Robert Pirosh
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Robert Pirosh
Biography
Though it is likely that Robert Pirosh was not specifically preparing for a career in advertising when he attended the Sorbonne and the University of Berlin, this was the line of work he pursued upon his return to the U.S. In 1934, Pirosh was signed as a junior writer at MGM, where he was partnered with another newcomer, George Seaton. Pirosh and Seaton were laboring away at Republic Studios when, in 1935, they were brought back to MGM to contribute comedy material for the Marx Brothers' Night at the Opera (1935). Groucho Marx liked their work, retaining them for the Marx's next film, Day at the Races (1937). Though Pirosh's professional association with the Marx Brothers ended with this film, he remained a lifelong friend of Groucho's. In 1942, Pirosh received critical plaudits for his scriptwork on I Married a Witch (1942), directed by another close friend of the writer's, Rene Clair. Two years later, he launched his producing career with Danny Kaye's Up in Arms. In 1949, he earned an Academy Award for his script of Battleground, which he also produced. And in 1952, he received an Oscar nomination for the screenplay Go for Broke (1952), the first of his four directorial efforts. From 1957 to his retirement in 1968, Robert Pirosh served as a producer-writer on several TV programs, and as screenwriter for a handful of theatrical releases, the last of which, What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968), was produced, directed, and co-scripted by his former partner, George Seaton. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviFilmography:
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Robert Pirosh
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Robert Pirosh
| Robert Pirosh | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1, 1910 Baltimore, Maryland, USA |
| Died | December 25, 1989 (aged 79) |
| Occupation | Director, Writer, Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1935-1981 |
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008) |
Robert Pirosh (April 1, 1910 - December 25, 1989) was an American screenwriter and director.[1]
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Contents
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Early years
Pirosh was born in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from the Baltimore City College high school in 1928. His preparation for a career in Hollywood included study at the Sorbonne in France and the University of Berlin in Germany.[2]
Career
Pirosh began his film career in 1934 as a junior writer for MGM, working with fellow newcomer George Seaton. The two collaborated on the Marx Brothers' 1935 comedy A Night at the Opera and their next film, A Day at the Races in 1937. He and Delmer Daves adapted Ayn Rand's Night of January 16th for a 1941 film of the same name directed by William Clemens. In 1942 he collaborated on the screwball comedy Rings on Her Fingers for Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney.
Pirosh served in World War II as a Master Sergeant with the 320th Regiment, 35th Infantry Division. He saw action in the Ardennes and Rhineland campaigns. During the Battle of the Ardennes, he led a patrol into Bastogne to support the surrounded American forces there. In 1944 he produced his first film, Danny Kaye's Up in Arms.
He earned an Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay in 1949 for his script for the World War II drama Battleground, a film he also produced that was the first based on the Ardennes battle. His work was also honored in other venues that year. Pirosh won the Golden Globe and the Writers Guild of America awards.[3]
In 1951, he was nominated for another Oscar for the screenplay Go for Broke!. This was his directorial debut. He would go on to write the story for the highly regarded Steve McQueen World War II film Hell Is for Heroes, directed by Don Siegel, believed[citation needed] to be the basis for TV's Combat! (which he created). He also directed 1954's Valley of the Kings.
Quotations
- A Day at the Races (1937)
Selected works
- 1934 — A Day at the Races: Screenplay. OCLC 245961817
- 1949 — Battleground: Story and Screenplay. OCLC 213817432
Notes
- ^ "Robert Pirosh, 79, Veteran of Combat and Author, Is Dead," New York Times. December 31, 1989.
- ^ Robert Pirosh; "Movies," New York Times online.
- ^ Niemi, Robert. (2006). History in the Media: Film and Television, p. 85.
- ^ a b Shapiro, Fred. (2006). The Yale book of Quotations, p. 497.
References
- Chandler, Charlotte. (1978). Hello, I Must Be Going: Groucho and His Friends. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. 10-ISBN 0-385-12444-9, 13-ISBN 978-0-385-12444-7; OCLC 3608756
- Davis, Ronald L. (2007). Words into Images: Screenwriters on the Studio System. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. 10-ISBN 1-57806-964-5, 13-ISBN 9781578069644' OCLC 237217879
- Niemi, Robert. (2006). History in the Media: Film and Television. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. 10-ISBN 1-57607-952-X, 13-ISBN 978-1-57607-952-2; OCLC 263634503
- Shapiro, Fred R. (2006). The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press. 10-ISBN 0-300-10798-6, 13-ISBN 978-0-300-10798-2, 13-ISBN 978-0-300-10798-2; OCLC 66527213
External links
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