Jerome Weidman (April 4, 1913,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the ...

on the

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

for the musical '' Fiorello!'' 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 A ...

, and lyrics by

Sheldon Harnick Sheldon Mayer Harnick (April 30, 1924 – June 23, 2023) was an American lyricist and songwriter best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on musicals such as '' Fiorello!'', '' She Loves Me'', and ''Fiddler on the Roof''. Ear ...

. 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 the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

after finishing high school at DeWitt Clinton. His parents were

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

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 '' Fiorello!'' in 1959. He wrote the book for the musical '' I Can Get It for You Wholesale'' which was based on his first novel, and was

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

's Broadway debut. The book was the source for a 1951 movie starring

Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrener; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American actress best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Clarence Thornton, Walt ...

, 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 * Second E ...

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

* '' Fiorello!'' (1959) * '' Tenderloin'' (1960) * '' I Can Get It for You Wholesale'' (1962) * Duke Ellington's ''Pousse-Cafe'' (1966) * The Mother Lover (1969) one performance * Asterisk! A comedy of terrors (1969)

Film and television

* '' House of Strangers'' (1949) based upon the novel "I'll Never Go There Any More" (1941) by Jerome Weidman * '' The Damned Don't Cry'' (1950) * '' Invitation'' (1952) based on Weidman's short story "R.S.V.P." * ''The Eddie Cantor Story'' (1953) * ''

Broken Lance ''Broken Lance'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Sol C. Siegel. The film stars Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Richard Widmark and Katy Jurado. Shot in Technicolor and CinemaScope, the film ...

'' (1949) based upon the novel "I'll Never Go There Any More" (1941) * "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 Playh ...

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

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' is 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 Big Show'' (1961) based upon the novel "I'll Never Go There Any More" (1941) *'' The Reporter'' (1964) with Harry Guardino

Essays

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

References

External links

* *
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 Novelists from New York City 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers Tony Award winners 20th-century American Jews