---
name: "Irving Brecher"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/irving-brecher"
fi1m_id: "irving-brecher"
imdb_id: "nm0106505"
tmdb_id: 13981
wikidata_id: "Q382596"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "17 January 1914"
died: "17 November 2008"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-25T03:37:42.350744+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Irving Brecher

## Identity

Irving Brecher

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/irving-brecher
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** irving-brecher
- **IMDb ID:** nm0106505
- **TMDB ID:** 13981
- **Wikidata ID:** Q382596
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Brecher, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q382596, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0106505/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/13981

Writer. Born 17 January 1914 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 17 November 2008.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 17 January 1914, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 17 November 2008
- **Also known as:** Irv S. Brecher, Irving S. Brecher, Irving Sidney Brecher
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Brecher, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q382596, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0106505/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/13981

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Meet Me in St. Louis*](https://film.one/film/meet-me-in-st-louis.md) (87)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Irving Brecher was an American screenwriter. Born in New York City on 17 January 1914, he began his career writing jokes and sketches for comedians including Milton Berle before moving to Hollywood in 1937.

Brecher received sole screenwriting credit on two Marx Brothers films, *At the Circus* (1939) and *Go West* (1940). His other credits include *Shadow of the Thin Man* (1941), *Meet Me in St. Louis* (1944, shared with Fred F. Finklehoffe and nominated for an Academy Award) and *Bye Bye Birdie* (1963). He also created the radio and television series *The Life of Riley*. Brecher died in Los Angeles on 17 November 2008.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Meet Me in St. Louis* (1944), Fi1m 87, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/meet-me-in-st-louis.md)

## Complete filmography (17)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Bye Bye Birdie* (1963), Screenplay
- *Sail a Crooked Ship* (1961), Director
- *Cry for Happy* (1961), Screenplay
- *The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis* (1959), series, Writer
- *Meet Me in St. Louis* (1959), Original Film Writer
- *The People's Choice* (1955), series, Creator
- *Somebody Loves Me* (1952), Director, Writer
- *The Life of Riley* (1949), series, Producer, Writer
- *The Life of Riley* (1949), Director, Writer, Producer
- *Yolanda and the Thief* (1945), Screenplay
- *Meet Me in St. Louis* (1944), Screenplay — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/meet-me-in-st-louis.md)
- *Best Foot Forward* (1943), Screenplay
- *Du Barry Was a Lady* (1943), Screenplay
- *Shadow of the Thin Man* (1941), Screenplay
- *Go West* (1940), Screenplay
- *At the Circus* (1939), Screenplay
- *New Faces of 1937* (1937), Screenplay

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1945: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *Meet Me in St. Louis*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/irving-brecher