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Alfred Brenner Papers
WGF-MS-012  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
The Alfred Brenner Papers, 1954-1978 consists of materials relating to the career of screenwriter, Alfred Brenner. The materials represented include scripts, as well as related production and development material for television and film. The bulk of the collection consists of scripts and related materials for television series such as Ben Casey, The Eleventh Hour, Mannix, and The United States Steel Hour, among others.
Background
Alfred Brenner was an Emmy-award winning screenwriter who wrote for episodic television and film, in addition to authoring plays, articles, and the writer’s guide, The TV Scriptwriter's Handbook. Alfred Brenner was born on April 10, 1916 in Trenton, New Jersey. He attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he majored in journalism. At Madison, he also met his future wife Elizabeth Cizon, who went on to serve as the first librarian for the Writers Guild Foundation. Alfred Brenner began writing professionally in New York in the 1950s, contributing to such one-hour television dramas as Kraft Television Theatre, Studio One, Alcoa Theater, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Appointment with Adventure, Justice, and The United States Steel Hour. During this period, Brenner’s teleplay, “Survival,” written for The United States Steel Hour, was recognized as one of “Best Television Plays 1957” by The Harcourt, Brace Awards.
 In the late 1950s Brenner relocated to Los Angeles, where he continued to write for television. In 1959 he was awarded an Emmy for best writing (with Ken Hughes) for “Eddie,” a half-hour drama written for Alcoa Goodyear-Theatre, which also earned him a nomination for a WGA Award in 1960. In addition, Brenner continued to work on a number of television programs, including Arrest and Trial, Ben Casey, Checkmate, Ironside, Mannix, McMillan and Wife, The New Breed, The Nurses, and The Rough Riders, among others. However, he is most frequently associated with the NBC series The Eleventh Hour, a medical drama that aired for two seasons and centered around issues in mental health and psychiatry. Alfred Brenner also wrote several feature length screenplays. While many of these were never realized, his screenplay, Key Witness, (co-written with Sidney Michaels) was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in 1960. Over the years Alfred Brenner continued to write for television and theater, in addition to authoring The TV Scriptwriter’s Handbook, and teaching writing courses through UCLA Extension. Alfred Brenner died in California on July 17, 2011 at the age of 95.
Extent
6 linear feet.
Restrictions
The responsibility to secure copyright and publication permission rests with the researcher.
Availability
Available by appointment only.