Nat Perrin (March 15, 1905 – May 9, 1998) was an American comedy film, television, and radio screenwriter, producer, and director, who contributed gags and storylines to several

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

films and co-wrote the script for the film '' Hellzapoppin''' (1941) adapted from the stage musical. He is credited with writing the screenplay or story outline for over 25 films, including ''

The Big Store ''The Big Store'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Charles Reisner and starring the Marx Brothers ( Groucho, Harpo and Chico) that takes place in a large department store. Groucho appears as private detective Wolf J. Flywheel (a char ...

'' (1941), '' The Great Morgan'' (1945), and '' Song of the Thin Man'' (1947), as well as several television series.

Biography

Perrin was a registered attorney who never practiced; he instead worked in the publicity department for

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

in 1930. He often told the story of how he made his way into

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...

's dressing room in 1931 with a forged letter of introduction from

Moss Hart Moss Hart (October 24, 1904 – December 20, 1961) was an American playwright, librettist, and theater director. Early years Hart was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (Solomon) and Barnett Hart, a cigar maker. He had a younger brother ...

. Groucho was impressed with Perrin, and arranged for him to be hired by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

for the film '' Monkey Business'' (1931). The two went on to become lifelong friends. In the late 1930s, Perrin produced for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

, moving to

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

in the 1940s. In the early 1950s, he became a producer for such TV shows as ''

The Red Skelton Show ''The Red Skelton Show'' is an American television comedy/variety show that aired from 1951 to 1971. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard "Red" Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star. Although his tele ...

'' (run 1951–1971) and the anthology series ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

'' (run 1952–1970). He produced and was head writer for ''

The Addams Family The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...

'' series from 1964–1966. Beginning in the late 1970s and well into his later years, Perrin taught screenwriting and film history at

California State University Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...

. His lifelong friendship with Groucho Marx, for whom he also wrote the '' Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel'' radio shows, came to a close when Perrin served as temporary conservator of the comedian's estate in 1977.

External links

* * 1905 births 1998 deaths American comedy writers American male television writers American television writers American male screenwriters Screenwriting instructors Writers from New York (state) 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-comedian-stub