John Monks Jr. and Finklehoffe, fellow graduates of the Virginia Military Institute in 1932, decided to re-write their college thesis on cadet life at VMI as a play.
After graduating, Finklehoffe and Monks Jr. rewrote their college thesis, which caught the attention of the noted director and playwright George Abbott.
Abbott liked the piece and produced it on Broadway in December 1936, under the title 'Brother Rat'.
The play was a huge success, running for an astonishing 575 performances and was then passed on to Warner Brothers for $150,000.
With the success of 'Brother Rat', Finklehoffe suddenly found himself a much sought-after property in Hollywood.
He then added a degree in law from Yale University to his resume and wrote a sequel to 'Brother Rat' (1938) - the original screenplay for 'Brother Rat and a Baby' (1940).
He was then signed to a fifteen-year contract by MGM.
During the 1940s, Finklehoffe worked, usually in collaboration, on musicals and comedies.
At his creative peak, he received an Academy Award nomination for 'Meet Me in St. Louis' (1944).
Finklehoffe also co-authored the comedy 'The Egg and I' (1947),which spawned the 'Ma and Pa Kettle' series at Universal with Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride.
On Broadway, he was active as producer, his biggest hit being 'The Heiress', which was staged at the Biltmore Theatre and starred Wendy Hiller and Basil Rathbone, who was nominated for a Tony Award.
Finklehoffe was a close friend of actress Judy Garland and began writing a biography of the star in 1960, but decided to abandon the project due to her declining health.
He was married three times, his second wife being the actress Ella Logan, whom he featured on Broadway in 'Show Time' in 1942, and his third wife being the fashion consultant Carolyn Jo Phillips in 1956.
