In brief
''Morrie Ryskind'' is an American playwright, lyricist, and screenwriter known for his sharp satirical contributions to Broadway musicals and classic Hollywood comedies, most notably his collaborations with George S. Kaufman and the Gershwins on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Of Thee I Sing (1931) and his work on Marx Brothers films such as A Night at the Opera (1935).
Born Morris Ryskind on October 20, 1895, in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrant parents, he attended Columbia University, where he edited the humor magazine The Jester before being expelled in 1917 for a controversial editorial. He began his career in journalism and poetry before breaking into Broadway, collaborating with Kaufman on Animal Crackers (1928), which also became a Marx Brothers film. His partnership with Kaufman and George and Ira Gershwin produced political satires including Strike Up the Band (1930), Of Thee I Sing—the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1932—and Let 'Em Eat Cake (1933). In Hollywood, Ryskind contributed to scripts for Marx Brothers pictures like The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, and A Night at the Opera, as well as screwball classics My Man Godfrey and Stage Door (1937), earning two Academy Award nominations for screenwriting.
Morrie Ryskind (born Morris Ryskind) was born on October 20, 1895, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants Abraham Ryskind and Ida (Edelson) Ryskind. He grew up in New York City and attended the Columbia University School of Journalism.
Photographs
Hero photograph: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Fair use)
