Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American

newspaperman A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from Brooklyn or Midtown Manhattan. The adjective "Runyonesque" refers to this type of character and the type of situations and dialog that Runyon depicts. He spun humorous and sentimental tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors, and gangsters, few of whom go by "square" names, preferring instead colorful monikers such as "Nathan Detroit", "Benny Southstreet", "Big Jule", "Harry the Horse", "Good Time Charley", "Dave the Dude", or "The Seldom Seen Kid". His distinctive vernacular style is known as "Runyonese": a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in the present tense, and always devoid of contractions. He is credited with coining the phrase "

Hooray Henry In British English slang, Hooray Henry or Hoorah Henry (plural: Hoorah/Hooray Henrys/Henries) is a pejorative term, comparable to "toff", for an upper-middle class or upper class British male who exudes loud-mouthed arrogance and an air of superio ...

", a term now used in British English to describe the upper-class version of a loud-mouthed, arrogant twit. Runyon's fictional world is also known to the general public through the musical ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'' based on two of his stories, " The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure". The musical additionally borrows characters and story elements from a few other Runyon stories, most notably "Pick The Winner". The film ''

Little Miss Marker ''Little Miss Marker'' (also known as ''The Girl in Pawn'') is an American Pre-Code 1934 comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Hall. It was written by William R. Lipman, Sam Hellman, and Gladys Lehman after a 1932 short story of the same name ...

'' (and its three remakes, '' Sorrowful Jones'', ''

40 Pounds of Trouble ''40 Pounds of Trouble'' is a 1962 comedy film directed by Norman Jewison and starring Tony Curtis, Suzanne Pleshette, Larry Storch and Phil Silvers. It is a retelling of Damon Runyon's 1932 short story ''Little Miss Marker''. It marks Jewison's ...

'' and the 1980 ''

'') grew from his short story of the same name. Runyon was also a newspaper reporter, covering sports and general news for decades for various publications and syndicates owned by

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

. Already known for his fiction, he wrote a well-remembered "present tense" article on

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

's Presidential inauguration in 1933 for the Universal Service, a Hearst syndicate, which was merged with the co-owned

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

in 1937.

Life and work

Damon Runyon was born Alfred Damon Runyan to Alfred Lee and Elizabeth (Damon) Runyan. His relatives in his birthplace of Manhattan, Kansas, included several newspapermen. His grandfather was a newspaper printer from New Jersey who had relocated to Manhattan, Kansas, in 1855, and his father was the editor of his newspaper in the town. In 1882 Runyon's father was forced to sell his newspaper, and the family moved westward. The family eventually settled in Pueblo, Colorado, in 1887, where Runyon spent the rest of his youth. By most accounts, he attended school only through the fourth grade. He began to work in the newspaper trade under his father in Pueblo. In present-day Pueblo, Runyon Field, the Damon Runyon Repertory Theater Company, and Runyon Lake are named in his honor. In 1898, when still in his teens, Runyon enlisted in the US Army to fight in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. While in the service, he was assigned to write for the ''Manila Freedom'' and ''Soldier's Letter''. Runyon-Selective-Service-Registration-1918

After military service, he worked for Colorado newspapers, beginning in Pueblo. His first job as a reporter was in September 1900, when he was hired by the ''Pueblo Star''; he then worked in the Rocky Mountain area during the first decade of the 1900s: at the ''Denver Daily News'', he served as "sporting editor" (today a "sports editor") and then as a staff writer. His expertise was in covering the semi-professional teams in Colorado. He briefly managed a semi-pro team in Trinidad, Colorado. At one of the newspapers where he worked, the spelling of his last name was changed from "Runyan" to "Runyon", a change he let stand. After failing in an attempt to organize a Colorado minor baseball league, which lasted less than a week, Runyon moved to New York City in 1910. In his first New York byline, the ''American'' editor dropped the "Alfred" and the name "Damon Runyon" appeared for the first time. For the next ten years, he covered the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

and professional boxing for the ''

New York American :''Includes coverage of New York Journal-American and its predecessors New York Journal, The Journal, New York American and New York Evening Journal'' The ''New York Journal-American'' was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 t ...

