Jerome Weidman (April 4, 1913,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

– October 6, 1998, New York City) was an American playwright and novelist. He collaborated with

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. Early years Abbott was born in Forestville, New Yo ...

on the

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physi ...

for the musical ''

Fiorello! ''Fiorello!'' is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia, a reform Republican, which debuted on Broadway in 1959, and tells the story of how La Guardia took on the Tammany Hall political machine. The book is by Jerome Weidman and ...

'' with music by

Jerry Bock Jerrold Lewis Bock (November 23, 1928November 3, 2010) was an American musical theater composer. He received the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Sheldon Harnick for their 1959 musical ''Fiorello!'' and the Tony ...

, and lyrics by

Sheldon Harnick Sheldon Mayer Harnick (born April 30, 1924) is an American lyricist and songwriter best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on musicals such as ''Fiorello!'' and '' Fiddler on the Roof''. Early life Sheldon Mayer Harnick was ...

. All received the 1960

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

for the work.

Biography

Weidman was born in Manhattan, New York City, and moved with his family to

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

after finishing high school at DeWitt Clinton. His parents were

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 ...

immigrants and his father Joseph worked in the garment trade. He also worked in the garment industry, which later provided him with book material, and attended City College of New York and New York University Law School, all the while writing stories and finally novels.Gussow, Me
Jerome Weidman Dies at 85; Author of Novels and Plays,"
'The New York Times'', October 7, 1998 In his work he wrote about the "rough underside of business and politics -- and daily life -- in New York." ''The Independent'' obituary states: "There was precious little hope of salvation - indeed, precious little hope - in his early novels and often dazzling and highly crafted short stories, many of which inevitably found their way into Harold Ross's New Yorker during its Golden Age of the late Thirties and early Forties."Adrian, Jac

'The Independent'', 13 October 1998 In the 1950s he used his ability for "speakable dialogue" in writing for the movies, which led to working with George Abbott on the musical ''

'' in 1959. He wrote the book for the musical ''

I Can Get It for You Wholesale ''I Can Get It for You Wholesale'' is a musical, produced by David Merrick, music and lyrics by Harold Rome, and book by Jerome Weidman, based on his 1937 novel of the same title. It marked the Broadway debut of 19-year-old Barbra Streisand ...

'' which was based on his first novel, and was

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

's Broadway debut. The book was the source for a 1951 movie starring Susan Hayward, but used mainly the title. He married Peggy Wright in 1942 and had two sons,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

and Jeffrey.

Bibliography

Novels

* ''I Can Get It for You Wholesale'' (1937) * ''What's in It for Me?'' (1938) * ''I'll Never Go There Any More'' (1941) * ''The Lights Around the Shore'' * ''Too Early to Tell'' (1946) * ''The Price Is Right'' (1949) * ''Give Me Your Love'' (1952) * ''The Hand of the Hunter'' (1953) * ''The Third Angel'' (1953) * ''Your Daughter Iris'' (1955) * ''The Enemy Camp'' (1958) * '' Before You Go'' (1960) * ''The Sound of Bow Bells'' (1962) * ''Word Of Mouth'' (1964) * ''Other People's Money'' (1967) * ''The Centre of the Action'' (1969) * ''Fourth Street East'' (1970) * ''Last Respects'' (1971) * ''Tiffany Street'' (1974) * ''A Family Fortune'' (1978) * ''Counselors-at-law'' (1980)

Short stories

* "The Horse That Could Whistle 'Dixie'" * "The Captain's Tiger" * "A Dime a Throw" * "My Father Sits in the Dark" * "Good Man, Bad Man" * "Slipping Beauty" * "Shoe-shine" * "The Night I Met Einstein" * "Monsoon" * "The Tuxedos"

Theatre

* ''

'' (1959) * '' Tenderloin'' (1960) * ''

'' (1962) * Duke Ellington's ''Pousse-Cafe'' (1966) * The Mother Lover (1969) one performance * Asterisk! A comedy of terrors (1969)

Film and television

* ''

The Damned Don't Cry ''The Damned Don't Cry'' is a 1950 American film noir crime-drama directed by Vincent Sherman and featuring Joan Crawford, David Brian, and Steve Cochran. It tells of a woman's involvement with an organized crime boss and his subordinates. The s ...

'' (1950) * '' Invitation'' (1952) based on Weidman's short story "R.S.V.P." * ''The Eddie Cantor Story'' (1953) * "Wanted: Poor Boy" (1955) (TV episode of '' Star Tonight'') * ''Slander'' (1956) * "The Hole Card" (1957) (TV episode of ''

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playhouse ...

'') * "All I Survey" (1958) (TV episode of ''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

'') *'' The Reporter'' (1964) with

Harry Guardino Harry Guardino (December 23, 1925 – July 17, 1995) was an American actor whose career spanned from the early 1950s to the early 1990s. Biography Guardino was born to an Italian family on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and raised in Bro ...

Essays

* ''Letter of Credit'' * ''Traveler's Cheque'' * ''Back Talk''

References

External links

Jerome Weidman Collection
at the

* *
Alistair Cooke delivered an oral obituary in his ''Letter from America'' dated 20 Oct 2003 and entitled ''Separated by language.''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weidman, Jerome American Ashkenazi Jews 20th-century American novelists American male novelists Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners 1913 births 1998 deaths Jewish American novelists Jewish American dramatists and playwrights Writers from Manhattan 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Tony Award winners 20th-century American Jews