From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ernest Lehman (December 8, 1915 in New York City – July 2, 2005 in Los Angeles, California) was an American screenwriter. He received 6 Academy Award nominations during his screenwriting career. In 2001 he received an honorary Oscar for his works, the first screenwriter to receive that honor. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ernest Lehman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 8, 1915
- July 2, 2005 (aged 89)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Writer and producer
- 16 on Motif · 23 credits in all
What are Ernest Lehman's films like?
Across their 16 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 16
A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 2 · Dark 5
A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 4
Gentle 4 · Charged 8 · Intense 4
Steady 7 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 1
Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0
Casual 6 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 4
A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 2
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy8
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous4
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 Ernest Lehman's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 16 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Ernest Lehman'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
23 credits, 16 with a Motif page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Mashup (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2021)
The Sound of Music: The Musical (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)
Sabrina(1995)
Motif score: 59th percentile of all films
The French Atlantic Affair (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1979)
Black Sunday(1977)
Motif score: 71st percentile of all films
Family Plot(1976)
Motif score: 75th percentile of all films
Portnoy's Complaint (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)
Hello, Dolly!(1969)
Motif score: 84th percentile of all films
Sen Bir Meleksin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)
Motif score: 97th percentile of all films
The Sound of Music(1965)
Motif score: 98th percentile of all films
The Prize(1963)
Motif score: 75th percentile of all films
West Side Story(1961)
Motif score: 93rd percentile of all films
From the Terrace(1960)
Motif score: 69th percentile of all films
North by Northwest(1959)
Motif score: 99th percentile of all films
Sweet Smell of Success(1957)
Motif score: 97th percentile of all films
The Comedian (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)
Playhouse 90 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)
Motif score: 94th percentile of all films
The King and I(1956)
Motif score: 89th percentile of all films
Sabrina(1954)
Motif score: 95th percentile of all films
Executive Suite(1954)
Motif score: 90th percentile of all films
The Inside Story(1948)
Motif score: 71st percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 23 titles from 1948 to 2021.
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 Ernest Lehman's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 90th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 86th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up12
- 50th to 74th4
Shape of the crowd
None of their 16 titles divides audiences: 8 are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved8
- Crowd Pleaser8
Reviewers score the dialogue 66/100 and the plot and story 56/100 in their films, across 16 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 Ernest Lehman's work okay for kids?
Across up to 11 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Ernest Lehman work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ernest Lehman's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Wise shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Robert WiseShared titles: The Sound of Music (1965), West Side Story (1961), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Executive Suite (1954)See all 4 shared titles with Robert Wise
- Alfred HitchcockShared titles: Family Plot (1976), North by Northwest (1959)See all 2 shared titles with Alfred Hitchcock
- Mark RobsonShared titles: The Prize (1963), From the Terrace (1960)See all 2 shared titles with Mark Robson
Writers
- Billy WilderShared titles: Sabrina (1995), Sabrina (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Billy Wilder
- Samuel A. TaylorShared titles: Sabrina (1995), Sabrina (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Samuel A. Taylor
Actors
- Paul NewmanShared titles: The Prize (1963), From the Terrace (1960), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)See all 3 shared titles with Paul Newman
- Bruce DernShared titles: Black Sunday (1977), Family Plot (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Bruce Dern
- Edith AtwaterShared titles: Family Plot (1976), Sweet Smell of Success (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Edith Atwater
- Leo G. CarrollShared titles: The Prize (1963), North by Northwest (1959)See all 2 shared titles with Leo G. Carroll
Composers and editors
- John WilliamsShared titles: Sabrina (1995), Black Sunday (1977), Family Plot (1976)See all 3 shared titles with John Williams
- William ReynoldsShared titles: Hello, Dolly! (1969), The Sound of Music (1965)See all 2 shared titles with William Reynolds
- Irwin KostalShared titles: The Sound of Music (1965), West Side Story (1961)See all 2 shared titles with Irwin Kostal
- Elmer BernsteinShared titles: From the Terrace (1960), Sweet Smell of Success (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Elmer Bernstein
Producers
- Saul ChaplinShared titles: The Sound of Music (1965), West Side Story (1961)See all 2 shared titles with Saul Chaplin