''. He was the Hearst newspapers' baseball columnist for many years, beginning in 1911, and his knack for spotting the eccentric and the unusual, on the field or in the stands, is credited with revolutionizing the way baseball was covered. Perhaps as confirmation, Runyon was voted 1967

J. G. Taylor Spink Award The BBWAA Career Excellence Award, formerly the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It is given "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing" and voted on annually by ...

by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), for which he was honored at ceremonies at the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

in July 1968, and added to what is commonly referred to as the "writers wing" of the Hall. He is also a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame and is known for dubbing heavyweight champion James J. Braddock, the "

Cinderella Man ''Cinderella Man'' is a 2005 American biographical sports drama film directed by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of world heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. The film was produced by Howard, Penn ...

". Runyon frequently contributed sports poems to the ''American'' on boxing and baseball themes and wrote numerous short stories and essays. One year, while covering spring training in Texas, he met Pancho Villa in a bar and later accompanied the unsuccessful American expedition into Mexico searching for Villa. It was while he was in Mexico that he met the young girl whom he eventually married. Gambling, particularly on

craps Craps is a dice game in which players bet on the outcomes of the roll of a pair of dice. Players can wager money against each other (playing "street craps") or against a bank ("casino craps"). Because it requires little equipment, "street c ...

or horse races, was a common theme of Runyon's works, and he was a notorious gambler. One of his paraphrases from a line in

Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes (; hbo, קֹהֶלֶת, Qōheleṯ, grc, Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklēsiastēs) is one of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly use ...

ran: "The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's how the smart money bets." A heavy drinker as a young man, he seems to have quit drinking soon after arriving in New York, after his drinking nearly cost him the courtship of the woman who became his first wife, Ellen Egan. He remained a heavy smoker. His best friend was mobster accountant

Otto Berman Otto Biederman, known as Otto "Abbadabba" Berman (August 10, 1891 – October 24, 1935) was an accountant for American organized crime. He is known for having coined the phrase "Nothing personal, it's just business." Biography Early life Berm ...

, and he incorporated Berman into several of his stories under the alias "Regret, the horse player". When Berman was killed in a hit on Berman's boss, Dutch Schultz, Runyon quickly assumed the role of damage control for his deceased friend, correcting erroneous press releases (including one that stated Berman was one of Schultz's gunmen, to which Runyon replied, "Otto would have been as effective a bodyguard as a two-year-old."). The Family Plot of Damon Runyon in Woodlawn Cemetery

The Family Plot of Damon Runyon in Woodlawn Cemetery

Runyon's marriage to Ellen Egan produced two children (Mary and Damon, Jr.), but broke up in 1928 over rumors that Runyon had become infatuated with Patrice Amati del Grande, a Mexican woman he had first met while covering the Pancho Villa raids in 1916 and discovered once again in New York when she called the ''American'' seeking him out. Runyon had promised her in Mexico that if she would complete the education he funded for her, he would find her a dancing job in New York. She became his companion after he separated from his wife. After Ellen Runyon's death, Runyon and del Grande married on July 7, 1932; that marriage ended in 1946 when she left him for a younger man. Runyon died in New York City from throat cancer in late 1946, at age 66. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered from a DC-3 airplane over Broadway in Manhattan by Eddie Rickenbacker on December 18, 1946. This was an infringement of the law but widely approved. The family plot of Damon Runyon is located at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York.

Legacy

* After Runyon's death, his friend and fellow journalist,

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and co ...

