Robert Pirosh (April 1, 1910 – December 25, 1989) was an American motion picture and television

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and director. "Robert Pirosh, 79, Veteran of Combat and Author, Is Dead,"
''New York Times.'' December 31, 1989.

Early years

Pirosh was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore wa ...

, and graduated from the

Baltimore City College Baltimore City College, known colloquially as City, City College, and B.C.C., is a college preparatory school with a liberal arts focus and selective admissions criteria located in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in October 1839, B.C.C. is the thir ...

high school in 1928. His preparation for a career in Hollywood included study at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in France and the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

in Germany. When he began looking for work in Hollywood, he used a

cover letter A cover letter, covering letter, motivation letter, motivational letter, or a letter of motivation is a letter of introduction attached to or accompanying another document such as a résumé or a curriculum vitae. For employment Job seekers fr ...

that began "Dear Sir, I like words" and concluded,

I like the word ''screenwriter'' better than ''copywriter'', so I decided to quit my job in a New York advertising agency and try my luck in Hollywood, but before taking the plunge I went to Europe for a year of study, contemplation and horsing around. I have just returned and I still like words. May I have a few with you?

The letter later featured in the book ''Letters of Note'' and in 2014 was described by its editor, Shaun Usher, as his "current favorite".

Career

Pirosh began his film career in 1934 as a junior writer for

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

, working with fellow newcomer

George Seaton George Seaton (April 17, 1911 – July 28, 1979) was an American screenwriter, playwright, film director and producer, and theatre director. Life and career Early life Seaton was born George Edward Stenius in South Bend, Indiana, of Swedish des ...

. The two collaborated on 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) ...

' 1935 comedy '' A Night at the Opera'' and their next film, '' A Day at the Races'', in 1937. He and

Delmer Daves Delmer Lawrence Daves (July 24, 1904 – August 17, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director and film producer. He worked in many genres, including film noir and warfare, but he is best known for his Western movies, especially '' Broke ...

adapted

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

's ''

Night of January 16th ''Night of January 16th'' (sometimes advertised as ''The Night of January 16th'') is a theatrical play by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, inspired by the death of the "Match King", Ivar Kreuger. Set in a courtroom during a murder trial, an u ...

'' for a 1941 film of the same name directed by William Clemens. In 1942 he collaborated on the

screwball comedy Screwball comedy is a subgenre of the romantic comedy genre that became popular during the Great Depression, beginning in the early 1930s and thriving until the early 1940s, that satirizes the traditional love story. It has secondary characteristi ...

Rings on Her Fingers ''Rings on Her Fingers'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney. The screenplay concerns a poor man who gets mistaken for a millionaire and is swindled out of his life savings. Plot ...

'' for

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

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 The Battle of the Ardennes took place during the First World War fought on the frontiers of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg from 21 to 23 August 1914. The German armies defeated the French and forced their retreat. The battle was part of ...

, he led a patrol into

Bastogne Bastogne (; nl, Bastenaken, ; german: Bastnach/Bastenach; lb, Baaschtnech) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastog ...

to support the American forces surrounded there. He earned an Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay in 1949 for his script for the

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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 The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

and the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Gu ...

awards.Niemi, Robert. (2006)
''History in the Media: Film and Television,'' p. 85.
/ref> In 1951, he was nominated for another

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

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 Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and ...

film '' Hell Is for Heroes'', directed by

Don Siegel Donald Siegel ( ; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer. Siegel was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut ...

, believed to be the basis for TV's ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American so ...

'' (which he created). He also directed 1954's ''

Valley of the Kings The Valley of the Kings ( ar, وادي الملوك ; Late Coptic: ), also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings ( ar, وادي أبوا الملوك ), is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th ...

'' and 1955's ''

The Girl Rush ''The Girl Rush'' is a 1955 American musical comedy film starring Rosalind Russell, filmed in Technicolor and VistaVision, and released by Paramount Pictures.

''. Pirosh wrote the episode "The Man From Leadville" for the 1976

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

television series ''

Sara Sara may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui * ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda * ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...

''.

Selected works

*'' The Winning Ticket'' (1935) – story *'' A Night at the Opera'' (1935) – writer (uncredited) *'' A Day at the Races'' (1937) – writer *'' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939) – writer (uncredited) *'' The Quarterback'' (1940) – writer *'' The Night of January 16th'' (1941) – writer *''

Song of the Islands ''Song of the Islands'' is a 1942 musical comedy film starring Betty Grable and Victor Mature. It was directed by Walter Lang and released through 20th Century Fox. Plot Jeff Harper sails to the tropical paradise Ahmi-Oni with his sidekick Rusty ...

'' (1942) – writer *''

I Married a Witch ''I Married a Witch'' is a 1942 American fantasy romantic comedy film, directed by René Clair, and starring Veronica Lake as a witch whose plan for revenge goes comically awry, with Fredric March as her foil. The film also features Robert Benchl ...

'' (1942) – writer *''

Up in Arms ''Up in Arms'' is a 1944 musical film directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1945. Plot Danny Weems works as an elevator operator in a New York Medical building, so he can b ...

