141:. Sheekman was the middle child of three, coming between Edith (who became a teacher) and Harvey (an engineer). In Sheekman's early years, the family lived in St. Paul, Minnesota, where their father owned a bar. As Charlie Sheekman wasn't much of a provider, the children had to scramble to help support their family. Sheekman got his first job at twelve, working after school and on weekends at the St. Paul Public Library stacking books. He worked at the library until he got a job as a cub reporter on the
493:. Sheekman had to be cared for in a nursing facility. During the next seven years, Groucho regularly came to see his friend. Gloria Stuart wrote in her book, "The only tender thing I ever heard Groucho say was to my husband on a visit... Leaning down over Arthur's wheelchair he said, "Don't go before I go, Sheek." Sheek did not. He died five months after Groucho on January 12, 1978.
356:
In 1939, when both their contracts with studios were up, the
Sheekmans took a trip around the world. When they landed in New York, they decided to stay. Stuart hoped to work in the theater and Sheekman hoped to write a hit play. In the next three-and-a-half years, Sheekman collaborated on two plays.
235:(October 1928 – April 1929), the brothers again came to Chicago on tour. Sheekman gave Groucho his column's space, advising his readers: "On Tuesday, Mr. Groucho Marx, the comedian, will be guest conductor of this column at no increase in prices. Mr. Marx is the man who said (and is still saying in
149:
City Editor gave him the entrée. Sheekman rose to become the paper's theater and movie critic, writing his column, "The Voice Off-Stage". Wanting to go to college, Sheekman enrolled at the
University of Minnesota but found he could not manage both his job and his course work and had to withdraw.
324:
Through the years, Groucho and
Sheekman were closest friends. The two men had much in common. They had the same wry fly irreverent sense of humor, grew up struggling to support their families, were non-religious Jews with a liberal bent (Marx was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild and
402:
was a particular success. Under a headline, "'Madam' Even Better on Screen," Alton Cook wrote, "Scenarist Arthur
Sheekman has achieved his good result with small and sly changes along the way, making the humor flow more steadily and giving some of it a sharper edge." The Screen Writers' Guild
153:
In 1926, Sheekman is rumored to have filled in for a colleague's place on a journalist's trip to the
Sesquicentennial International Exposition in Philadelphia. On a sight-seeing tour with fellow newspapermen, the guide was pointing out a replica of the Liberty Bell...a replica of Betsy Ross's
325:
Sheekman was a founding member of the Screen
Writers Guild), loved to read and appreciated beautiful women. When Groucho was asked to put together a collection of his letters for Simon & Schuster, he asked Sheekman to do it for him.
195:
containing Arthur
Sheekman's column, which I find vastly entertaining." "A leading merchant of Chicago...remarked, "I like his column because he is a cynic without scorn, and a wit without malice." Finally, Sheekman moved to Chicago's
223:." Sheekman commented, "It was inevitable of course that Mrs. Marx's boys should be sought after as film comedians; for there are few stage buffoons who come within blocks of their talents for comedic pantomime ..." (Rather than
246:
was released. Groucho wanted
Sheekman to come to Hollywood and write for The Boys (as they called themselves). Instead, with Sheekman in Chicago and The Boys in Los Angeles, Sheekman did write for one of them. In 1929, a book titled
1085:, George Kondolf "announced yesterday he would bring the Arthur Sheekman comedy to New York in mid-September. The author, who is a scenarist, hasn’t been represented in this precinct since his collaboration on ‘Mr. Big’ in 1941."
171:, Sheekman continued writing about the movies and Hollywood in his column, "Short Shot and Close-Up". Then he was awarded the noteworthy space, "A Little About Everything," a column previously occupied by humorists
121:(February 5, 1901 – January 12, 1978) was an American theater and movie critic, columnist, playwright, and editor—but best known for his writing for the screen. His specialty was light comedy.
154:
flag...a replica of the elm tree where
William Penn stood...a replica of—when Sheekman interrupted, "Say, could you show us a replica of a men's room?" When the editor of the
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never made it out of Boston. And although Stuart was in demand for roles in summer stock, she could not get a part on
Broadway. In 1943, the Sheekmans returned to Hollywood.
743:
ancestry.com. Fifth Decennial Census of Minnesota Population Schedule. Ramsey county, St. Paul, Ward 8, Precinct 11, sheet no. 23, line 68. 1905. Accessed September 5, 2014.