, went on his radio program and appealed for contributions to help fight cancer, eventually establishing the Damon Runyon Cancer Memorial Fund to support scientific research into causes of, and prevention of, cancer. * The first-ever telethon was hosted by

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...

in 1949 to raise funds for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. * Each year the Denver Press Club assigns the Damon Runyon Award to a prominent journalist. Past winners include Jimmy Breslin,

Mike Royko Michael Royko Jr. (September 19, 1932 – April 29, 1997) was an American newspaper columnist from Chicago. Over his 30-year career, he wrote over 7,500 daily columns for the ''Chicago Daily News'', the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', and the ''Chicago ...

, George Will and Bob Costas. * Damon Runyon Elementary school in Littleton, Colorado is named after him. * The

Damon Runyon Stakes The Damon Runyon Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race operated by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) at its Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens. First run in 1979, the annual event is currently contested on dirt over a dis ...

is a thoroughbred horse race run every December at

Aqueduct Race Track Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park and Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack located within New York City limits. Its racing ...

. Runyon loved horse racing and ran a small stable of his own. * In the mid-1930s, Runyon persuaded promoter Leo Seltzer to formally change his

Roller Derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Game play consists of a series of short scrimmages (jam ...

spectacle from a marathon roller-skating race into a full-contact team sport, an innovation that was eventually revived in a DIY spirit seven decades later. * One block of West 45th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen is named Runyon's Way. * The house in Manhattan, Kansas, where Runyon was born, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

.Manhattan's historic landmarks & districts: Damon Runyon House
(Kansas State Historical Society National Register of Historic Places – Nomination form), cityofmhk.com. Retrieved March 20, 2012. * In 2008,

The Library of America The Library of America (LOA) is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature. Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LOA has published over 300 volumes by authors rangi ...

selected "The Eternal Blonde", Runyon's account of a 1927 murder trial, for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of American Crime Writing. * Until January of 1944, the 515th B-24 bomber squadron "Satan's Kids", of the 376th Bomber Group named their bombers after Runyon "Gangster" characters Joey Uptown[,

The English comedy writer Frank Muir">515th Squadron aircraft
/ref>

Literary style – the "Broadway" stories

The English comedy writer Frank Muir
comments that Runyon's plots were, in the manner of O. Henry, neatly constructed with professionally wrought endings, but their distinction lay in the manner of their telling, as the author invented a peculiar argot for his characters to speak. Runyon almost totally avoids the past tense (English humorist

E.C. Bentley Edmund Clerihew Bentley (10 July 1875 – 30 March 1956), who generally published under the names E. C. Bentley or E. Clerihew Bentley, was a popular English novelist and humorist, and inventor of the clerihew, an irregular form of humorous verse ...

thought there was only one instance and was willing to "lay plenty of 6 to 5 that it is nothing but a misprint", but "was" appears in the short stories "The Lily of St Pierre"''Runyon on Broadway'', Pan Books, 1975, p. 116 and "A Piece of Pie"; "had" appears in "The Lily of St Pierre", "Undertaker Song" and "Bloodhounds of Broadway"), and makes little use of the future tense, using the present for both. He also avoided the conditional, using instead the future indicative in situations that would normally require conditional. An example: "Now most any doll on Broadway will be very glad indeed to have Handsome Jack Madigan give her a tumble" (''Guys and Dolls'', "Social error"). Bentley comments that "there is a sort of ungrammatical purity about it unyon's resolute avoidance of the past tense an almost religious exactitude." There is an homage to Runyon that makes use of this peculiarity ("

Chronic Offender "Chronic Offender" is a science fiction short story by Spider Robinson. It was written as an homage to Damon Runyon, to whom it is dedicated. The style echoes Runyon's, especially in its use of present and future tenses only throughout. It was fi ...

" by

Spider Robinson Spider Robinson (born November 24, 1948) is an American-born Canadian list of science fiction authors, science fiction author. He has won a number of awards for his hard science fiction and humorous stories, including the Hugo Award 1977 and 198 ...

