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Garson Kanin

Garson Kanin

Writer, director and editor, also actor · Died March 13, 1999, aged 86 · Rochester, New York, USA

Garson Kanin (November 24, 1912 – March 13, 1999) was an American writer and director. Description above from the Wikipedia article Garson Kanin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 24, 1912
Died
March 13, 1999 (aged 86)
From
Rochester, New York, USA
Works as
Writer, director and editor, also actor
Titles
26 on Motif · 42 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 18% in 30 days

What are Garson Kanin's films like?

Across their 24 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy14 titlesTypical Motif score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Motif score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Motif score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
37%
Self
29%
Society
12%
Morality
10%
Survival
7%
Power
6%
Romantic love12 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame4 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 24 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 18 · Serious 2 · Dark 4

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 19 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 13 · Charged 10 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 19 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 13

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 19 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 23 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
13
Warm
14
Romantic
10
Hopeful
6
Tense
2
Other
14

How their films linger

Feel-good15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy15
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic1

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 Garson Kanin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 26 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Garson Kanin's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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

42 credits, 26 with a Motif page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Smash(2012)

    Show 32 episodes · Novel

    Motif score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Born Yesterday(1993)

    Theatre Play

    Motif score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Tattingers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Silent Lovers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1980)

    Novel

  • The Scarlett O'Hara War(1980)

    Novel

    Motif score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • This Year's Blonde(1980)

    Novel

    Motif score: 57th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Hardhat & Legs (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1980)

    Screenplay

  • Adam's Rib (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 2 episodes · Creator · Story

  • Ferraille et chiffons (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)

    Author

  • Some Kind of a Nut(1969)

    Director · Writer

    Motif score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Where It's At (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)

    Director · Writer

  • Walk Don't Run(1966)

    Writer

    Motif score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Broadway (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Creator

  • The Right Approach (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Theatre Play

  • High Time (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

    Story

  • The Rat Race(1960)

    Screenplay · Theatre Play

    Motif score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Diary of Anne Frank(1959)

    Stage Director

    Motif score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Girl Can't Help It(1956)

    Novel

    Motif score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Born Yesterday (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

    Director · Writer

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1955)

    Show 1 episode · Story

    Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • It Should Happen to You(1954)

    Screenplay · Story

    Motif score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Pat and Mike(1952)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Marrying Kind (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1952)

    Writer

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Born Yesterday(1950)

    Theatre Play

    Motif score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Adam's Rib(1949)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • A Double Life(1947)

    Screenplay

    Motif score: 76th percentile of all films

  • From This Day Forward(1946)

    Adaptation

    Motif score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The True Glory(1945)

    Director · Editor

    Motif score: 77th percentile of all films

  • A Salute to France (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1944)

    Director

  • The More the Merrier(1943)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Motif score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • A Lady Takes a Chance(1943)

    Writer

    Motif score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Ring of Steel (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    Director

  • Fellow Americans (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    Director

  • Night Shift (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    Director

  • Tom, Dick and Harry(1941)

    Director

    Motif score: 57th percentile of all films

  • They Knew What They Wanted(1940)

    Director

    Motif score: 45th percentile of all films

  • My Favorite Wife(1940)

    Director · Additional Writing · Writer

    Motif score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Bachelor Mother(1939)

    Director · Writer

    Motif score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Great Man Votes(1939)

    Director · Additional Writing · Writer

    Motif score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Next Time I Marry(1938)

    Director

    Motif score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • A Man to Remember(1938)

    Director

    Motif score: 80th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 40 titles from 1938 to 2012.

Biggest box office

Born Yesterday (1993)

$18M worldwide

Highest rated

The More the Merrier (1943)

Motif 93rd

Most popular right now

Adam's Rib (1949)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 40: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting17 of 40: 11 only directing, 6 with another role · typical Motif score67thWriting23 of 40: 19 only writing, 4 with another role · typical Motif score76thOther crew6 of 40: 2 only other crew, 4 with another role

40 titles, 7 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1930s4 · crew1940s12 · crew1950s9 · crew1960s6 · crew1970s2 · crew1980s5 · 1 acting · 4 crew1990s1 · crew2010s1 · crew

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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Garson Kanin's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 24; across their 24 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Reach · how many have seen their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Motif score across 26 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

16 of their 26 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser16
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · writer

This Year's Blonde (1980)

66th percentile spread · 14% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)

Motif 96th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 57/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 22 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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.

Is Garson Kanin's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 Motif titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 20 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 8 · minimalMedian of all films: 31

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Garson Kanin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Garson Kanin's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Roy Webb shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers