Morrie Ryskind

Playwright, Screenwriter

About

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Birth Place

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Born

October 20, 1895

Died

August 24, 1985

Cause of Death

Apparent Stroke

Biography

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Collaborated with George S. Kaufman on several Broadway hits including the Marx Brothers vehicle "Coconuts" (1925) and 1932's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Of Thee I Sing" (with Ira Gershwin). A former socialist, he testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1947 and later became an extreme rightist and member of the John Birch Society....

Filmography

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Heartbeat (1946)

Where Do We Go from Here? (1945)

It's in the Bag! (1945)

Where Do We Go from Here? (1945)

Adapted for the screen by

The Meanest Man in the World (1943)

Contract Writer

Photos & Videos

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Animal Crackers (1930) -- (Movie Clip) An Elephant In My Pajamas

My Man Godfrey (1936) - (Re-issue Trailer)

Biography

Collaborated with George S. Kaufman on several Broadway hits including the Marx Brothers vehicle "Coconuts" (1925) and 1932's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Of Thee I Sing" (with Ira Gershwin). A former socialist, he testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1947 and later became an extreme rightist and member of the John Birch Society.

Filmography

Writer (Feature Film)

Heartbeat (1946)

Where Do We Go from Here? (1945)

It's in the Bag! (1945)

Where Do We Go from Here? (1945)

Adapted for the screen by

The Meanest Man in the World (1943)

Contract Writer

Penny Serenade (1941)

Charley's Aunt (1941)

Addl comedy dial

Man About Town (1939)

Man About Town (1939)

Room Service (1938)

Having Wonderful Time (1938)

Contr to dial and Special seq

There's Always a Woman (1938)

Contr to Screenplay const

Stage Door (1937)

As Good As Married (1937)

Contract Writer

Top of the Town (1937)

Contract Writer

My Man Godfrey (1936)

Ceiling Zero (1936)

Contr to Screenplay const

Anything Goes (1936)

Rhythm on the Range (1936)

Contr to Screenplay const

The Luckiest Girl in the World (1936)

Contract Writer

A Night at the Opera (1935)

Palmy Days (1931)

The Cocoanuts (1929)

Producer (Feature Film)

The Luckiest Girl in the World (1936)

Associate Producer

Music (Feature Film)

Palmy Days (1931)

The Lady of the Lake (1930)

Cast (Special)

The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell (1982)

Life Events

Videos

Animal Crackers (1930) -- (Movie Clip) An Elephant In My Pajamas A segment of one of the more famous Groucho joke routines, as Captain Spaulding recounting his African adventures for hostess Margaret Dumont and pompous are connoisseur Chandler (Louis Sorin), Harpo and Chico entering as the professor and Signor Ravelli, in the Paramount adaptation of the Marx Brothers stage hit, Animal Crackers, 1930.

Night at the Opera, A (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Party of the First Part Driftwood (Groucho Marx) and Fiorello (Chico Marx) conduct business relating to an opera singer's contract in a famous scene from A Night at the Opera 1935, the screenplay credited to George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind.

Room Service (1938) -- (Movie Clip) Just Before He Was Shot Opening with Groucho as a Broadway producer, Alexander Asro his waiter, Cliff Dunstan, his brother-in-law, Lucille Ball on the phone, in the only Marx Brothers film made at RKO, and the only one not written for them, but based on a Broadway hit by Allen Boretz and John Murray, Room Service, 1938.

Room Service (1938) -- (Movie Clip) Gallstones At The Plaza Broke Broadway producer Miller (Groucho Marx), buddy Binelli (Chico) and their hick playwright Davis (Frank Albertson) are trying to figure out how to handle their giant hotel bill before opening, joined by pal “Faker” Englund (Harpo), then hitting on the idea to trick enforcer Wagner (Donald MacBride), in Room Service, 1938.

Room Service (1938) -- (Movie Clip) Not Dead, Just Dying! Now looking to avoid arrest and having the play shut down in mid-performance, producer Miller (Groucho Marx), pal Binelli (Chico), and the playwright (Frank Albertson), joined by Faker (Harpo), hatch another scheme to thwart furious financier Wagner (Donald MacBride), with support from Ann Miller, in the only Marx Brothers RKO feature, Room Service, 1938.

Stage Door (1937) -- (Movie Clip) Miss Randall's Baggage Part of the arrival of Terry (Katharine Hepburn) at the theatrical boarding house, meeting Miss Luther (Constance Collier) and her brassy roommate Jean (Ginger Rogers) in Gregory La Cava's Stage Door, 1937.

Stage Door (1937) -- (Movie Clip) Getting Over The DT's Jean (Ginger Rogers) and Annie (Ann Miller) at dance class, meet the producer Tony Powell (Adolphe Menjou), who has a reputation, early in Gregory LaCava's Stage Door, 1937.

Stage Door (1937) -- (Movie Clip) Nice Big Whale Caviar Eve (Arden) and Judy (Lucille Ball) waiting to see producer Powell (Adolphe Menjou), Kay (Andrea Leeds) getting stood-up, Terry (Katharine Hepburn) arriving to settle the score, in Stage Door, 1937, from the play by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman.

Penny Serenade (1941) -- (Movie Clip) Hello, Mrs. Adams Newsman Roger (Cary Grant) and Julie (Irene Dunne) leave a San Francisco New Year's party in a hurry to get married before he leaves town for his new assignment, then fail at their first attempt at parting in George Stevens' Penny Serenade, 1941.

Penny Serenade (1941) -- (Movie Clip) Opening: Happy Marriage Opening sequence from George Stevens' Penny Serenade, 1941, follows credits with Edgar Buchanan (as "Applejack") playing a record (Johnny Johnston's recording of the Nacio Herb Brow and Arthur Freed song) and Irene Dunne (as "Julie") making him stop, for sentimental reasons.

Penny Serenade (1941) -- (Movie Clip) You Were Meant For Me Continuing from the opening, a skipping recording of Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed's "You Were Meant for Me" by Johnny Johnston reminds Julie (Irene Dunne) of meeting Roger (Cary Grant) for the first time, in George Stevens' Penny Serenade, 1941.

Penny Serenade (1941) -- (Movie Clip) She's Our Child! Roger (Cary Grant, in his Academy Award-nominated role) pleads with a judge (Wallis Clark) for a chance to keep his adopted child, when he's lost his job after a one-year probation period, in George Stevens' Penny Serenade. 1941, from a story by Martha Cheavens.

My Man Godfrey (1936) - (Re-issue Trailer) A zany heiress (Carole Lombard) tries to help a tramp (William Powell) by making him the family butler in My Man Godfrey, 1936, directed by Gregory La Cava.

Room Service - (Original Trailer) The Marx Brothers are three zany producers trying to extend their hotel credit until they can get a play mounted in Room Service (1938).

Stage Door - (Re-issue Trailer) Women at a theatrical boarding house vie for choice roles on Broadway in Stage Door (1937), with Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, & Lucille Ball.

Night at the Opera, A - (Re-issue Trailer) Three zanies turn an operatic performance into chaos in their efforts to promote their protege's romance with the leading lady in A Night at the Opera (1935), one of the Marx Brothers most popular films.

Having Wonderful Time - (Original Trailer) A New York girl (Ginger Rogers) finds love at a summer resort in Having Wonderful Time (1938).

Bibliography

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