Henry Myers papers

1894-1975 [bulk 1922-1961]

Henry Myers (1893-1975) was an American writer and lyricist who wrote in many genres of fiction including, plays, musicals, motion pictures, revues, and novels. Before becoming a writer, Myers was a composer and classical pianist. Myers was born in Chicago but moved to New York City at the age of one and lived with his mother in Greenwich Village. At her encouragement, Myers studied piano and composition at the Damrosch Music School and under the pianist and composer Rubin Goldmark. When he was nineteen, Myers went to Berlin to continue his studies but had to leave soon after due to the outbreak of World War I.

Upon his return to New York, Myers took a playwriting class at Columbia University. While at Columbia, he befriended lyricist Lorenz Hart, who produced Myers' first play, The First Fifty Years, at the Princess Theater in 1922. The play was moderately successful and ran for six weeks. Myers continued to write Broadway plays throughout his career including, The New Yorkers (1927), Good Boy (1928), Garrick Gaieties (1930), and Gypsy Lady (1946).

In 1930, Myers moved to California on a two-year writing contract with Paramount Pictures. He ended up remaining in California for almost two decades and wrote numerous screenplays. Notable films he wrote include Her Wedding Night (1930), Million Dollar Legs (1932), The Black Room (1935), and Destry Rides Again (1939), with James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich. He often collaborated with screenwriter Jay Gorney. Together they wrote the films College Holiday; The Heat's On; and Hey, Rookie; the stage musicals Kris Kringle Rides Again and Mona and Lisa; and Meet the People, a popular revue that ran in Hollywood from 1939 to 1941. The revue also had a successful year on Broadway, and toured the United States and Canada. During this time, his first novel, Our Lives Have Just Begun, was also published.

While in Hollywood, Myers was a founding member of the Screen Writers Guild and served as a board member. He was also an active member of the Hollywood chapter of the League of American Writers. These activities precipitated his departure from Hollywood in 1947 due to McCarthyism. Myers returned to New York City and focused his energy on writing historical novels. His book The Utmost Island (1951), about Leif Ericsson, became a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and his following novels O King Live Forever (1953), The Signorina (1956), and The Winner of World War III (1966), found modest success. Myers taught novel writing at New York University's School of Continuing Education. He also delved into production, producing the play The Happiest Girl in the World in 1961.

Myers was married twice. His first marriage, to Barbara Alexander, a political activist, was short-lived. He later married Marion Trabue, an actress whom he had first met in the 1920s. Marion's sister, Virginia Trabue, lived with the couple, and began her own relationship with Myers following Marion's death. All unions were childless. Myers died in 1975 in Los Angeles, while seeking medical treatment at the Motion Picture Country House and Lodge.