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Elizabeth Emanuel

ELIZABETH EMANUEL BIOGRAPHY

Elizabeth Emanuel with the lion from Five Weeks in a Balloon

The Irwin Allen movies and television productions had many unsung heroes and working hard behind the scenes was an English lady by the name of Elizabeth Emanuel.

Elizabeth was born in London, England in 1911. One of three children, she lost her father, a barrister, in her teens and this shaped her life and education. Elizabeth had a strong interest in music and art. She attended Queens College in London and later went to art school. Her early career was spent managing a bookshop in London.

Elizabeth decided to move to America in 1951 and began working for Doubleday Bookshops in New York. Later she joined Doubleday's Garden City Division, editing children's books.  An opportunity to visit California 8 years down the line lead Elizabeth to leave the publishing company and set up base in California.

Elizabeth was introduced to the reading department at Warner Brothers Studios and got a job reading manuscripts. In 1960, when they could no longer employ her, Elizabeth was introduced to Irwin Allen. From this meeting, Elizabeth became Irwin's researcher, just at the time he was producing The Lost World.

Throughout the sixties and early seventies, Elizabeth worked with Irwin Allen as researcher on all his productions including our favourite television shows and movies such as The Lost World and The Towering Inferno.

Elizabeth also authored two children's books "Climbing Sun, Story of a Hopi Indian Boy" and "Baby Baboon."

We met Elizabeth in 1992, and she was a charming woman with so many happy memories of working with Irwin Allen. You can read more about her time on the Irwin Allen productions in the Elizabeth Emanuel interview.

Elizabeth passed away in November 2004 at the age of 93. We hope that the memories shared here will help her work live on.

Filmography

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (researcher)

My Fair Lady (wrote dialogue for the movie)

The Lost World (researcher)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Movie (researcher)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (researcher)

Lost in Space (researcher)

Land of the Giants (researcher)

City Beneath the Sea (researcher)

The Poseidon Adventure (researcher)

The Towering Inferno (researcher)

Giants Log interview with Elizabeth Emanuel.