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Jo Swerling

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Jo Swerling (April 8, 1897 – October 23, 1964) was an American theatre writer, lyricist and screenwriter.

Jo Swerling, circa 1940

Born in Berdichev, Ukraine Swerling was a refugee of the Czarist regime who grew up on New York City's lower East Side, where he sold newspapers to help support his family. He worked as a newspaper and magazine writer in the early 1920s, then launched a playwriting career, including Street Cinderella, an early comedy for the Marx Brothers. He also wrote their first movie, the unreleased silent comedy short film Humor Risk (1921). He scored a major success with the book and lyrics for the musical revue The New Yorkers (1927) and the play The Kibitzer (1929), the latter co-written with actor Edward G. Robinson.

Swerling was brought to Hollywood by Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn to work on the screenplay for Frank Capra's Ladies of Leisure (1930), the first of several collaborations with the director. His dozens of screenplays in the 1930s and 1940s include Platinum Blonde, Behind the Mask, Once to Every Woman, The Pride of the Yankees (for which he received an Academy Award nomination), Lifeboat, Leave Her to Heaven, and It's a Wonderful Life. He also provided some uncredited writing for the Gone with the Wind screenplay.

Swerling returned to Broadway in 1950 to co-write the book for Guys and Dolls with Abe Burrows, winning Tony and New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards for his effort.

Swerling was the father of Peter Swerling, the world's leading radar theoretician of the second half of the 20th century, and Jo Swerling, Jr., producer of such television series as Alias Smith and Jones, The Rockford Files, Baretta, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, and Profit.

Partial filmography

As screenwriter
Other
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