It was more than a decade before Kane that "Mankiewicz spearheaded the movement of that whole Broadway style of wisecracking, fast-talking, cynical-sentimental entertainment onto the national scene," according to critic Pauline Kael. A former reporter and critic in New York, "Mank" had moved to California in 1926 to write for the silents. Having sharpened his wit and conversational skills at the famed Algonquin Round Table, he was ideally situated when the advent of sound created the need for skilled writers of dialogue. Over 25 years Mankiewicz wrote, co-wrote, or otherwise polished many popular films, more than occasionally without formal credit. His career was brought low by alcohol and gambling in the late 1930s, and while he never again reached his previous heights, the critical reception given to Kane afforded him the opportunity to write several more films before his death.

At Columbia, Mankiewicz wrote for the Varsity Show, demonstrating early on the wit that would mark his screenwriting. He majored in English and German, briefly studying the former in graduate school as well. Mankiewicz's younger brother Joseph followed him to Columbia and then to Hollywood, where he also became a successful screenwriter and, later, a director and producer.