Irving Reis

Irving Reis (May 7, 1906 – July 3, 1953) was a versatile figure in early American entertainment, known for his work as a radio program producer, film director, and photographer. Born into a Jewish family in New York City, he began his career behind the camera in the early 1920s, contributing as a motion‑picture photographer on projects such as The Hollywood Revue of 1929. By the early 1930s Reis had shifted his talents toward writing and producing, earning notice in Variety for his 1933 radio play St. Louis Blues and the acclaimed 1935 drama Meridian 7‑1212, praised for its sophisticated sound effects and narrative craft. In 1936 he created the experimental anthology series Columbia Workshop, a groundbreaking radio program that explored innovative storytelling techniques and attracted a cult following among audio enthusiasts.

In 1938 Reis moved to Hollywood, where he joined Paramount Pictures as a scriptwriter before deciding to study film direction during a ten‑week sabbatical. By 1940 he had transitioned to RKO Pictures as a director, quickly establishing a reputation for adapting literary works with emotional depth. His notable film credits include The Big Street (1942), the Oscar‑winning The Bachelor and the Bobby‑Soxer (1947), and the acclaimed adaptation of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons (1948). Reis also directed The Four Poster (1952), a tender exploration of marital life based on Jan de Hartog’s play. Throughout his career he balanced commercial demands with artistic ambition, earning respect from peers and critics alike.

Reis’s personal life was marked by two marriages—first to writer Meta Arenson in 1938, and later to Vanessa Idu—and three children. He died of cancer at the age of 47 in Woodland Hills, California, and was interred at the Jewish Cemetery Hillside Memorial Park. Despite his brief life, Irving Reis left a lasting imprint on both radio and film, pioneering techniques that continue to influence contemporary storytelling.