Aben Kandel (August 15, 1897 – January 28, 1993) was an American screenwriter, novelist, and boxer. He was screenwriter on such classic B movies as I Was A Teenage Werewolf, Joan Crawford's final movie Trog, and one of Leonard Nimoy's first starring vehicles, Kid Monk Baroni. He is the father of poet Lenore Kandel and screenwriter Stephen Kandel.
Biography Born in Berlad, Romania, Kandel came to the United States as a child and was educated at New York University and its law school. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I and later enlisted in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.
He began writing novels in 1927 and wrote two hit plays Hot Money (1931) that was filmed as High Pressure (1932) and Hot Money (1936), and translated a German play Die Wunderbar by Geza Herczeg and Karl Farkas together with Irving Caesar where the pair added their own songs calling at The Wonder Bar that was acquired by Al Jolson and filmed in 1934. One of Kandel's unpublished short stories So, You Won't Sing, Eh? was filmed as Sing and Like It (1934). Kandel began writing Hollywood stories and screenplays with Manhattan Moon (1935). His novel City for Conquest (1936), based on some of his experiences as a boxer was made into a James Cagney feature in 1940.
Kandel began writing for American television in 1950 whilst continuing to write screenplays and novels.
In 1957 he began writing several lurid screenplays for producer Herman Cohen, for whom he had written Kid Monk Baroni. Cohen and Kandel collaborated on such classic films such as I Was a Teenage Werewolf, I Was a Teenage Frankenstein, Blood of Dracula (all 1957), How to Make a Monster (1958), Horrors of the Black Museum and The Headless Ghost (both 1959), Konga (1961), Black Zoo, (1963), Berserk! (1967, that he also co-produced), Trog (1970), and Craze (1974). As Kandel was involved in writing prestigious film scripts for major film studies such as MGM and Warner Bros. he used pseudonyms such as Ralph Thornton and Kenneth Langtry.p. 56 Weaver, Tom Herman Cohen Interview in Double Feature Creature Attack: A Monster Merger of Two More Volumes of Classic Interviews McFarland, 19 Feb 2003
Personal life and death Kandel had two children, a son, Stephen and daughter, Lenore. He died of heart failure at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in 1993, at age 95.
Novels Vaudeville (1927) Black Sun (1929) Ex-Baby (1930) Rabbi Burns (1931) City for Conquest (1936)
Filmography Films Year Film Credit Notes1932High PressureStory bybased on his play "Hot Money"Le bluffeurStory bybased on his play "Hot Money"1934Sing and Like ItStory byBased on his short story "So You Won't Sing, Eh?"1935She Gets Her Man Screenplay by, Story byCo-wrote story with David DiamondManhattan MoonScreenplay byCo-wrote screenplay with Barry Trivers, Ben Grauman Kohn1936Hot MoneyStory byBased on his play "Hot Money"Come Closer, Folks Story byMore Than a Secretary Story by1937Thunder in the CityScreenplay byCo-wrote screenplay with Robert E. Sherwood, Ákos TolnayThey Won't ForgetScreenplay byBased on the novel "Death in the Deep South" by Ward Greene, Co-wrote screenplay with Robert Rossen1939RioScreenplay byCo-wrote screenplay with Edwin Justus Mayer, Frank Partos, Stephen Morehouse Avery1940City for ConquestStory byBased on his Novel of the same name1943What's Buzzin', Cousin?Story byThe Iron MajorScreenplay byCo-wrote screenplay with Warren DuffThree Russian GirlsScreenplay byCo-wrote screenplay with Dan James1947High ConquestStory byBased on the novel by James Ramsey Ullman1952The FighterScreenplay byBased on the short story "The Mexican" By Jack London, Co-wrote screenplay with Herbert KlineKid Monk BaroniWritten By1956Time TableScreenplay byBased on a story by Robert AngusSinging in the DarkAdaption by1957I Was a Teenage WerewolfWritten ByCo-wrote screenplays with Herman CohenBlood of DraculaI Was a Teenage Frankenstein1958How to Make a Monster1959Horrors of the Black MuseumThe Headless Ghost1961Konga1963Black Zoo1967Berserk!1970TrogScreenplay byBased on an original story by Peter Bryan and John Gilling1974CrazeScreenplay byBased on the novel by Henry Seymour, Co-wrote screenplay with Herman Cohen
Television Year TV series Credit Notes1950-51Studio One in HollywoodStory byEpisodes "The Blonde Comes First (1950)" & "The Blonde Comes First (1952)"1950Big TownWriterEpisode "The Pay Off"1951Repertory TheaterStory byEpisode "Kitty Doone"1952Schlitz PlayhouseWriterEpisodes "The Trail", & "The Von Linden File"1954The Philip Morris PlayhouseStory byEpisode "Kitty Doone"1957General Electric TheaterWriterEpisode "No Skin Off Me"1960The UntouchablesWriterEpisode "The Underworld Bank"1964Arrest and TrialWriterEpisode "A Roll of the Dice"The Man from U.N.C.L.E.Story byEpisode "The Fiddlesticks Affair"
Notes
External links N.Y. Times obituary: "Aben Kandel, Screenwriter, 96"