Abe Burrows scores, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.
Abe Burrows was a composer, librettist, director, author and comic. His career spanned decades, beginning in the 1930s. He worked in radio, television and the stage. He is best known for writing the book for Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Abe Burrows was a composer, librettist, director, author and comic. His career spanned decades, beginning in the 1930s. He worked in radio, television and the stage. He is best known for writing the book for Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
He was born the oldest son of Louis and Julia Borowitz on December 18, 1910 in New York City. He graduated from New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn in 1928. He attended college, but didn't graduate.
Burrows collaborated with Frank Gaylen on nightclub acts and radio scripts and in 1941 helped create the successful CBS radio hit, Duffy's Tavern. He had his own show, The Abe Burrows Show, playing piano, singing songs and performing skits. Beginning in 1949 he worked with Frank Loesser and Jo Swerling on several Broadway musicals.
In later life, Burrows wrote an autobiography titled, Honest Abe. His first marriage to Ruth Levinson lasted twelve years and produced two children, James and Laurie. In 1950 he married his second wife, Carin Smith Kinzel. Abe Burrows died of Alzheimer's disease in 1985.
Source: Abe Burrows, Broadway Writer-Director, is Dead, New York Times, 1985 May 19 Abe Burrows, Won Pulitzer Prize for "How To Succeed in Business", Boston Globe, 1985 May 19 Abe Burrows, http://en.wikipedia.org/wike/Abe_Burrows
The collection contains an alphabetical list of scores composed by Abe Burrows for his radio shows during the 1930s and television in the 1940s. The bulk of the scores are undated.
This collection is arranged alphabetically by score title.
The Abe Burrows papers were donated to the library in 1999. At that time, the scores were separated from the Abe Burrows papers, in order to become their own collection.
The Abe Burrows papers were donated to The Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public Library by James Burrows and Laurie Burrows Grad, the children of Abe Burrows, in 1999.
Compiled by L. Reyman.
For permission to publish, contact the Chief, Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.