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Julius and Philip Epstein

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Screenwriter

The Resume

    Born in New York City, New York
    Julius (August 22, 1909–December 30, 2000)
    Philip (August 22, 1909–February 7, 1952)
    Identical twins
    Together wrote screenplays for ‘The Strawberry Blonde’ (1941), ‘The Man Who Came To Dinner’ (1941), ‘The Male Animal’ (1942), ‘Casablanca’ (1942), ‘Mrs. Skeffington’ (1944), ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ (1944) and ‘The Last Time I Saw Paris’ (1954)
    Did rewrites and additional dialogue for numerous other films, mostly at Warner Brothers
    Solo Julius wrote screenplays for ‘The Tender Trap’ (1955), ‘Light in the Piazza’ (1962), ‘Send Me No Flowers’ (1964), ‘Pete ‘n’ Tillie’ (1972) and ‘Reuben, Reuben’ (1983)

Why they might be annoying:

    Julius claimed their first job helping to clean their father’s stables was ideal preparation for a Hollywood career because ‘I’ve written enough junk to have fertilized the Sahara.’
    They clashed with fellow ‘Casablanca’ screenwriter Howard Koch, who complained they were putting in too many jokes, while they complained Koch was including too much politics.
    Julius twice tried unsuccessfully to turn ‘Casablanca’ into a Broadway musical.
    Julius said of Casablanca, ‘It’s such a phony picture. It’s camp, it’s kitsch, it’s just slick shit.’

Why they might not be annoying:

    James Cagney agreed to star in ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ only if the Epsteins were brought in to punch up the script.
    Required to fill out a questionnaire by the House Un-American Activities Committee, they responded to the question of if they had ever belonged to a subversive organization with ‘Yes. Warner Brothers.’
    When Julius’ two-story home in Bel Air was partially destroyed in a fire, he quipped ‘Well, we always wanted a one-story house.’
    The Writers Guild of America named ‘Casablanca’ the greatest screenplay of all time (2006).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 5 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 19 Votes: 10.53% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 14 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 27 Votes: 59.26% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 13 Votes: 7.69% Annoying