Arthur Sheekman
Encyclopedia
Arthur Sheekman a graduate from the University of Minnesota
, started his career as columnist and drama critic during the 1920s and the early 1930s for the Manhattan Newspaper. He then entered the film industry in 1931 when he became a scenarist for the Marx Brothers
' movie Monkey Business
where he befriended Groucho Marx
. Groucho first found out about Arthur Sheekman while reading Sheekman's show business column on the Chicago Sunday Times and wrote a guest column replying to Sheekman saying that he liked his style and wanted him to help work on his productions in Hollywood. From then on it was known throughout the film production business during that time that Groucho detested the other writers and favored Sheekman over them. This was seen in the movie Monkey Business
where Groucho rejected S. J. Perelman
's script which he complained was too literary (Perelman said that Groucho's sole response to his script was, "It stinks!"). Groucho also rejected Ned Tennant's script and instead chose to use Sheekman's script in the end (even though ironically much of Sheekman's script was based upon Perelman's original ideas).
(in which he has a cameo appearance as a sports writer in the press box), Duck Soup in 1933 and the Groucho-Chico
radio series known as Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel
(where he worked as script writer) as well as being the host for many of Groucho's books such as Beds and Many Happy Returns.
Later on, while working for the Eddie Cantor
musical Roman Scandals
in 1933, Sheekman met his future bride actress Gloria Stuart
(he would be Gloria's second husband after Blair Gordon Newell who divorced her in 1934). Gloria Stuart had retired from films in the early 1940s, but made a comeback appearing in such movies as My Favorite Year
-- where she danced with Peter O'Toole
-- and Titanic
, where she received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of 100-year-old Rose.
Later works he help to script write included Danny Kaye
's Wonder Man
(1945), Bing Crosby
's Welcome Stranger (1947) and Mr. Music (1950), Joe E. Brown
's The Gladiator (1938) as well as Daniel Mann
's Ada
(1961).
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, started his career as columnist and drama critic during the 1920s and the early 1930s for the Manhattan Newspaper. He then entered the film industry in 1931 when he became a scenarist for the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
' movie Monkey Business
Monkey Business (1931 film)
Monkey Business is a 1931 comedy film. It is the third of the Marx Brothers' released movies, and the first not to be an adaptation of one of their Broadway shows. The film stars the four brothers: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx, and screen comedienne Thelma Todd. It is...
where he befriended Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
. Groucho first found out about Arthur Sheekman while reading Sheekman's show business column on the Chicago Sunday Times and wrote a guest column replying to Sheekman saying that he liked his style and wanted him to help work on his productions in Hollywood. From then on it was known throughout the film production business during that time that Groucho detested the other writers and favored Sheekman over them. This was seen in the movie Monkey Business
Monkey Business (1931 film)
Monkey Business is a 1931 comedy film. It is the third of the Marx Brothers' released movies, and the first not to be an adaptation of one of their Broadway shows. The film stars the four brothers: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx, and screen comedienne Thelma Todd. It is...
where Groucho rejected S. J. Perelman
S. J. Perelman
Sidney Joseph Perelman, almost always known as S. J. Perelman , was an American humorist, author, and screenwriter. He is best known for his humorous short pieces written over many years for The New Yorker...
's script which he complained was too literary (Perelman said that Groucho's sole response to his script was, "It stinks!"). Groucho also rejected Ned Tennant's script and instead chose to use Sheekman's script in the end (even though ironically much of Sheekman's script was based upon Perelman's original ideas).
Film Career
Arthur Sheekman continued to work with the Marx Brothers on such projects as Horse FeathersHorse Feathers
Horse Feathers is a Marx Brothers film comedy. It stars the four Marx Brothers and Thelma Todd. It was written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, S. J. Perelman, and Will B. Johnstone. Kalmar and Ruby also wrote some of the original music for the film...
(in which he has a cameo appearance as a sports writer in the press box), Duck Soup in 1933 and the Groucho-Chico
Chico Marx
Leonard "Chico" Marx was an American comedian and film star as part of the Marx Brothers. His persona in the act was that of a dim-witted albeit crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes, and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat.As the first-born of the...
radio series known as Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel
Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel
Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel is a situation comedy radio show starring two of the Marx Brothers, Groucho and Chico, and written primarily by Nat Perrin and Arthur Sheekman. It was originally broadcast in the United States on the National Broadcasting Company's Blue Network beginning November 28,...
(where he worked as script writer) as well as being the host for many of Groucho's books such as Beds and Many Happy Returns.
Later on, while working for the Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
musical Roman Scandals
Roman Scandals
Roman Scandals is a 1933 black-and-white American musical film starring Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold and David Manners. It was directed by Frank Tuttle....
in 1933, Sheekman met his future bride actress Gloria Stuart
Gloria Stuart
Gloria Frances Stuart was an American actress, activist, painter, bonsai artist and fine printer. Over a Hollywood career which spanned, with a long break in the middle, from 1932 until 2004, she appeared on stage, television, and film, for which she was best-known...
(he would be Gloria's second husband after Blair Gordon Newell who divorced her in 1934). Gloria Stuart had retired from films in the early 1940s, but made a comeback appearing in such movies as My Favorite Year
My Favorite Year
My Favorite Year is a 1982 American comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin which tells the story of a young comedy writer. It stars Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper, Joseph Bologna, Lou Jacobi, Bill Macy, Lainie Kazan, Selma Diamond, Cameron Mitchell, and Gloria Stuart. O'Toole was...
-- where she danced with Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...
-- and Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, where she received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of 100-year-old Rose.