380:
In the next seventeen years, Sheekman added seventeen credits to his name. He developed a reputation for writing skillful adaptations of plays and novels. Most notable are
417:
Still, in his 28 films, Arthur Sheekman wrote for some of Hollywood's most enduring stars. In addition to The Marx Brothers and Shirley Temple, he created characters for
822:, states Sheekman was a student at the University of Minnesota, suggesting more than a few months; the source also states erroneously that Sheekman attended law school.
279:. Perrin was also new at writing comedy for the screen, but their chemistry clicked. In the next five years, Sheekman and Perrin came up with two original stories (
133:
Arthur Sheekman was born February 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois. His parents, Nettie Green Sheekman and Charles Grover Sheekman, were Jewish immigrants from
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Sheekman suffered a heart attack in the spring of 1960 and his health became a concern. In 1970, his confusion and disorientation were diagnosed as
219:. When Sheekman interviewed them for his column, the brothers told him that Groucho, Harpo and Chico were going "... to produce a film called
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but just with Groucho (and was uncredited). Sheekman makes an unscripted appearance in the movie as a sports writer in the press box.
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Timphus, Stefan. "The Marx Brothers Chronology". www.marx-brothers.org/biography/chrono.htm. Accessed Sept 15, 2014.
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was published in 1967. Sheekman wrote a Preface to the book but requested his name not be noted as editor.
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Atkinson, Brooks. 'Mr Big' by Arthur Sheekman and Margaret Shane, Is Produced by George S. Kaufman.
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303:) and contributed additional dialog/material to movies for The Marx Brothers and Eddie Cantor (
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349:. Stuart was one of the stars. They married in August the following year and their daughter,
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At this point in his career, Sheekman began a collaboration (and lasting friendship) with
8:
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239:): 'It would be a happier world for children if parents ate the spinach themselves.'"
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One clipped review lists the book as "Marx, Groucho, with Arthur Sheekman (editors),
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268:—his credit on that first picture was "Dialog by Arthur Sheekman." Next he worked on
231:, released in August 1929.) Then again after the Broadway run of their musical play,
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where his column "Ahead of the Times" was a "A Daily Potpourri of Wit and Verse.".
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stopped laughing, he offered Sheekman three times the salary he was getting at the
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played a major role in Sheekman's life. The two men met in the fall of 1926 when
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Early in 1931, Sheekman accepted Groucho's invitation and moved west to work on
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bore Groucho Marx's name as author but it was Arthur Sheekman who wrote it.
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321:. In 1937, Sheekman and Perrin amicably agreed it was time to move on.
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that turned Mrs. Marx's boys into legendary film comedians, it was
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is quoted as wiring from New York, "Please send me back numbers of
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916:"Comedy Writing Team for Eddie Cantor". "Author and Composer,"
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Gussow, Mel. "Ruth Goetz, 93, Who Co-Wrote 'The Heiress'".
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164:. That was how Sheekman got back to his native Chicago.
1110:"Arthur Sheekman, A Screenwriter And Adapter, At 76".
257:, then the following year was published in book form.
964:
The Groucho Letters: Letters from and to Groucho Marx
327:
The Groucho Letters: Letters to and from Groucho Marx
373:
were brutal and it closed after seven performances.
882:
Internet Broadway Data Base, accessed July 27, 2015
756:Feasts and friends : recipes from a lifetime
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215:came to Chicago on tour in their musical play,
1137:. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company. p.
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1038:Cook, Alton. "'Madam' Even Better on Screen".
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869:Sheekman, Arthur. "Short-Shot and close-Up".
410:In the 1950s, Sheekman wrote a third play,
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125:called him "The Fastest Wit in the West."
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571:(dialogue and treatment, uncredited, 1937)
242:The following year, the movie version of
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966:. New York, Simon & Schuster. 1967
1169:Brief bio at Barnes and Noble website
1051:Betty Comden and Adoph Green won for
810:. A.N. Marquis Co., November 1, 1941.
407:as the best written Musical of 1953.
785:
759:. San Francisco: North Point Press.
1224:20th-century American screenwriters
369:and Augustus Goetz. The reviews of
311:). They also worked on the Groucho-
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1219:20th-century American male writers
794:Clipping. Light, Paul. "So What!"
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361:he wrote with Margaret Shane and
891:Sheekman, "Ahead of the Times,"
251:was serialized in the magazine,
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337:Sheekman met his wife, actress
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944:"Horse Feathers (1932) - IMDb"
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692:(Treatment, uncredited) (1957)
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318:Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel
187:handout promoting the column,
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333:Non-Marxian works (1933–1961)
569:The King and the Chorus Girl
485:Decline and loss (1970–1978)
7:
1214:American male screenwriters
1131:; Thompson, Sylvia (1999).
831:"Little About Everything".
