John Murray (October 12, 1906 – June 17, 1984) was an American playwright best known for writing the 1937 play ''
Room Service'' with
Allen Boretz.
Murray was born in New York and attended
DeWitt Clinton High School,
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
, and
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. His 1937 play, ''Room Service'' ran for 500 performances on Broadway and was turned into two films, the first, ''
Room Service'', starred the Marx Brothers, the second, ''
Step Lively'', starred
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
. The play was also adapted for two television productions.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Murray served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
as a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the
Signal Corps, marrying Joan Loewi in 1941. He returned to writing for Broadway after the war, writing songs and sketches for the ''
Ziegfeld Follies'' and ''
Alive and Kicking''. Murray also began writing for the
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences, ...
radio show and the
Phil Baker radio show. Eventually, he turned to writing for television as well.
Plays
As writer
*''Room Service'' (1937)
*''Sing for Your Supper''
*''Straw Hat Revue'' (1939)
*''Earl Carroll Vanities'' (1940)
*''Sticks and Stones'' (1940)
*''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1946)
*''Alive and Kicking'' (1950)
*''The Monkey Walk'' (1977)
*''Reitech'' (1995)
As producer
*Room Service (1937)
*Room Service (1953)
*Charly's Aunt (1970)
Books
*''Fifteen Plays for Teen-Agers: A Collection of One-Act Royalty-Free Comedies and Mysteries''. T. S. Denison & Co. 1959.
*''Modern Monologues for Young People'' 1961
References
External links
*
*
1906 births
1984 deaths
United States Army personnel of World War II
American male screenwriters
Songwriters from New York (state)
Writers from New York City
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
DeWitt Clinton High School alumni
City College of New York alumni
Columbia University alumni
American male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American male writers
Screenwriters from New York (state)
20th-century American screenwriters
United States Army officers
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