1 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_l_brooks_photo.jpg]] |
2 | |
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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5 | James 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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7 | Brooks is one of only eight directors to win MediaNotes/{{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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9 | ---- |
10 | [[AC:Gracie Films]] |
11 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tv_tropes_producers_gracie_films.png]] |
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13 | Brooks's production company, established in 1984 and named for comedian Creator/GracieAllen. |
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15 | The 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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17 | Some 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] |
35 | |
36 | !!! {{MediaNotes/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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