Morrie Ryskind

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Morrie Ryskind (born October 20, 1895 in New York City , NY - † August 24, 1985 in Washington, DC ) was an American librettist and director on Broadway and screenwriter in Hollywood. In 1931 he received the Pulitzer Prize for the musical political satire Of Thee I Sing (music: George Gershwin ) together with George Simon Kaufman and Ira Gershwin . It was the first musical to have received this prestigious award by then.

Life

Morrie Ryskind was born the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. Shortly before graduating from Columbia University School of Journalism , he was expelled in 1917 for articles criticizing the university president. He wrote with George Simon Kaufman and Ira Gershwin for a humorous column in the New York Evening Mail , worked as a reporter for the New York World until 1921 and published the humorous volume of poetry Unaccustomed As I Am (1921). In the twenties he wrote for several revues and musicals and assisted George Simon Kaufman on the Marx Brothers vehicle The Cocoanuts (1925). A listing of Broadway shows he has been involved in can be found below.

According to his testimony before the Committee for Un-American Activities in 1947, he was increasingly sidelined as a theater and film writer. In 1954 he helped found the conservative National Review , for which he also served as a columnist and director. From 1960 to 1971 he wrote for the Los Angeles Times and until 1978 for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner .

His Broadway shows include:

Filmography

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ryskind, Morrie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American writer and Broadway director
DATE OF BIRTH October 20, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH August 24, 1985
Place of death Washington, DC