Al Boasberg (December 5, 1891 – June 18, 1937) was an American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

writer in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

, and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, as well as being a

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

Biography

Boasberg was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

in a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. He is credited with helping to create American

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

when he teamed with then-youthful

performer

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

, helping develop Benny's familiar, reactive skinflint and thus helping make Benny a major star when he transitioned to radio in 1932. In fact, on the last day before his death, Boasberg wrote the lines that introduced the enduring

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

character on Benny's radio show. Similarly, Boasberg defined the enduring personalities of

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

Burns and Allen Burns and Allen was an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen. They worked together as a successful comedy team that entertained vaudeville, film, radio, and television audiences for over forty years. The duo ...

Wheeler and Woolsey Wheeler & Woolsey were an American vaudeville comedy double act who performed together in comedy films from the late 1920s. The team comprised Bert Wheeler (1895–1968) of New Jersey and Robert Woolsey (1888–1938) of Illinois. Collaboration ...

and

Leon Errol Leon Errol (born Leonce Errol Sims, July 3, 1881 – October 12, 1951) was an Australian-American comedian and actor in the United States, popular in the first half of the 20th century for his appearances in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in film ...

. He was one of the early "script doctors", earning $1,000 a week to punch up radio scripts. Boasberg also wrote, both credited and uncredited, for more than 60 short films and features between 1926 and 1937. Of especial note is his work on 1935's '' A Night at the Opera'', which provided

The Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...

with a commercial comeback on the screen. Another Marxian, the comedy producer Sid Kuller, started out as a ghost-gag-writer for Boasberg. Boasberg's other film writing credits included '' The General'' (starring

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

). A disagreement over screenwriting credit led to Boasberg's name being removed from the Marx Brothers second MGM film '' A Day at the Races'' (1937), which was his original project. He directed the 1933 feature film '' Myrt and Marge'' which featured

Ted Healy Ted Healy (born Charles Ernest Lee Nash; October 1, 1896 – December 21, 1937) was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. Though he is chiefly remembered as the creator of The Three Stooges and the style of slapstick comedy th ...

and his

Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

. He also directed 16 short films between 1929 and 1936, which included six

two-reelers, four starring

Walter Catlett Walter Leland Catlett (February 4, 1889 – November 14, 1960) was an American actor and comedian. He made a career of playing excitable, meddlesome, temperamental, and officious blowhards. Career Catlett was born on February 4, 1889, in S ...

, and ''

Jail Birds of Paradise ''Jail Birds of Paradise'' is a 1934 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short starring Dorothy Appleby plus brothers Moe and Curly Howard (of Three Stooges fame). The film was written and directed by Al Boasberg, and filmed in Technicolor. The film was released ...

'' with

Dorothy Appleby Dorothy Appleby (January 6, 1906 – August 9, 1990) was an American film actress. She appeared in over 50 films between 1931 and 1943. Career Appleby gained early acting experience as an understudy and a chorus member in plays in New York ...

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He is best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television ...

and

Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (; October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), known professionally as Curly Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was best known as a member of the American comedy team the Three Stooges, which also featured his elder ...

. He died in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, in 1937 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York. Al Boasberg was the uncle of

James Michaels James Walker Michaels (June 17, 1921 – October 2, 2007) was an American journalist and magazine editor. Michaels served as the longtime editor of ''Forbes'' magazine from 1961 until his retirement in 1999. Early life James Michaels was bor ...

. In 2009, The Al Boasberg Comedy Award was established by The

Buffalo International Film Festival The Buffalo International Film Festival was founded in 2006, and takes place in October of each year in Buffalo, New York. It is also known as the Buffalo Film Festival. History The film festival became a 501c3 not-for-profit charity in January 20 ...

.
The Al Boasberg Comedy Award: The Boasberg

Selected filmography

* '' The General'' (1926) * '' California or Bust'' (1927) * ''

Her Father Said No ''Her Father Said No'' is a 1927 American comedy film directed by Jack McKeown and written by Al Boasberg. The film stars Mary Brian, Danny O'Shea, Al Cooke, Kit Guard, John Steppling and Frankie Darro. The film was released on January 2, 1927 ...

'' (1927) * '' Quarantined Rivals'' (1927) * ''

Ladies' Night in a Turkish Bath ''Ladies' Night in a Turkish Bath'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline. It is based on the 1920 play ''Ladies' Night'' by Charlton Andrews and Avery Hopwood. It was released on April 1, 1928 by First National Pictu ...

'' (1928) * ''

Speedy Speedy refers to something or someone moving at high speed. Speedy may refer to: Ships * HMS ''Speedy'', nine ships of the Royal Navy * ''Speedy''-class brig, a class of naval ship * ''Speedy'' (1779), a whaler and convict ship despatched i ...

'' (1928) * '' Chasing Rainbows'' (1930) * ''

Fifty Million Frenchmen ''Fifty Million Frenchmen'' is a musical comedy with a book by Herbert Fields and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It opened on Broadway in 1929 and was adapted for a film two years later. The title is a reference to the hit 1927 song "Fifty Milli ...

'' (1931) * '' Cracked Nuts'' (1931) * ''

Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...

'' (1932) * ''

'' (1934) * '' A Night at the Opera'' (1935) * '' A Day at the Races'' (1937)

References

External links

* *
Al Boasberg Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boasberg, Al 1891 births 1937 deaths American male screenwriters Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) Comedians from New York (state) Film directors from New York (state) Jewish American screenwriters Jewish American comedians Screenwriters from New York (state) Writers from Buffalo, New York 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American Jews