Perelman, S J

Perelman, S(idney) J(oseph)

(born Feb. 1, 1904, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 17, 1979, New York, N.Y.) U.S. humorist. Perelman attended Brown University and soon began writing screenplays for early Marx Brothers films such as Monkey Business (1931) and Horse Feathers (1932). A master of wordplay, he regularly contributed essays to The New Yorker; many were collected in books such as Westward Ha! (1948) and The Road to Miltown (1957). He collaborated with Kurt Weill on the musical One Touch of Venus (1943). His later screenplays include Around the World in 80 Days (1956, Academy Award).