Irwin Shaw
Writer · Died May 16, 1984, aged 71 · The Bronx, New York, USA
Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: The Young Lions (1948), about the fate of three soldiers during World War II, which was made into a film of the same name starring Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, and Rich Man, Poor Man (1970), about the fate of two brothers and a sister in the post-World War II decades,[1] which in 1976 was made into a popular miniseries starring Peter Strauss, Nick Nolte, and Susan Blakely.
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 27, 1913
- May 16, 1984 (aged 71)
- The Bronx, New York, USA
- Writer
- 15 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
What are Irwin Shaw's films like?
Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits 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 15
Light 2 · Serious 4 · Dark 9
A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 2
Gentle 1 · Charged 11 · Intense 3
Steady 3 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 7
Resolved 13 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet9
- Tragic2
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 Irwin Shaw's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Irwin Shaw'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
35 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
From 180 & Taller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
The Man Who Married a French Wife and Other Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Rich Man, Poor Man... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Rich Man, Poor Man... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
The Girls in Their Summer Dresses and Other Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Top of the Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Beggarman, Thief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Evening in Byzantium (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Rich Man, Poor Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
The Girls in Their Summer Dresses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Centre Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Three(1969)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Bury the Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
In the French Style (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
The Big Gamble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Young Lions(1958)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Desire Under the Elms(1958)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
This Angry Age (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Tip on a Dead Jockey(1957)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Fire Down Below(1957)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
War and Peace(1956)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Ulysses(1954)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Act of Love(1953)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
I Want You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Easy Living(1949)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Take One False Step(1949)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Commandos Strike at Dawn(1942)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Talk of the Town(1942)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Out of the Fog(1941)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Big Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Dobrodinec (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 34 titles, 33 of them dated from 1936 to 2005.
Biggest box office
War and Peace (1956)
Highest rated
The Talk of the Town (1942)
Most popular right now
Ulysses (1954)
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 Irwin Shaw's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th9
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser10
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 50/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 15 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 Irwin Shaw work with?
People who share at least 2 of Irwin Shaw's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kirk Douglas shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Anatole LitvakShared titles: Act of Love (1953), Out of the Fog (1941)See all 2 shared titles with Anatole Litvak
Writers
- Charles SchneeShared titles: Two Weeks in Another Town (1962), Easy Living (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Schnee
- Ennio De ConciniShared titles: War and Peace (1956), Ulysses (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Ennio De Concini
- Ivo PerilliShared titles: War and Peace (1956), Ulysses (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Ivo Perilli
- Mario CameriniShared titles: War and Peace (1956), Ulysses (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Mario Camerini
Actors
- Kirk DouglasShared titles: Two Weeks in Another Town (1962), Ulysses (1954), Act of Love (1953)See all 3 shared titles with Kirk Douglas
- May BrittShared titles: The Young Lions (1958), War and Peace (1956)See all 2 shared titles with May Britt
- Herbert LomShared titles: Fire Down Below (1957), War and Peace (1956)See all 2 shared titles with Herbert Lom
- Art BakerShared titles: Easy Living (1949), Take One False Step (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Art Baker
Producers
- Dino De LaurentiisShared titles: War and Peace (1956), Ulysses (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Dino De Laurentiis