Later works he help to script write included Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
's Wonder Man
Wonder Man (film)
Wonder Man is a 1945 film starring Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo. It is based on a short story by Arthur Sheekman, adapted for the screen by a staff of writers led by Jack Jevne and Eddie Moran, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and directed by H. Bruce Humberstone...
(1945), Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
's Welcome Stranger (1947) and Mr. Music (1950), Joe E. Brown
Joe E. Brown (comedian)
Joseph Evans Brown was an American actor and comedian, remembered for his amiable screen persona, comic timing, and enormous smile. In 1902 at the age of nine, he joined a troupe of circus tumblers known as the Five Marvelous Ashtons which toured the country on both the circus and vaudeville...
's The Gladiator (1938) as well as Daniel Mann
Daniel Mann
Daniel Mann, also known as Daniel Chugerman , was an American film and television director.Daniel Mann was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was a stage actor since childhood, and attended Erasmus Hall High School, New York's Professional Children's School and the Neighborhood Playhouse...
's Ada
Ada (film)
Ada is a 1961 political drama film made by Avon Productions and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Daniel Mann and produced by...
(1961).
Death
After 43 years of happy marriage with actress Gloria Stuart, Arthur Sheekman succumbed to the affects of Alzheimers Disease, and died on January 12, 1978, just weeks before his 77th birthday. According to widow Gloria Stuart's autobiography, "I Just Kept Hoping," Sheekamn was cremated and his ashes were buried beneath a tree at their home in Brentwood, California.Works
- Monkey BusinessMonkey Business (1931 film)Monkey Business is a 1931 comedy film. It is the third of the Marx Brothers' released movies, and the first not to be an adaptation of one of their Broadway shows. The film stars the four brothers: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx, and screen comedienne Thelma Todd. It is...
, 1931 - Horse FeathersHorse FeathersHorse Feathers is a Marx Brothers film comedy. It stars the four Marx Brothers and Thelma Todd. It was written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, S. J. Perelman, and Will B. Johnstone. Kalmar and Ruby also wrote some of the original music for the film...
, 1932 - The Invisible Man, 1933. Duck Soup, 1933
- Flywheel, Shyster and FlywheelFlywheel, Shyster and FlywheelFlywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel is a situation comedy radio show starring two of the Marx Brothers, Groucho and Chico, and written primarily by Nat Perrin and Arthur Sheekman. It was originally broadcast in the United States on the National Broadcasting Company's Blue Network beginning November 28,...
- Roman ScandalsRoman ScandalsRoman Scandals is a 1933 black-and-white American musical film starring Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold and David Manners. It was directed by Frank Tuttle....
, 1933 - Kid MillionsKid MillionsKid Millions is an American film directed by Roy Del Ruth, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and starring Eddie Cantor.-Plot:The story features Eddie, a kid from Brooklyn, New York,...
, 1934 - StowawayStowaway (1936 film)Stowaway is a 1936 American musical film directed by William A. Seiter. The screenplay by William M. Conselman, Nat Perrin, and Arthur Sheekman is based on a story by Samuel Engel. The film is about a young orphan called 'Ching Ching' who stows away on a ship and is adopted by Tommy Randall and...
, 1936 - DimplesDimples (film)Dimples is a 1936 American musical film directed by William A. Seiter. The screenplay was written by Nat Perrin and Arthur Sheekman. The film is about a young mid-nineteenth century street entertainer who is separated from her pickpocket grandfather when given a home by a wealthy New York City...
, 1936 - The Gladiator, 1938
- Wonder ManWonder ManWonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
, 1945 - Blue SkiesBlue Skies (film)Blue Skies is a 1946 Hollywood musical Technicolor comedy film, released by Paramount Pictures and starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Joan Caulfield, Olga San Juan and Billy De Wolfe, with music, lyrics and story by Irving Berlin; most of the songs were recycled from earlier works. The film was...
, 1946 - Welcome StrangerWelcome Stranger (film)Welcome Stranger is a 1947 film directed by Elliott Nugent. It stars Bing Crosby and Joan Caulfield.-Plot:Crusty Dr. McRory Joan Caulfield. of Fallbridge, Maine hires a replacement for his vacation sight unseen. Alas, he and young singing doctor Jim Pearson Bing Crosby don't hit it off; but...
, 1947 - Mr. Music, 1950
- Call Me MadamCall Me Madam (film)Call Me Madam is a 1953 musical film directed by Walter Lang, with songs by Irving Berlin, based on the stage musical of the same name.The film, with a screenplay by Arthur Sheekman, starred Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Vera-Ellen, Billy DeWolfe, George Sanders, and Walter Slezak...
(1953) - Bundle of JoyBundle of JoyBundle of Joy is a musical remake of the comedy film Bachelor Mother . It stars Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and Adolphe Menjou. An unmarried salesgirl at a department store finds and takes care of an abandoned baby...
, 1956 - Some Came RunningSome Came RunningSome Came Running is a novel by James Jones, published in 1957. It is the story of a war veteran with literary aspirations who returns in 1948 to his hometown of Parkman, Indiana, after a failed writing career...
, 1958 - AdaAda (film)Ada is a 1961 political drama film made by Avon Productions and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Daniel Mann and produced by...
, 1961
External links
- Sheekman filmography at TimeOut London
- Brief bio at Barnes and Noble website
- Easter Eggs Archive - Inside joke from Horse FeathersHorse FeathersHorse Feathers is a Marx Brothers film comedy. It stars the four Marx Brothers and Thelma Todd. It was written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, S. J. Perelman, and Will B. Johnstone. Kalmar and Ruby also wrote some of the original music for the film...