), which involves a time machine and a man going by the name "Harry the Horse". He uses many slang terms (which go unexplained in his stories), such as: * pineapple = pineapple

grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

* roscoe/john roscoe/the old equalizer/that thing = gun * shiv = knife * noggin = head * snoot = nose There are many recurring composite phrases such as: * ever-loving wife (occasionally "ever-loving doll") * more than somewhat (or "no little, and quite some"); this phrase was so typical that it was used as the title of one of his short story collections * loathe and despise * one and all Bentley notes that Runyon's "telling use of the recurrent phrase and fixed epithet" demonstrates a debt to

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

. Runyon's stories also employ occasional rhyming slang, similar to the cockney variety but native to New York (e.g.: "Miss Missouri Martin makes the following crack one night to her: 'Well, I do not see any Simple Simon on your lean and linger.' This is Miss Missouri Martin's way of saying she sees no diamond on Miss Billy Perry's finger." (from "Romance in the Roaring Forties")). The comic effect of his style results partly from the juxtaposition of broad slang with mock-pomposity. Women, when not "dolls", "Judies", "pancakes", "tomatoes", or "broads", may be "characters of a female nature", for example. He typically avoided contractions such as "don't" in the example above, which also contributes significantly to the humorously pompous effect. In one sequence, a gangster tells another character to do as he is told, or else "find another world in which to live". Runyon's short stories are told in the first person by a protagonist who is never named and whose role is unclear; he knows many gangsters and does not appear to have a job, but he does not admit to any criminal involvement, and seems to be largely a bystander. He describes himself as "being known to one and all as a guy who is just around".''Runyon on Broadway'', Pan Books, 1975, p. 12 The radio program ''The Damon Runyon Theatre'' dramatized 52 of Runyon's works in 1949, and for these the protagonist was given the name "Broadway", although it was admitted that this was not his real name, much in the way "Harry the Horse" and "Sorrowful Jones" are aliases.

Literary works

Books

Poems

*''The Tents of Trouble'' (1911) *''Rhymes of the Firing Line'' (1912) *''Poems for Men'' (1947)

Story collections

*''Guys and Dolls'' (1932) *''Blue Plate Special'' (1934) *''Money From Home'' (1935) *''More Than Somewhat'' (1937) *''Furthermore'' (1938) *''Take It Easy'' (1938) *''My Wife Ethel'' (1939) *''My Old Man'' (1939) *''Runyon à la Carte'' (1944) *''In Our Town'' (1946) *''The Three Wise Guys and Other Stories'' (1946) *''Damon Runyon Favorites'' (1946) *''Trials and Other Tribulations'' (1947)

Collected newspaper columns

*
Short Takes
' (1946)

Compilations containing previously collected material

*''The Best of Runyon'' (1940) *''Damon Runyon Favorites'' (1942) *''The Damon Runyon Omnibus'' (1944) *''Runyon First and Last'' (1949) *''Runyon on Broadway'' (1950; introduction by

) *''More Guys and Dolls'' (1950) *''The Turps'' (1951) *''Damon Runyon from First to Last'' (1954) *''A Treasury of Damon Runyon'' (1958) *''The Bloodhounds of Broadway and Other Stories'' (1985) *''Romance in the Roaring Forties and other stories'' (1986) *''On Broadway (1990) *''Guys, Dolls, and Curveballs: Damon Runyon on Baseball'' (2005; Jim Reisler, editor) *''Guys and Dolls and Other Writings'' (2008; introduction by Pete Hamill)

Play

*''A Slight Case of Murder'' (with Howard Lindsay, 1940)

Biography

*''Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker'' (with W. Kiernan, 1942)

