Alfred A. Cohn Dashboard Dashboard

Multi-faceted Alfred A. Cohn wrote dozens of silent and talking films from 1918 to 1934, including Jazzmania (1923), Legend of Hollywood (1924), starring Zasu Pitts, The Jazz Singer (1927), A Holy Terror (1931) with Humphrey Bogart, and Me and My Gal (1932), starring Spencer Tracy. He was also a reporter by the age of 15, newspaper and magazine editor, Associated Press correspondent, U.S. Collector of Customs for the port of Los Angeles from 1935 to 1939, coordinating officer for Treasury Department law enforcement agencies, Los Angeles police commissioner in 1946, playwright, and best-selling author of Gun Notches and Take the Witness.

Although Warner Bros. received a special Academy Award for The Jazz Singer, the first successful full-length talking picture, Cohn got only a certificate of honorable mention for his adaptation.

Cohn was born in Freeport, Illinois, on March 26, 1880. In 1925 he was The Writers’ chairman of the dramatic committee, responsible for hosting seasonal play performances for the club’s members and guests. He died in Los Angeles on February 3, 1951.