Oscar-winning screenwriter Simeon Joseph Perleman, known to family and friends as Sidney or Sydney, was a renowned American humorist, master of short fiction, and influential figure in American humor. Born on February 1, 1904, in Brooklyn, New York, Perleman was raised in Providence, Rhode Island, where he attended Brown University.
Perleman's career in the 1920s began as a cartoonist and humorist, surrounded by notable friends such as Robert Benchley and Dorothy Parker, key members of the famed Algonquin Round Table, although he was never an official member. His work was frequently published in top magazines, including "The New Yorker," and he made a reputation writing short stories, satires, and humorous pieces, often parodying popular culture.
Perleman's short humorist pieces, which he referred to as feuilletons, referencing a French literary genre, were frequently published in book form starting in the 1940s. He also ventured into playwriting, making his Broadway debut with the book for the Bobby Clark revue "Walk a Little Faster" in the 1932-33 season. However, his subsequent plays, including "All Good Americans" and "The Night Before Christmas," were not as successful, lasting only a few dozen performances.
In 1943, Perleman found success with the musical "One Touch of Venus," for which he wrote the book with his friend Ogden Nash. The show, featuring music by Kurt Weil and a production directed by Elia Kazan, ran for 567 performances. Perleman's last Broadway outing, the 1963 comedy "The Beauty Part," unfortunately returned to his record of failure, lasting only 85 performances.
Perleman's work in film was more successful, and he won an Academy Award for his screenplay for "Around the World in 80 Days" (1956),which won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1956. He also worked on screenplays for the Marx Brothers' classics "Monkey Business" (1931) and "Horse Feathers" (1932).
Perleman received a special National Book Award in 1978 and passed away on October 17, 1979, at the age of 75, in New York City.