Stories

There are many collections of Runyon's stories, in particular ''Runyon on Broadway'' and ''Runyon from First to Last''. A publisher's note in the latter claims that collection contains all of Runyon's short stories not included in ''Runyon on Broadway'', but two Broadway stories originally published in ''Collier's Weekly'' are not in either collection: "Maybe a Queen" and "Leopard's Spots", both collected in ''More Guys And Dolls'' (1950). The radio show, in addition, has a story, "Joe Terrace", that appears in ‘More Guys and Dolls’ and the August 29, 1936, issue of ''Colliers''. It is one of his "Our Town" stories that does not appear in the “In Our Town” book, and the only episode of the show which is not a Broadway’ story, however, the action is changed in the show from Our Town to Broadway. The "Our Town" stories are short vignettes of life in a small town, largely based on Runyon's experiences in his home town of Pueblo, Colorado. They are written in a simple, descriptive style and contain twists and odd endings based on the personalities of the people involved. Each story's title is the name of the principal character. Twenty-seven of them were published in the 1946 book ''In Our Town''. ''Runyon on Broadway'' contains the following stories: More Than Somewhat *Breach of Promise *Romance in the Roaring Forties *Dream Street Rose *The Old Doll's House *Blood Pressure *The Bloodhounds of Broadway *Tobias the Terrible *The Snatching of Bookie Bob *The Lily of St. Pierre *Hold 'em, Yale *Earthquake *'Gentlemen, the King!' *A Nice Price *Broadway Financier *The Brain Goes Home Furthermore *Madame La Gimp *Dancing Dan's Christmas *Sense of Humour *Lillian *Little Miss Marker *Pick the Winner *Undertaker Song *Butch Minds the Baby *The Hottest Guy in the World *The Lemon Drop Kid *What, No Butler? *The Three Wise Guys *A Very Honourable Guy *Princess O'Hara *Social Error Take It Easy *Tight Shoes *Lonely Heart *The Brakeman's Daughter *Cemetery Bait *It Comes Up Mud *The Big Umbrella *For a Pal *Big Shoulders *That Ever-Loving Wife of Hymie's *Neat Strip *Bred for Battle *Too Much Pep *Baseball Hattie *Situation Wanted *A Piece of Pie *A Job for the Macarone *All Horse Players Die Broke ''Runyon from First to Last'' includes the following stories and sketches: The First Stories (early non-Broadway stories): *The Defence of Strikerville *Fat Fallon *Two Men Named Collins. First published in Reader Magazine,

ate Unknown Ate or ATE may refer to: Organizations * Active Training and Education Trust, a not-for-profit organization providing "Superweeks", holidays for children in the United Kingdom * Association of Technical Employees, a trade union, now called the Nat ...

*As Between Friends *The Informal Execution of Soupbone Pew *My Father Stories à la Carte (Broadway stories written in Runyonese): *Money from Home *A Story Goes With It *Broadway Complex *So You Won't Talk! *Dark Dolores *Delegates at Large *A Light in France *Old Em's Kentucky Home *Johnny One-Eye *Broadway Incident *The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown *The Melancholy Dane *Barbecue *Little Pinks *Palm Beach Santa Claus *Cleo *The Lacework Kid The Last Stories (Broadway stories written in Runyonese): *Blonde Mink *Big Boy Blues Written in Sickness (sketches): *Why Me? *The Doctor Knows Best *No Life *Good Night *Bed-Warmers *Sweet Dreams *Passing the Word Along *Death Pays a Social Call ''In Our Town'' contains the following stories: *Our Old Man (originally titled On Good Turns) *Samuel Graze *Pete Hankins *Jeremiah Zore *Mrs. Judson *The Happiness Joneses *Mrs. McGregor *Doc Brackett *Officer Lipscomber *Marigold and Maidie So *Sterling Curlew *Doc Mindler *Mrs. Pilplay *Sheriff Harding *Boswell Van Dusen *Dr. Davenport *Mrs. Bogane *Sam Crable *Ancil Toombs *Amy Vederman *Peter Chowles *Judge Juggins *Banker Beaverbrook *Judge Joes *Angel Kake *Bet Ragle *Hank Smith The following "Our Town" stories were not included in ''In Our Town'': *Joe Terrace *Burge McCall *Lou Louder

