Jerome Weidman
Encyclopedia
Jerome Weidman was an American playwright
and novelist. He collaborated with George Abbott
on the book for the musical
Fiorello!
with music by Jerry Bock
, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
. All received the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
for the work.
, New York City, and moved with his family to the Bronx after finishing high school at DeWitt Clinton. His parents were Jewish 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.
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."
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
'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
and Jeffrey.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and novelist. He collaborated with George Abbott
George Abbott
George Francis Abbott was an American theater producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than nine decades.-Early years:...
on the book for the musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Fiorello!
Fiorello!
Fiorello! is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, a reform Republican who took on Tammany Hall. The book is by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott, drawn substantially from the 1955 volume Life With Fiorello by Ernest Cuneo, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock...
with music by Jerry Bock
Jerry Bock
Jerrold Lewis "Jerry" Bock 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 Award for Best Composer and Lyricist for the 1964 musical Fiddler on the Roof with...
, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Sheldon Harnick
Sheldon Harnick is an American lyricist best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on hit musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof....
. All received the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
for the work.
Biography
Weidman was born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City, and moved with his family to the Bronx after finishing high school at DeWitt Clinton. His parents were Jewish 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
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
Law School, all the while writing stories and finally novels.
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."
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!
Fiorello!
Fiorello! is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, a reform Republican who took on Tammany Hall. The book is by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott, drawn substantially from the 1955 volume Life With Fiorello by Ernest Cuneo, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock...
in 1959.
He wrote the book for the musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale
I Can Get It for You Wholesale
I Can Get It for You Wholesale is a musical with music and lyrics by Harold Rome and a book by Jerome Weidman based on his 1937 novel of the same title. It marked the Broadway debut of 19-year-old Barbra Streisand, who was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in...
which was based on his first novel, and was Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
's Broadway debut. The book was the source for a 1951 movie starring Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 when open auditions were held for the leading role in Gone with the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...
, but used mainly the title.
He married Peggy Wright in 1942 and had two sons, John
John Weidman
John Weidman is an American librettist. He is the son of librettist and novelist Jerome Weidman.He has written the books for a wide variety of stage musicals, three in collaboration with Stephen Sondheim: Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show...
and Jeffrey.
Novels
- I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1937)
- What's in It for Me? (1938)
- I'll Never Go There Any More
- The Lights Around the Shore
- Too Early to Tell (1946)
- The Price Is Right
- The Hand of the Hunter
- Give Me Your Love
- The Third Angel
- Your Daughter Iris
- The Enemy Camp (1958)
- Before You Go (1960)
- The Sound of Bow Bells (1962)
- World Of Mouth
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
Theatre
- Fiorello!Fiorello!Fiorello! is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, a reform Republican who took on Tammany Hall. The book is by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott, drawn substantially from the 1955 volume Life With Fiorello by Ernest Cuneo, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock...
(1959) - TenderloinTenderloin-Media:* Tenderloin , by Samuel Hopkins Adams* Tenderloin , a 1928 film* Tenderloin , a musical from 1960* "Tenderloin", a song by Rancid from Let's Go...
(1960) - I Can Get It for You WholesaleI Can Get It for You WholesaleI Can Get It for You Wholesale is a musical with music and lyrics by Harold Rome and a book by Jerome Weidman based on his 1937 novel of the same title. It marked the Broadway debut of 19-year-old Barbra Streisand, who was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in...
(1962) - Duke Ellington's Pousse-Cafe (1966)
Film and television
- The Damned Don't Cry (1950)
- InvitationInvitation (film)Invitation is a 1952 melodrama starring Van Johnson and Dorothy McGuire as a happily married couple, until the wife learns a secret about her husband. The film was based on the short story "R.S.V.P." by Jerome Weidman.-Plot:...
(1952) based on Weidman's short story "R.S.V.P." - The Eddie Cantor Story (1953)
- "Wanted: Poor Boy" (1955) (TV episode of Star TonightStar TonightStar Tonight, an American television anthology series, aired on ABC from February 1955 to August 1956.-Adaptations and actors:It consisted of 80 total episodes, 30 from 1955 and 50 from 1956. Each episode was a self-contained story, usually adapted from famous plays, short-stories or novels by some...
) - Slander (1956)
- "The Hole Card" (1957) (TV episode of Schlitz Playhouse of StarsSchlitz Playhouse of StarsSchlitz Playhouse of Stars, is a weekly CBS anthology television series, was telecast on Friday nights from 1951 until 1959. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by Schlitz beer...
) - "All I Survey" (1958) (TV episode of General Electric TheaterGeneral Electric TheaterGeneral Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:...
) - The ReporterThe Reporter (TV series)The Reporter is an American drama series that aired on CBS from September 25 to December 18, 1964. The series was created by Jerome Weidman and developed by executive producers Keefe Brasselle and John Simon.-Synopsis:...
(1964) with Harry GuardinoHarry GuardinoHarry Guardino was an American actor whose career spanned from the early 1950s to the early 1990s. In 1964, he was cast in a short-lived CBS series entitled The Reporter, a drama about a hard-hitting investigative journalist named Danny Taylor. His principal co-star was Gary Merrill as city...
Further reading
- Joel Shatzky, Michael Taub, "Jerome Weidman (1913- )", Contemporary Jewish-American novelists: a bio-critical sourcebook, Greenwood Press (July 30, 1997), pp 457–460
- "Weidman, Jerome." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.