Allen Boretz (1900–1985), was an American songwriter,

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

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. ...

. The great success of his and John Murray's Broadway hit '' Room Service'' (1937) led to offers from

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, and he wrote and co-wrote

screenplays ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fea ...

from the late 1930s through the 1940s. His film credits include ''

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 e ...

'' (1943), '' Step Lively'' (1944), ''Up in Arms'' (1944), ''The Princess and the Pirate'' (1944), '' Ziegfeld Follies'' (1946), ''Copacabana'' (1947), ''My Girl Tisa'' (1948), and ''Two Guys from Texas'' (1949). . Boretz' screenwriting ended abruptly when he was

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...

in the early 1950s. However, ''Room Service'' has never stopped being produced by professional and amateur theatrical companies throughout the world, and has been revived on Broadway several times.

References

American male screenwriters American male songwriters Hollywood blacklist 1900 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American musicians American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American screenwriters {{theat-bio-stub