Uncollected stories

*''The Art of High Grading''. Illustrated Sunday Magazine, 2 January 1910 *''The Sucker''. San Francisco Examiner, 10 July 1910 *''Burge McCall''. Collier's, 11 July 1936 (not in Runyonese) *''Lou Louder''. Collier's, 8 August 1936 (not in Runyonese) *''Nothing Happens in Brooklyn''. Collier's, 30 April 1938 (partly in Runyonese, but includes past tense)

Film

Twenty of his stories became motion pictures. *'' Lady for a Day'' (1933) – Adapted by Robert Riskin, who suggested the name change from Runyon's title "Madame La Gimp". The film garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director (

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

), Best Actress ( May Robson), and Best Adaptation for the Screen (Riskin). It was remade as ''

Pocketful of Miracles ''Pocketful of Miracles'' is a 1961 American comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Bette Davis, produced and directed by Frank Capra, filmed in Panavision. The screenplay by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend was based on Robert Riskin's screenplay for t ...

'' in 1961, with

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

in the Apple Annie role (fused with the "raggedy doll" from Runyon's short story "The Brain Goes Home");

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 ...

recorded the upbeat title song (his rendition is not used in the film). The film received Oscar nominations for composers Sammy Cahn and

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and care ...

and for co-star

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running television series ''Columbo'' (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he ...

(Best Supporting Actor). In 1989,

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

adapted the story yet again for the Hong Kong action film '' Miracles'', adding several of his trademark stunt sequences. *''

'' (1934) – The film that made

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

a star, launched her career, and pushed her past

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragedy, ...

as the nation's biggest film draw of the year. Also starred Charles Bickford. Subsequent remakes include '' Sorrowful Jones'' (1949) with

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 ...

and

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden ...

; ''

'' (1962) with

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

, and ''

'' (1980) with

Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

, Bob Newhart and Curtis. *''

The Lemon Drop Kid ''The Lemon Drop Kid'' is a 1951 American comedy film based on the short story of the same name by Damon Runyon, starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. Although Sidney Lanfield is credited as the director, Frank Tashlin reportedly was hired, u ...

'' (1934) – Starring Lee Tracy, remade in 1951 with Bob Hope (and ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'' co-star William Frawley appearing in both adaptations); the latter version introduced the Christmas song " Silver Bells". *''Princess O'Hara'' (1935) – Starring

Jean Parker Jean Parker (born Lois May Green; August 11, 1915 – November 30, 2005) was an American film and stage actress. A native of Montana, indigent during the Great Depression, she was adopted by a family in Pasadena, California at age ten. She init ...

, remade in 1943 as ''

It Ain't Hay ''It Ain't Hay'' is a 1943 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. Plot Cab driver Wilbur Hoolihan accidentally kills a hack horse owned by King O'Hara and his daughter, Princess O’Hara, by feeding it candy. In hopes of raising ...

'' with

Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People *Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...

and Patsy O'Connor *'' Professional Soldier'' (1935) – an adventure story starring Victor McLaglen and Freddie Bartholomew *''

A Slight Case of Murder ''A Slight Case of Murder'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film is based on the 1935 play by Damon Runyon and Howard Lindsay. The offbeat comedy stars Edward G. Robinson spoofing his own gangster image as Remy Marco. ...

'' (1938) with

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

– remade in 1953 as ''

Stop, You're Killing Me :''There was also a Two Ronnies mini-series of this name.'' ''Stop, You're Killing Me'' is a 1952 black comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Broderick Crawford and Claire Trevor. Premise The surprise appearance of four corpses interf ...

'' with

Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Willie Stark in ''All t ...

and

Claire Trevor Claire Trevor ( Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Key Largo'' (1948), and received nomina ...

