Robert Pirosh(1910-1989)
- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Director
Robert Pirosh enjoyed a lengthy Hollywood career, which began when he
was signed by MGM, along with fellow newcomer
George Seaton , as a contributing
writer in 1934. His most notable success was garnering the Academy
Award for his screenplay of
Battleground (1949), a film based on the Second World War Battle of the Bulge in which he
had himself fought as a Master Sergeant with the 35th Infantry Division. A
versatile writer, Pirosh alternated among dramatic subjects, such as
the Oscar-nominated war picture
Go for Broke! (1951) and the
adventure
Valley of the Kings (1954)--both of which he also directed--and madcap comedy, most notably his
contribution to the classic The Marx Brothers farce
A Day at the Races (1937).
Some of Groucho Marx's funniest lines are attributed to Pirosh, who also
became the comedian's lifelong friend. From the late 1950s,Pirosh
became involved in writing television scripts, including the pilot
episodes for Laramie (1959) and
Combat! (1962). Towards the end of
his career he taught writing at the University of Southern California.
