J. Robert Bren

Personal Info

Known For Writer

Gender Male

Birthday 1903-06-23

Deathday 1981-10-01 (78 years old)

Place of Birth Guanajuato, Mexico

J. Robert Bren

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia J. Robert Bren (July 23, 1903 – October 1, 1981) was a Mexican-American screenwriter and producer who was active from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s. He wrote either the story or screenplay for thirty feature films, as well as producing at least two of those films. Born Jose Roberto Bustamante Gutierrez on July 23, 1903 in Guanajuato, Mexico, he entered the film industry, working on the sound crew for the 1933 film, Face in the Sky. The following year he began writing stories for films, the first of which was the 20th Century Fox film, Looking for Trouble, starring Spencer Tracy and Jack Oakie. He was also one of the story authors for The Band Plays On (1933), starring Robert Young. In 1937 he was one of three writers who expanded an unpublished Damon Runyon story which was turned into the screenplay for Racing Lady, which starred Ann Dvorak, Smith Ballew, and Harry Carey. Bren was one of the writers of the screenplay for The Man Who Found Himself, also in 1937, featuring Joan Fontaine in her first starring role, along with John Beal. In 1942, Bren co-wrote the original story for the film, In Old California, starring John Wayne. Bren produced the 1945 film, First Yank into Tokyo, from a screenplay he wrote. The film stars Tom Neal and Barbara Hale, and was directed by Gordon Douglas. To open the film, Bren secured the rights to a tape of Japan's prime minister, Kuniaki Koiso, in which he exhorts the Japanese population to "sacrifice everything to repulse the enemy." Bren served on the California State Welfare Board in 1949. Also on the board was Hazel Hurst, a blind young lady who was famous for advocacy for the blind, especially for the use of guide dogs. She was one of the founders of the Hurst Foundation. Bren wrote a screenplay based on Hurst's life. The 1954 film, Naked Alibi, directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Sterling Hayden and Gloria Grahame, was based on a story by Bren and his long-time writing partner, Gladys Atwater. Bren's last big screen writing credit was again as story co-writer with Atwater for The Treasure of Pancho Villa, directed by George Sherman, and starring Rory Calhoun, Shelley Winters and Gilbert Roland.

Known For

Writer

1954
Naked Alibi

as Story

1954
Overland Pacific

as Screenplay

1953
1949
El Paso

as Story

1945
First Yank into Tokyo

as Screenplay

1945
1942
1942
American Empire

as Screenplay

1942
1942
In Old California

as Original Story

1940
Charter Pilot

as Story

1939
Parents on Trial

as Screenplay

1939
1938
Double Danger

as Screenplay

1938
Everybody's Doing It

as Screenplay

1938
Crime Ring

as Screenplay

1938
1937
Hideaway

as Screenplay

1937
Behind The Headlines

as Screenplay

1937
China Passage

as Screenplay

1936
High Tension

as Story

1936
Without Orders

as Screenplay

1934

Producer

1949
El Paso

as Associate Producer

1945