Biography
After serving an apprenticeship as a comedy gag writer, American scenarist Jack Jevne was hired by independent producer
Edward Small. Jevne contributed to the scripts of such Small productions as
I Cover the Waterfront (1933) and
Palooka (1934) before moving to Hal Roach in 1935. He co-directed the
Thelma Todd-
Patsy Kelly 2-reeler
Top Hat (1935), then was added to the screenwriting staff of the Laurel & Hardy feature
Our Relations (1936). By the end of 1936, Jevne was head of Roach's editorial department, co-writing or supervising the scriptwork on such films as
Way Out West (1937),
Topper (1937),
There Goes My Heart (1938),
Topper Takes a Trip (1938) and
Captain Fury (1939). When Hal Roach reorganized in 1941, Jevne began free-lancing, briefly returning to the Roach fold in the late 1940s. At the request of Stan Laurel, Jevne penned the original story for the MGM Laurel & Hardy vehicle
Air Raid Wardens (1943). Remaining a comedy specialist, he worked on the
Danny Kaye musical
Wonder Man (1945) at Goldwyn. Uncharacteristically, Jack Jevne's final screenwriting credit was the 1956
Joan Crawford weeper
Autumn Leaves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide