Carl Lerner was an American director screenwriter, actor, and editor. He started his career as an actor with theater companies in New York. In 1950 he joined as editor in Columbia Studios and debuted his first film Cry Murder. He directed his first documentary film American Homes in 1949. He is known for his works in movies such as Twelve Angry Men (1957), The Fugitive Kind (1959) and Middle of the Night (1959). Mr. Lerner taught film technique at City College, New York University, the School of Visual Arts, and other institutions, and had written many articles on the subject. He died on August 26, 1973 at the age of 61 in New York, USA.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 17, 1912
- August 26, 1973 (aged 61)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Editor, also director and writer
- 19 on MovieCove · 31 credits in all
What are Carl Lerner's films like?
Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 17
Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 17
Grounded 12 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 12
Steady 7 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 15
A split, not a type: Resolved 10 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet8
- Tragic6
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Carl Lerner's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).
Subscription and free streaming for Carl Lerner's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
31 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page.
The First Circle(1973)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Crawlspace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Klute(1971)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
The Angel Levine(1970)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
The Boys in the Band(1970)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
The Swimmer(1968)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Revolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Brown Eye, Evil Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
A Man Called Adam(1966)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Black Like Me(1964)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Smiles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
The Confession(1964)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
All the Way Home(1963)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Greenwich Village Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
No Exit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Something Wild(1961)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
The Fugitive Kind(1960)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Rosie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Come Back, Africa(1959)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Middle of the Night(1959)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Goddess(1958)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Uncle Vanya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
12 Angry Men(1957)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
On the Bowery(1956)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
A Time for Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Patterns(1956)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
A Conversation with Marcel Duchamp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Big Break (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
So Young, So Bad(1950)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Cry Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Career shape
A full career of 31 titles from 1950 to 1973.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Carl Lerner's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 82nd percentile, the median of all 19; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 81st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up10
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved5
- Crowd Pleaser11
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 54, detractors 31. The element that speaks to their work as an editor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Carl Lerner's work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 5 categories sits near the median of all films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Carl Lerner work with?
People who share at least 2 of Carl Lerner's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; George Justin shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Sidney LumetShared titles: The Fugitive Kind (1960), 12 Angry Men (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Sidney Lumet
- Lionel RogosinShared titles: Come Back, Africa (1959), On the Bowery (1956)See all 2 shared titles with Lionel Rogosin
Writers
- Rod SerlingShared titles: Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), Patterns (1956)See all 2 shared titles with Rod Serling
- Paddy ChayefskyShared titles: Middle of the Night (1959), The Goddess (1958)See all 2 shared titles with Paddy Chayefsky
Actors
- Anne JacksonShared titles: The Angel Levine (1970), So Young, So Bad (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Anne Jackson
- Clifton JamesShared titles: Black Like Me (1964), Something Wild (1961)See all 2 shared titles with Clifton James
- Madame SpivyShared titles: Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), The Fugitive Kind (1960)See all 2 shared titles with Madame Spivy
- Joan CopelandShared titles: Middle of the Night (1959), The Goddess (1958)See all 2 shared titles with Joan Copeland
Composers and cinematographers
- Arthur J. OrnitzShared titles: The Boys in the Band (1970), Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), The Goddess (1958)See all 3 shared titles with Arthur J. Ornitz
- Boris KaufmanShared titles: The Fugitive Kind (1960), 12 Angry Men (1957), Patterns (1956)See all 3 shared titles with Boris Kaufman
- Kenyon HopkinsShared titles: The Fugitive Kind (1960), 12 Angry Men (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Kenyon Hopkins
Producers
- George JustinShared titles: Something Wild (1961), The Fugitive Kind (1960), Middle of the Night (1959), 12 Angry Men (1957)See all 4 shared titles with George Justin
