Ted Berkman
Encyclopedia
Ted Berkman was an American author, screenwriter and journalist best known for writing the screenplay for Bedtime for Bonzo
.
, graduating in 1933, and Columbia University
. Before World War II, he wrote a couple of film scripts and as a journalist for the New York Daily Mirror
. During World War II, he worked as an intelligence officer for the US Army. After the war, Berkman worked as a foreign correspondent giving the first report of the explosion of the King David Hotel
in Jerusalem in 1946 on ABC Radio. He later became an informal adviser to Edward Murrow on foreign affairs and appeared regularly on television programs.
became US President. He also wrote the screen play for the 1957 movie Fear Strikes Out
starring Anthony Perkins
and based on the book written by professional baseball player Jimmy Piersall
about his mental illness. He wrote two more screenplays during the decade including United Artists
Edge of Fury in 1958 and Girl in the Night for Warner Brothers in 1960.
was written about Mickey Marcus
, a West Point graduate who advised the Israeli military during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
. He also wrote the screenplay for the 1966 film starring Kirk Douglas
based on the book.
His next book Sabra was based on the story of a dozen Israeli fighters in the Six Day War and was published in 1969. He wrote three more books during the 1970s including My Prisoner, cowritten with Janey Jimenez about Patty Hearst
. His final book, a memoir, was published in 1998.
Berkman died of cancer in 2006 in Santa Barbara, California
.
Bedtime for Bonzo
Bedtime for Bonzo is a 1951 comedy film directed by Fred de Cordova, starring future U.S. President Ronald Reagan. It revolves around the attempts of the central character, Professor Peter Boyd , to teach human morals to a chimpanzee, hoping to solve the "nature versus nurture" question...
.
Early life and career
He was born Edward Oscar Berkmann in Brooklyn, New York in 1914. He grew up in a middle-class Jewish family and attended Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, graduating in 1933, and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Before World War II, he wrote a couple of film scripts and as a journalist for the New York Daily Mirror
New York Daily Mirror
The New York Daily Mirror was an American morning tabloid newspaper first published on June 24, 1924, in New York City by the William Randolph Hearst organization as a contrast to their mainstream broadsheets, the Evening Journal and New York American, later consolidated into the New York Journal...
. During World War II, he worked as an intelligence officer for the US Army. After the war, Berkman worked as a foreign correspondent giving the first report of the explosion of the King David Hotel
King David Hotel
The King David Hotel is a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem, Israel. Opened in 1931, the hotel was built with locally quarried pink limestone and was founded by Ezra Mosseri, a wealthy Egyptian Jewish Banker. To this day the hotel remains one of the most prominent and prestigious hotels in Israel, and...
in Jerusalem in 1946 on ABC Radio. He later became an informal adviser to Edward Murrow on foreign affairs and appeared regularly on television programs.
Screenwriter
During the 1950s, Berkman worked primarily as a screenwriter. Bedtime for Bonzo was the first film he wrote during that period. The 1951 film became more famous during the 1980s when its star Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
became US President. He also wrote the screen play for the 1957 movie Fear Strikes Out
Fear Strikes Out
Fear Strikes Out is a dramatic film depicting the life and career of American baseball player Jimmy Piersall. It is based on Piersall's autobiography Fear Strikes Out: The Jim Piersall Story. The film stars Anthony Perkins as Piersall and Karl Malden as his father, and it was directed by Robert...
starring Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Friendly Persuasion and as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho , and its three sequels.-Early life:...
and based on the book written by professional baseball player Jimmy Piersall
Jimmy Piersall
James Anthony Piersall is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball. Between 1950 and 1967, he played for the Boston Red Sox , Cleveland Indians , Washington Senators , New York Mets , and Los Angeles/California Angels .While he had a fairly good professional career as a center...
about his mental illness. He wrote two more screenplays during the decade including United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
Edge of Fury in 1958 and Girl in the Night for Warner Brothers in 1960.
Author
Berkman's first book Cast a Giant ShadowCast a Giant Shadow
Cast a Giant Shadow is a 1966 big budget, action movie based on the life of Colonel Mickey Marcus starring Kirk Douglas and Senta Berger. Yul Brynner, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, and Angie Dickinson also appear in supporting roles...
was written about Mickey Marcus
Mickey Marcus
David Daniel "Mickey" Marcus was a United States Army colonel who assisted Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and who became Israel's first general . He was killed by friendly fire, when he was mistaken for an enemy infiltrator while returning to Israeli positions at night.Marcus is the best...
, a West Point graduate who advised the Israeli military during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
. He also wrote the screenplay for the 1966 film starring Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
based on the book.
His next book Sabra was based on the story of a dozen Israeli fighters in the Six Day War and was published in 1969. He wrote three more books during the 1970s including My Prisoner, cowritten with Janey Jimenez about Patty Hearst
Patty Hearst
Patricia Campbell Hearst , now known as Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw, is an American newspaper heiress, socialite, actress, kidnap victim, and convicted bank robber....
. His final book, a memoir, was published in 1998.
Berkman died of cancer in 2006 in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
.