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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_l_brooks_photo.jpg]]
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3->''"I think you have a pact with an audience in every picture, and I think the pact is to try and be truthful and to be real."''
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5James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American producer, director, screenwriter, and occasional actor whose works are usually critical hits. He is friends and a frequent collaborator with music composer Music/HansZimmer. He also has his own production company, Gracie Films.
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7Brooks is one of only eight directors to win UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s for writing, directing and producing a film,[[note]]The others are Leo [=McCarey=] (''Going My Way''), Creator/BillyWilder (''Film/TheApartment''), Creator/FrancisFordCoppola (''Film/TheGodfatherPartII''), Creator/PeterJackson (''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing''), Creator/TheCoenBrothers (''Film/NoCountryForOldMen''), and Creator/AlejandroGonzalezInarritu (''Film/BirdmanOrTheUnexpectedVirtueOfIgnorance'').[[/note]] accomplishing the triple feat for ''Film/TermsOfEndearment''. He was also nominated for producing ''Film/BroadcastNews'', ''Film/JerryMaguire'', and ''Film/AsGoodAsItGets'' and for writing ''Broadcast News'' and ''As Good as It Gets''. On the small screen, he's known for helping to create such classic TV series as ''Series/Room222'', ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'', ''Series/{{Rhoda}}'', and ''Series/{{Taxi}}'', and for being one of the executive producers and original creators of the extremely long-running animated sitcom ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' (joining Creator/MattGroening[[note]]who created the characters and did write a few episodes in its early days, mostly the season one episodes and season three's "Colonel Homer"[[/note]] and the late Sam Simon).
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10[[AC:Gracie Films]]
11[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tv_tropes_producers_gracie_films.png]]
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13Brooks's production company, established in 1984 and named for comedian Creator/GracieAllen.
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15The VanityPlate takes place in a cinema room where a lady shushes noisy attendees as the lights dim, and the words "GRACIE FILMS" appear on screen while accompanied by a catchy, jazzy, jingle composed by Jeffrey Townsend. On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' Halloween episodes ("Treehouse of Horror"), the lady's "Shh!" is changed to a scream while the catchy, jazzy jingle is replaced with creepy organ music.
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17Some people have said that the jingle was inspired by the chorus of the Go West song "The King of Wishful Thinking," [[OlderThanTheyThink but the logo and jingle actually predate the song by a couple of years]].
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19!! Notable works with the involvement of Brooks and or Gracie Films, or just Brooks:
20!!! {{Film}}s
21* ''Starting Over'' (1979)
22* ''Film/TermsOfEndearment'' (1983) – Best Picture winner
23* ''Film/BroadcastNews'' (1987) – Best Picture nominee
24* ''Film/{{Big}}'' (1988)
25* ''Film/SayAnything'' (1989)
26* ''Film/TheWarOfTheRoses'' (1989)
27* ''I'll Do Anything'' (1994)
28* ''Film/JerryMaguire'' (1996) – Best Picture nominee
29* ''Film/AsGoodAsItGets'' (1997) – Best Picture nominee
30* ''Film/{{Spanglish}}'' (2004)
31* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'' (2007)
32* ''How Do You Know'' (2010)
33* ''Film/TheEdgeOfSeventeen'' (2016) [producer only]
34* ''Literature/AreYouThereGodItsMeMargaret'' (2023) [producer only]
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36!!! {{UsefulNotes/Television}} {{Series}}
37* ''Series/MyMotherTheCar'' (1965–66)
38* ''Series/{{Room 222}}'' (1969–74)
39* ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' (1970–77)
40* ''Series/{{Rhoda}}'' (1974–78)
41* ''Series/LouGrant'' (1977–82)
42* ''Series/{{Taxi}}'' (1978–83)
43* ''Series/TheTraceyUllmanShow'' (1987–90)
44* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' (1989– )
45* ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' (1994–95)
46
47!!! {{Made For TV Movie}}s
48* ''Icebox'' (2018) [producer only]

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