Jerome Chodorov
Encyclopedia
Jerome Chodorov was an American
playwright
and librettist.
, and entered journalism in the 1930s. He is best known for his 1940 play My Sister Eileen
, its 1942 screen adaptation
, and the musical Wonderful Town
, which based on his play. Joseph A. Fields was his frequent collaborator. He was Hollywood blacklist
ed during the McCarthy era. His brother, Edward Chodorov
(1904-1988), was also a playwright, author of the perennial favorite of amateur groups, Kind Lady
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and librettist.
Biography
He was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and entered journalism in the 1930s. He is best known for his 1940 play My Sister Eileen
My Sister Eileen (play)
My Sister Eileen is an American comedy stage production, written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, based on autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney...
, its 1942 screen adaptation
My Sister Eileen (1942 film)
My Sister Eileen is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Alexander Hall. The screenplay by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov is based on their 1940 play of the same title, which was inspired by a series of autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney originally published in The New...
, and the musical Wonderful Town
Wonderful Town
Wonderful Town is a musical with a book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Leonard Bernstein...
, which based on his play. Joseph A. Fields was his frequent collaborator. He was Hollywood blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
ed during the McCarthy era. His brother, Edward Chodorov
Edward Chodorov
Edward Chodorov , was a Broadway playwright. As well, he was the author or the producer of over 50 motion pictures...
(1904-1988), was also a playwright, author of the perennial favorite of amateur groups, Kind Lady
Kind Lady
Kind Lady is a 1951 film drama directed by John Sturges. It stars Ethel Barrymore, Maurice Evans, Keenan Wynn and Angela Lansbury.The film is remake of the 1935 film of the same name, which starred Aline MacMahon in the title role.-Plot:...
.
Plays
- Schoolhouse on the Lot
- Junior Miss
- The French Touch
- My Sister Eileen
- Anniversary Waltz
- Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley
- The Ponder Heart
- Three Bags Full
- Blithe Spirit
- A Talent for Murder (with Norman PanamaNorman PanamaNorman Panama was an American screenwriter and film director born in Chicago, Illinois. He collaborated with a former schoolfriend, Melvin Frank to form a writing partnership which endured for three decades...
) (Edgar AwardEdgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
, 1982, Best Play)
Musicals
- Wonderful Town (Tony Award for Best Musical, 1953)
- The Girl in Pink Tights
- I Had a BallI Had a BallI Had a Ball is a musical with a book by Jerome Chodorov and music and lyrics by Jack Lawrence and Stan Freeman.Set on the Coney Island boardwalk, it focuses on matchmaking fortune teller Garside, who finds love with floozy Addie, and recent parolee Stan, who becomes involved with Ferris wheel...
- The Girl in Pink TightsThe Girl in Pink TightsThe Girl in Pink Tights is a musical comedy with music by Sigmund Romberg; lyrics by Leo Robin; and a musical book by Jerome Chodorov and Joseph Fields. The musical opened on Broadway on March 5, 1954 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre where it ran for a total of 115 performances until it closed on June...
Other
- Alive and KickingAlive and Kicking (musical)Alive and Kicking is a musical revue with sketches by Ray Golden, I.A.L. Diamond, Henry Morgan, Jerome Chodorov, Joseph Stein, Will Glickman, John Murray, and Michael Stuart; music by Hal Borne, Irma Jurist, Sammy Fain, Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Rome, Sonny Burke, Leo Schumer, and Ray Golden; and...
(revue, 1950) - additional material - The Gazebo - director
- Christine - director
- Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole - 1961
Film
- The Case of the Lucky LegsThe Case of the Lucky LegsThe Case of the Lucky Legs is a 1935 mystery film, the third in a series of Perry Mason films starring Warren William as the famed lawyer.-Plot:A woman wins a contest, but has trouble collecting her prize when the promoter turns up dead.-Cast:...
(a 1935 Perry Mason film) - My Sister EileenMy Sister EileenMy Sister Eileen originated as a series of short stories by Ruth McKenney that eventually evolved into a book, a play, a musical, a radio play , two films, and a CBS television series in the 1960-1961 season....
- Junior MissJunior MissJunior Miss is a collection of semi-autobiographical stories by Sally Benson first published in The New Yorker. Between 1929 and the end of 1941, the prolific Benson published 99 stories in The New Yorker, some under her pseudonym of Esther Evarts...
(1945) - Happy Anniversary (1959), based on Anniversary Waltz
- Those Endearing Young Charms
- Louisiana Purchase