightened

Grounded 8 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 1

Charged

Feel · Intensity

gentleintense

Gentle 8 · Charged 12 · Intense 1

Steady

Feel · Swings

steadyswings

Steady 13 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs

Feel · Humor

noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 6

Even-paced

Demand · Pace

slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 1

Casual

Demand · Attention

casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1

Easy watch

Demand · Emotional cost

easyheavy

Easy watch 15 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 2

Resolved

Demand · Resolution

resolvedambiguous

Resolved 19 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense

9

Joyful

8

Warm

8

Contemplative

6

Melancholic

7

Other

19

How their films linger

Feel-good11 Fun8 Bittersweet7 Hopeful4 Rousing2 Wistful3

How their films end · 1 with a twist

Happy11
Bittersweet8
Tragic2

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 Richard L. Breen's films?

As of October 24, 2026, none of Richard L. Breen's 21 MovieCove titles is streaming on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Richard L. Breen's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.

Filmography

26 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

Dragnet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Writer
Tony Rome(1967)
Writer
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
A Man Could Get Killed(1966)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Do Not Disturb(1965)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Captain Newman, M.D.(1963)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Mary, Mary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Screenplay
PT 109(1963)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
State Fair(1962)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Wake Me When It's Over(1960)
Writer
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
The FBI Story(1959)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Stopover Tokyo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Director · Screenplay
24 Hour Alert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Screenplay
Seven Cities of Gold(1955)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Pete Kelly's Blues(1955)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Dragnet(1954)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Titanic(1953)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Niagara(1953)
Writer
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
O. Henry's Full House(1952)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Model and the Marriage Broker(1951)
Writer
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Mating Season (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Writer
Appointment with Danger(1950)
Writer
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Fancy Pants(1950)
Writer
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Top o' the Morning(1949)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Miss Tatlock's Millions(1948)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Isn't It Romantic(1948)
Writer
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
A Foreign Affair(1948)
Screenplay
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 25 titles from 1948 to 1969.

Biggest box office

Do Not Disturb (1965)

$316K worldwide

Highest rated

A Foreign Affair (1948)

Midcredits 90^th

By role

only this rolewith another role

Directing1 of 25Writing25 of 25 · 62^nd

By decade

1940s4 · crew1950s12 · crew1960s9 · 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 Richard L. Breen's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61^st percentile, the median of all 21; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58^th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

61^stpercentile

Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

50^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

75^th and up6
50^th to 74^th8
25^th to 49^th6
Below 25^th1

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

Crowd Pleaser15
Mixed6

Most divisive · writer

Isn't It Romantic (1948)

77^th percentile spread · 47% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

A Foreign Affair (1948)

Midcredits 90^th · 80% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 21 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.