Voting Station

Abe Burrows

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Playwright

The Resume

    (December 18, 1910-May 17, 1985)
    Born in New York City, New York
    Birth name was Abram Solman Borowitz
    Head writer for the radio program ‘Duffy’s Tavern’ (1941-45)
    Hosted the radio program ‘The Abe Burrows Show’ (1947-49)
    Wrote the book for the musicals ‘Guys and Dolls’ (1950), ‘Three Wishes for Jamie’ (1952), ‘Can-Can’ (1953), ‘Silk Stockings’ (1955) and ‘How to Succeed in Show Business Without Really Trying’ (1961)
    Wrote the comedic play ‘Cactus Flower’ (1965)
    Wrote the screenplay for ‘The Solid Gold Cadillac’ (1956)
    Recorded the albums ‘The Girl with the Three Blue Eyes and Other Topical Type Songs’ (1947) and ‘Abe Burrows Sings?’ (1950)
    Father of TV producer James Burrows

Why he might be annoying:

    His radio show proved short-lived despite good ratings as it failed to boost sales of the sponsor’s product: ‘It seems that my fans were being naughty. While they were laughing at my jokes, they were sneering at my toothpaste.’
    When a radio programmer urged him to write plays, ‘I told him I felt my funny stuff was okay for radio, but I didn't think people would pay theater prices to hear it.’
    ’Guys and Dolls’ would have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, but the Trustees of Columbia University vetoed the decision because Burrows had been listed as a Communist sympathizer in ‘Red Channels.’
    He named names for the House Unamerican Activities Committee.
    His attempt to adapt Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ into a musical, ‘First Impressions,’ flopped on Broadway.

Why he might not be annoying:

    ‘The Abe Burrows Show’ won a Radio Critics Award for best show of the year (1947).
    He and collaborator Frank Loesser won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for ‘How to Succeed in Show Business Without Really Trying.’
    He also won Tonys for Best Book of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical for ‘How to Succeed….’
    He had such a reputation as a successful script doctor that it got a shout-out in The Dick Van Dyke Show.
    He rarely discussed the plays he revised, saying, ‘I feel that a fellow who doctors a show should have the same ethical approach that a plastic surgeon has. It wouldn't be very nice if a plastic surgeon were walking down the street with you, and a beautiful girl approached. And you say, ‘What a beautiful girl.’ And the plastic surgeon says, ‘She was a patient of mine. You should have seen her before I fixed her nose.’’
    He served as a mentor to several comedy writers, including Larry Gelbart, Dick Martin, and Woody Allen.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 68.75% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 74 Votes: 41.89% Annoying