From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia J. Robert Bren (July 23, 1903 – October 1, 1981) was a Mexican-American screenwriter and producer who was active from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s. He wrote either the story or screenplay for thirty feature films, as well as producing at least two of those films. Born Jose Roberto Bustamante Gutierrez on July 23, 1903 in Guanajuato, Mexico, he entered the film industry, working on the sound crew for the 1933 film, Face in the Sky. The following year he began writing stories for films, the first of which was the 20th Century Fox film, Looking for Trouble, starring Spencer Tracy and Jack Oakie. He was also one of the story authors for The Band Plays On (1933), starring Robert Young. In 1937 he was one of three writers who expanded an unpublished Damon Runyon story which was turned into the screenplay for Racing Lady, which starred Ann Dvorak, Smith Ballew, and Harry Carey. Bren was one of the writers of the screenplay for The Man Who Found Himself, also in 1937, featuring Joan Fontaine in her first starring role, along with John Beal. In 1942, Bren co-wrote the original story for the film, In Old California, starring John Wayne. Bren produced the 1945 film, First Yank into Tokyo, from a screenplay he wrote. The film stars Tom Neal and Barbara Hale, and was directed by Gordon Douglas. To open the film, Bren secured the rights to a tape of Japan's prime minister, Kuniaki Koiso, in which he exhorts the Japanese population to "sacrifice everything to repulse the enemy." Bren served on the California State Welfare Board in 1949. Also on the board was Hazel Hurst, a blind young lady who was famous for advocacy for the blind, especially for the use of guide dogs. She was one of the founders of the Hurst Foundation. Bren wrote a screenplay based on Hurst's life. The 1954 film, Naked Alibi, directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Sterling Hayden and Gloria Grahame, was based on a story by Bren and his long-time writing partner, Gladys Atwater. Bren's last big screen writing credit was again as story co-writer with Atwater for The Treasure of Pancho Villa, directed by George Sherman, and starring Rory Calhoun, Shelley Winters and Gilbert Roland.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 23, 1903
- October 1, 1981 (aged 78)
- Guanajuato, Mexico
- Writer, also producer
- 11 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
What are J. Robert Bren's films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 10
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 6 · Intense 3
Steady 2 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 2
Casual 6 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 0
Resolved 10 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet5
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch J. Robert Bren's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for J. Robert Bren's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
24 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Overland Pacific(1954)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Naked Alibi(1954)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
The Siege at Red River(1954)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
The Great Sioux Uprising(1953)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
El Paso(1949)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
First Yank Into Tokyo(1945)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
The Gay Senorita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
American Empire(1942)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Underground Agent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
In Old California(1942)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Charter Pilot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
Parents on Trial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Crime Ring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
This Marriage Business (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Double Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Everybody's Doing It(1938)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Hideaway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Behind The Headlines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
China Passage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Without Orders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
High Tension (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Looking for Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Career shape
A full career of 24 titles from 1934 to 1955.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do J. Robert Bren's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 24th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 33rd percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th6
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 11 titles are Broadly Agreed.
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Broadly Agreed6
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 42/100 and the plot and story 43/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does J. Robert Bren work with?
People who share at least 2 of J. Robert Bren's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Gladys Atwater shares the most, 9.
Writers
- Gladys AtwaterShared titles: The Treasure of Pancho Villa (1955), Naked Alibi (1954), Overland Pacific (1954), The Siege at Red River (1954), The Great Sioux Uprising (1953), El Paso (1949), First Yank Into Tokyo (1945), American Empire (1942), The Man Who Found Himself (1937)See all 9 shared titles with Gladys Atwater
Actors
- Sterling HaydenShared titles: Naked Alibi (1954), El Paso (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Sterling Hayden
- Walter SandeShared titles: Overland Pacific (1954), The Great Sioux Uprising (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Walter Sande
- Guinn 'Big Boy' WilliamsShared titles: American Empire (1942), Everybody's Doing It (1938)See all 2 shared titles with Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams
- Preston FosterShared titles: American Empire (1942), Everybody's Doing It (1938)See all 2 shared titles with Preston Foster
Producers
- Leonard GoldsteinShared titles: The Siege at Red River (1954), The Great Sioux Uprising (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Leonard Goldstein
- Samuel J. BriskinShared titles: Everybody's Doing It (1938), The Man Who Found Himself (1937)See all 2 shared titles with Samuel J. Briskin