Norman Wexler
Encyclopedia
Norman Wexler was a screenwriter whose work included such films as Saturday Night Fever
, Serpico
and Joe
, for which he received an Oscar nomination in 1971. A Detroit native and 1944 Central High School
graduate, Wexler attended Harvard University
before moving to New York
in 1951.
, Serpico
, Mandingo and Saturday Night Fever
. He received Oscar nominations for both Joe
and Serpico
.
He wrote Saturday Night Fever
, which generated earnings in excess of $1.2B in today's dollars when both movie and record album sales are counted, more than double U.S. sales of top box office hit Titanic — which had a huge budget and costly special effects.
According to Bob Zmuda
, Saturday Night Fever
made Wexler a wealthy man. He was a much sought-after script doctor
, reworking the scripts for Lipstick
and The Fan
.
Wexler was a sometime playwright. His play The Rope
was produced at Cafe La MaMa (NY) in 1965.
, reportedly bipolar disorder
, and was arrested in 1972 for threatening to shoot President Richard Nixon
.
In the book Andy Kaufman Revealed, Bob Zmuda
, Kaufman's friend and writer, relates his experiences working as an assistant for an extremely eccentric, Academy Award winning screenwriter, prone to pulling stunts that ranged from the bizarre to the profane. Zmuda refers to the man by the alias Mr X. Mr X's wild antics and boorish behavior are said to have been a major influence in creating Andy Kaufman's iconic alter-ego, the obnoxious lounge lizard Tony Clifton
. Though Zmuda does not confirm it in his book, Mr X is believed to have been Norman Wexler.
His last manic episode November 1998-February 1999 took a toll on his health. Early in the morning of August 23, 1999, Wexler died of a heart attack
at age 73.
Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...
, Serpico
Serpico
Serpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and...
and Joe
Joe (film)
Joe is a 1970 drama film starring Peter Boyle, Dennis Patrick, and Susan Sarandon in her film debut. The film was directed by John G. Avildsen.-Plot:...
, for which he received an Oscar nomination in 1971. A Detroit native and 1944 Central High School
Central High School (Detroit, Michigan)
Central High School is the oldest secondary school in Detroit, Michigan; it is staffed and operated by the Detroit Public Schools.-History:In 1858, Detroit's first high school opened on Miami Avenue. By 1863, due to increased enrollment, the school was moved to a building that had formerly housed...
graduate, Wexler attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
before moving to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1951.
Career
Wexler penned the screenplays for several hit films, most notably JoeJoe (film)
Joe is a 1970 drama film starring Peter Boyle, Dennis Patrick, and Susan Sarandon in her film debut. The film was directed by John G. Avildsen.-Plot:...
, Serpico
Serpico
Serpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and...
, Mandingo and Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...
. He received Oscar nominations for both Joe
Joe (film)
Joe is a 1970 drama film starring Peter Boyle, Dennis Patrick, and Susan Sarandon in her film debut. The film was directed by John G. Avildsen.-Plot:...
and Serpico
Serpico
Serpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and...
.
He wrote Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...
, which generated earnings in excess of $1.2B in today's dollars when both movie and record album sales are counted, more than double U.S. sales of top box office hit Titanic — which had a huge budget and costly special effects.
According to Bob Zmuda
Bob Zmuda
Bob Zmuda is an American writer, comedian, producer and director best known as the sidekick, co-writer and friend of cult personality Andy Kaufman....
, Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...
made Wexler a wealthy man. He was a much sought-after script doctor
Script doctor
A script doctor, also called script consultant, is a highly-skilled screenwriter, hired by a film or television production, to rewrite or polish specific aspects of an existing screenplay, including structure, characterization, dialogue, pacing, theme, and other elements...
, reworking the scripts for Lipstick
Lipstick (film)
Lipstick is a 1976 drama film directed by Lamont Johnson. Starring Margaux and Mariel Hemingway, it contains one of the most infamous scenes in motion picture history, showing an extremely graphic rape scene.- Plot :...
and The Fan
The Fan (1981 film)
The Fan is a 1981 thriller about a stalker menacing a movie star. It stars Lauren Bacall, Michael Biehn, James Garner and Maureen Stapleton. It was written by Priscilla Chapman and John Hartwell, based on the novel of the same name by Bob Randall, and directed by Edward Bianchi...
.
Wexler was a sometime playwright. His play The Rope
The rope
The Rope is the debut album by the Darkwave artist Black Tape for a Blue Girl. It was released on vinyl in 1986 by Projekt Records. Later cassette and CD versions were released.-Track listing:# Memory, Uncaring Friend# Hide in Yourself...
was produced at Cafe La MaMa (NY) in 1965.
Health, personal life, and character inspirations
He was reported to have suffered from severe mental illnessMental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
, reportedly bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, and was arrested in 1972 for threatening to shoot President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.
In the book Andy Kaufman Revealed, Bob Zmuda
Bob Zmuda
Bob Zmuda is an American writer, comedian, producer and director best known as the sidekick, co-writer and friend of cult personality Andy Kaufman....
, Kaufman's friend and writer, relates his experiences working as an assistant for an extremely eccentric, Academy Award winning screenwriter, prone to pulling stunts that ranged from the bizarre to the profane. Zmuda refers to the man by the alias Mr X. Mr X's wild antics and boorish behavior are said to have been a major influence in creating Andy Kaufman's iconic alter-ego, the obnoxious lounge lizard Tony Clifton
Tony Clifton
Tony Clifton is a fictitious character created and often played by stand up comedian Andy Kaufman in the late 1970s. Characteristic of the many elaborate hoaxes and practical jokes Kaufman concocted, Clifton was not exclusively played by Kaufman—others, mainly Bob Zmuda, stepped into the role on...
. Though Zmuda does not confirm it in his book, Mr X is believed to have been Norman Wexler.
His last manic episode November 1998-February 1999 took a toll on his health. Early in the morning of August 23, 1999, Wexler died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at age 73.
Screenplays
- JoeJoe (film)Joe is a 1970 drama film starring Peter Boyle, Dennis Patrick, and Susan Sarandon in her film debut. The film was directed by John G. Avildsen.-Plot:...
(1969) - SerpicoSerpicoSerpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and...
(1973) - Mandingo (1975)
- DrumDrum (1976 film)Drum is the 1976 sequel to the film Mandingo, and released by United Artists. Starring Warren Oates, Pam Grier , and Ken Norton and directed by Steve Carver, it parodies nineteenth century American slavery like its predecessor...
(1976) - Saturday Night FeverSaturday Night FeverSaturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...
(1977) - Staying AliveStaying AliveStaying Alive is the 1983 film sequel to Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta as dancer Tony Manero, with Cynthia Rhodes, Finola Hughes, Joyce Hyser, Steve Inwood, Julie Bovasso, and dancers Viktor Manoel, Kate Ann Wright, Kevyn Morrow and Nanette Tarpey...
(1983) - Raw DealRaw Deal (1986 film)Raw Deal is 1986 action film directed by John Irvin and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is the story of an elderly and embittered high-ranking FBI agent who wants to get revenge against a Mafia organization, and sends a former FBI agent played by Schwarzenegger to destroy the organization from...
(1986)
See also
- Michigan Jewish History, periodic publication
- Detroit-Central High SchoolCentral High School (Detroit, Michigan)Central High School is the oldest secondary school in Detroit, Michigan; it is staffed and operated by the Detroit Public Schools.-History:In 1858, Detroit's first high school opened on Miami Avenue. By 1863, due to increased enrollment, the school was moved to a building that had formerly housed...