*''

Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President ''Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President'' is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Robert B. Sinclair and written by Melville Baker. The film stars Ann Sothern, Lewis Stone, Walter Brennan, William Gargan, Marsha Hunt and Tom Neal. It was ...

'' (1939) with Ann Sothern,

Lewis Stone Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular '' Andy ...

and Walter Brennan. *''

The Big Street ''The Big Street'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, based on the 1940 short story "Little Pinks" by Damon Runyon, who also produced it. It was directed by Irving Reis from a screenplay by Leonard Spigelgass. ...

'' (1942) – Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball (adapted from Runyon's story "Little Pinks") *''Butch Minds the Baby'' (1942) – Broderick Crawford, Shemp Howard *''

Johnny One-Eye ''Johnny One-Eye'' is a 1950 film noir crime film from a story by Damon Runyon, directed by Robert Florey starring Pat O'Brien, Wayne Morris, Dolores Moran and Gayle Reed. Plot In Manhattan, former gangster turned legitimate businessman Mar ...

'' – (1950) Starring Pat O'Brien, Wayne Morris, Delores Moran, and Gayle Reed *''

Money from Home ''Money From Home'' is a 1953 American comedy film starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The comedy was the first for the Martin and Lewis team to be shot in color and was their only film in 3-D. The picture was premiered as a special preview ...

'' (1953) – Starring

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

and

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

*''

'' (1955) –

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...

Vivian Blaine Vivian Blaine (born Vivian Stapleton; November 21, 1921 – December 9, 1995) was an American actress and singer, best known for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the musical theater production of ''Guys and Dolls'', as well as appearin ...

, and Stubby Kaye. Blaine and Kaye reprised their roles from the 1950 Broadway production. Adapted from the story "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown". The big

game is adapted from the story "Blood Pressure". *'' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1952) – Musical comedy starring Mitzi Gaynor and directed by Harmon Jones *'' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1989) –

Ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...

starring

Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...

, Jennifer Grey,

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

, and

Julie Hagerty Julie Beth Hagerty (born June 15, 1955) is an American actress. She starred as Elaine in the films ''Airplane!'' (1980) and '' Airplane II: The Sequel'' (1982). Her other film roles include ''A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy'' (1982), ''Lost in Am ...

, among others. The film combines elements from four stories into one large one: "A Very Honorable Guy", "The Brain Goes Home", "Social Error", and "The Bloodhounds of Broadway". In 1938, his unproduced play ''Saratoga Chips'' became the basis of

The Ritz Brothers The Ritz Brothers were an American family comedy act who performed extensively on stage, in nightclubs and in films from 1925 to the late 1960s. A fourth brother, George, acted as their manager. Early life The four brothers were born to Austria ...

film ''

Straight, Place and Show ''Straight, Place and Show'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by David Butler and starring the Ritz Brothers, Richard Arlen, and Ethel Merman, and released by 20th Century Fox. It based on the unproduced play ''Saratoga Chips'' by Damon ...

''.

Plays and musicals

*''

'' (1935) co-written for Broadway with Howard Lindsay *''

'' (1950) starring

Robert Alda Robert Alda (born Alfonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo; February 26, 1914 – May 3, 1986) was an Italian-American theatrical and film actor, a singer, and a dancer. He was the father of actors Alan and Antony Alda. Alda was featured in a ...

(Sky Masterson),

(Miss Adelaide), Sam Levene (Nathan Detroit),

Isabel Bigley Isabel Bigley (February 23, 1926 – September 30, 2006) was an American actress. She originated the part of Sarah Brown in Frank Loesser's ''Guys and Dolls''. Biography The Bronx-born Bigley's mother, a concert singer, guided her early interes ...

(Sarah Brown), Pat Rooney Sr.,

B.S. Pully B.S. Pully (born Murray Lerman; May 14, 1910 – January 6, 1972) was a New York nightclub comedian and stage actor who created the role of "Big Jule" in the musical ''Guys and Dolls''. He was noted for his blue humor and thick, gravelly voice. ...