'' (1944) – writer *'' Man About Town'' (1947) (US version) – associate producer *'' Battleground'' (1949) – story, writer, associate producer *'' Go for Broke!'' (1951) – writer, director *''

Washington Story ''Washington Story'' is a 1952 American drama film directed by Robert Pirosh and starring Van Johnson and Patricia Neal. The screenplay concerns a reporter in search of government corruption who falls for a congressman. Plot On her first trip to ...

'' (1952) – writer, director *''

'' (1954) – writer, director *''

The Girl Rush ''The Girl Rush'' is a 1955 American musical comedy film starring Rosalind Russell, filmed in Technicolor and VistaVision, and released by Paramount Pictures.

'' (1955) – writer, director *''

Spring Reunion ''Spring Reunion'' is a 1956 American drama film that centers on the fifteen-year reunion of the fictional Carson High School class of 1941. It was the second film produced by Kirk Douglas' film production company Bryna Productions. ''Spring Re ...

'' (1957) – writer, director *'' Laramie'' (1959) (TV series) – writer, producer *''

The Law and Mr. Jones ''The Law and Mr. Jones'' is an American legal drama series starring James Whitmore. The series aired on ABC in two nonconsecutive seasons from October 7, 1960 to June 2, 1961, and again from April 19 to July 12, 1962. The program was created and ...

'' (1960–61) (TV series) – writer *'' Bachelor Father'' (1961) (TV series) – writer *'' Hell Is for Heroes'' (1962) – story, writer *''

A Gathering of Eagles ''A Gathering of Eagles'' is a 1963 SuperScope Eastmancolor film about the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War and the pressures of command. The plot is patterned after the World War II film '' Twelve O'Clock High'', which producer-screenwrite ...

'' (1963) – writer *''

'' (1962–67) (TV series) – producer, writer, series development *'' The Fugitive'' (1963) (TV series) – writer *''

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

'' (1963) – story, writer *''

The Guns of Will Sonnett ''The Guns of Will Sonnett'' is a Western television series set in the 1870s that was broadcast in color on the ABC television network from 1967 to 1969. The series, which began with the working title, "Two Rode West", was the first production c ...

'' (1968) (TV series) – writer *''

What's So Bad About Feeling Good? ''What's So Bad About Feeling Good?'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by George Seaton and starring George Peppard and Mary Tyler Moore. The film was a box office disappointment. Plot Pete (George Peppard) is a former advertising exec ...

'' (1968) – writer *'' The Bold Ones: The New Doctors'' (1969) (TV series) – writer *''

Family Affair ''Family Affair'' is an American sitcom starring Brian Keith and Sebastian Cabot that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966, to March 4, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis (Keith) as he attemp ...

'' (1970) (TV series) – writer *'' To Rome with Love'' (1970) (TV series) – writer *'' Ironside'' (1968–71) (TV series) – writer *''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. ''My Three Sons'' chroni ...

'' (1971) (TV series) – writer *''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'' (1970–72) (TV series) – writer *''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private in ...

'' (1970–74) (TV series) – writer *'' Twice in a Lifetime'' (1974) (TV movie) – writer *''

Firehouse __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire h ...

'' (1974) (TV series) – writer *''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was o ...

'' (1974) (TV series) – writer *''

Ellery Queen Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve ...

'' (1975) (TV series) – writer *''

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries ''The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'' (re-titled ''The Hardy Boys'' for season three) is an American television mystery series based on the ''Hardy Boys'' and ''Nancy Drew'' juvenile novels. The series, which ran from January 30, 1977, to Janu ...

'' (1977) (TV series) – writer *''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'' (1977) (TV series) – writer *'' The Oregon Trail'' (1977) (TV series) – writer *'' The Young Pioneers'' (1978) (TV series) – writer *''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...

'' (1979–81) (TV series) – writer *''

Harry O ''Harry O'', sometimes spelled ''Harry-O'', is an American Detective fiction, private detective series that aired for two seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1974 to 1976. The series starred David Janssen, and Jerry Thorpe was exec ...

'' (1975) (TV series) – writer

Notes

References

* Chandler, Charlotte. (1978)
''Hello, I Must Be Going: Groucho and His Friends.''
Garden City, New York: Doubleday.
OCLC 3608756
* Davis, Ronald L. (2007)
''Words into Images: Screenwriters on the Studio System.''
Jackson, Mississippi:

University Press of Mississippi The University Press of Mississippi, founded in 1970, is a publisher that is sponsored by the eight state universities in Mississippi. Universities *Alcorn State University *Delta State University * Jackson State University *Mississippi State U ...

.
OCLC 237217879
* Niemi, Robert. (2006)
''History in the Media: Film and Television.''
Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio.
OCLC 263634503
* Shapiro, Fred R. (2006)
''The Yale Book of Quotations.''
New Haven:

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Univers ...

. ,
OCLC 66527213

External links

* *
Biography
from

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cul ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pirosh, Robert 1910 births 1989 deaths American male screenwriters Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Baltimore City College alumni Writers from Baltimore Screenwriters from Maryland American people of Hungarian descent American expatriates in France American expatriates in Germany University of Paris alumni 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters United States Army non-commissioned officers