345:musical he was working on,
10:
1240:
1099:Stuart & Thompson 1999
1001:Stuart & Thompson 1999
989:Stuart & Thompson 1999
905:Stuart & Thompson 1999
820:Who's Who in America, 1941
780:Stuart & Thompson 1999
732:Stuart & Thompson 1999
753:Thompson, Sylvia (1988).
353:, was born in June 1935.
225:The Marx Brothers at Yale
221:The Marx Brothers at Yale
106:
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54:
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21:
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204:Groucho Marx (1926–1977)
66:Santa Monica, California
714:"Robbie's Honey" (1971)
1058:"Writers Guild Awards"
796:St. Paul Pioneer Press
621:The Trouble with Women
414:, but it failed, too.
129:Early life (1901–1926)
111:Sylvia Vaughn Thompson
833:Chicago Daily Journal
481:, and Gloria Stuart.
193:Chicago Daily Journal
16:American screenwriter
1163:Sheekman filmography
808:Who's Who in America
666:Young Man With Ideas
659:Here Comes the Groom
1185:- Inside joke from
1183:Easter Eggs Archive
1114:, January 14, 1978.
1089:, February 8, 1956.
1053:Singin' in the Rain
1029:, October 16, 2001.
977:The Groucho Letters
929:"Monkey Business."
873:, October 16, 1926.
798:, January 28, 1945.
661:(Uncredited) (1951)
491:pre-senile dementia
143:St. Paul Daily News
1134:I Just Kept Hoping
1112:The New York Times
1087:The New York Times
1081:Zolotow, Sam. Re:
1027:The New York Times
1016:, October 1, 1941.
1014:The New York Times
541:Rose of the Rancho
293:Rose of the Rancho
177:Finley Peter Dunne
173:Bert Leston Taylor
1165:at TimeOut London
991:, pp. 69–72.
782:, pp. 62–63.
697:Some Came Running
396:Some Came Running
213:The Marx Brothers
181:Franklin P. Adams
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375:Franklin Street
363:Franklin Street
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266:Monkey Business
244:Animal Crackers
237:Animal Crackers
233:Animal Crackers
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169:Chicago Journal
157:Chicago Journal
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119:Arthur Sheekman
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99: 1934)
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1129:Stuart, Gloria
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365:he wrote with
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285:Pigskin Parade
270:Horse Feathers
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60:(1978-01-12)
1209:1978 deaths
1204:1901 births
846:Daily Times
497:Filmography
471:Dean Martin
463:Ray Milland
459:Anne Baxter
419:Bing Crosby
386:Dream Girl,
198:Daily Times
1198:Categories
1122:References
1068:2015-02-14
920:, no date.
835:, no date.
766:0865473501
639:Dream Girl
592:Blue Skies
584:Wonder Man
455:Danny Kaye
403:nominated
389:Mr. Music,
277:Nat Perrin
162:Daily News
147:Daily News
74:Occupation
35:1901-02-05
1083:The Joker
918:Photoplay
690:Les Girls
652:Mr. Music
645:Dear Wife
606:Dear Ruth
518:Duck Soup
447:Alan Ladd
412:The Joker
382:Dear Ruth
305:Duck Soup
931:Variety.
562:Stowaway
301:Stowaway
107:Children
47:Illinois
548:Dimples
371:Mr. Big
359:Mr. Big
297:Dimples
185:Journal
183:. In a
167:On the
101:
93:
43:Chicago
1145:
763:
708:(1961)
700:(1958)
685:(1956)
677:(1953)
669:(1952)
655:(1950)
647:(1949)
641:(1948)
635:(1948)
633:Hazard
629:(1948)
627:Saigon
623:(1947)
617:(1947)
609:(1947)
601:(1947)
595:(1946)
587:(1945)
579:(1938)
565:(1936)
557:(1936)
551:(1936)
543:(1936)
537:(1934)
529:(1933)
521:(1933)
513:(1932)
507:(1931)
351:Sylvia
179:, and
139:Russia
82:Spouse
77:Writer
68:, U.S.
49:, U.S.
719:Notes
313:Chico
95:(
91:
1178:IMDb
1143:ISBN
949:IMDb
844:Ad,
761:ISBN
394:and
367:Ruth
259:Beds
249:Beds
55:Died
29:Born
1176:at
1139:138
705:Ada
1200::
1141:.
1055:.
946:.
853:^
787:^
477:,
473:,
469:,
465:,
461:,
457:,
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449:,
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441:,
437:,
433:,
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384:,
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299:,
295:,
291:,
283:,
175:,
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97:m.
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1151:.
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952:.
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