, Stubby Kaye, Johnny Silver,

Tom Pedi Tom Pedi (September 14, 1913 – December 29, 1996) was an American actor whose work included roles on stage, television and film in a career spanning 50 years. He was particularly well-known for his portrayal of Rocky, the night barman, in ''The ...

. Adapted from Runyon's stories "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure".

Radio

''The Damon Runyon Theater'' radio series dramatized 52 of Runyon's short stories in weekly broadcasts running from October 1948 to September 1949 (with reruns until 1951).Goldin, David J. (2012)
"The Damon Runyon Theatre"
radioGOLDINdex database. Retrieved March 9, 2012. The series was produced by

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...

's Mayfair Transcription Company for syndication to local radio stations.

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

played the character "Broadway", who doubled as host and narrator. The cast also comprised Alan Reed,

Luis Van Rooten Luis d'Antin van Rooten (November 29, 1906 – June 17, 1973) was a Mexican-born American actor. He was sometimes credited as Louis Van Rooten. Van Rooten was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and emigrated to the United States with his parents when ...

, Joseph Du Val, Gerald Mohr,

Frank Lovejoy Frank Andrew Lovejoy Jr. (March 28, 1912 – October 2, 1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He is perhaps best remembered for appearing in the film noir '' The Hitch-Hiker'' and for starring in the radio drama '' Night Beat ...

, Herb Vigran,

Sheldon Leonard Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle-clas ...

William Conrad William Conrad (born John William Cann Jr., September 27, 1920 – February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director whose entertainment career spanned five decades in radio, film, and television, peaking in popularity when he s ...

, Jeff Chandler, Lionel Stander, Sidney Miller,

Olive Deering Olive Deering ( Corn; October 11, 1918 – March 22, 1986) was an American actress of film, television, and the stage, active from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s. She was a life member of The Actors Studio, as was her elder brother, Alfred ...

and Joe De Santis. Pat O'Brien was initially engaged for the role of "Broadway". The original stories were adapted for the radio by Russell Hughes. "Broadway's New York had a crisis each week, though the streets had a rose-tinged aura", wrote radio historian John Dunning. "The sad shows then were all the sadder; plays like ''For a Pal'' had a special poignance. The bulk of Runyon's work had been untapped by radio, and the well was deep."

Television

'' Damon Runyon Theatre'' aired on CBS-TV from 1955 to 1956. Mike McShane told Runyon stories as monologues on British TV in 1994, and an accompanying book was released, both titled ''Broadway Stories''. ''

Three Wise Guys ''Three Wise Guys'' is a 2005 Christmas television film. In an update on the nativity of Jesus, a pregnant woman named Mary is helped in the desert by three mobsters. The film stars Tom Arnold, Eddie McClintock, Judd Nelson, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, ...

'' was a 2005 TV movie.

References

External links

* * *
Baseball Hall of Fame

at Project Gutenberg Australia
Text of story "The Informal Execution of Soupbone Pew"
at Project Gutenberg Australia
''The Damon Runyon Theatre'' – audio files of the complete series
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

* *
''Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and Broadway Theater Service''
* Damon Runyon Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. * https://damon-runyon.com “Damon Runyon’s Pueblo” Award-winning 40 minute film. KRMA TV Denver called “Damon Runyon’s Pueblo” “an eye-opening and vastly entertaining semi-documentary” on the author’s early, formative years in Pueblo, Colorado where he met historical figures such as Bat Masterson and Doc Holiday. Encyclopaedia Britannica said “few of his admirers know that many characters and incidents in Runyon’s stories were suggested by Pueblo people and experiences.” {{DEFAULTSORT:Runyon, Damon 1880 births 1946 deaths American male journalists American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American short story writers American sportswriters Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from esophageal cancer BBWAA Career Excellence Award recipients American male short story writers People from Pueblo, Colorado Writers from Manhattan, Kansas Ghostwriters