Irving Brecher

摘要

Even as a teenager working at a Manhattan theater, Irving Brecher, who died Nov. 17 at 94, peddled his comedy writing to anyone who would have it. The Bronx, N.Y., native sent one-liners to columnists Walter Winchell and Ed Sullivan, some of which would occasionally make it into print. Possibly his most important pitch, though, was one that he and a fellow comedy writer submitted to Variety, offering gag-writing services "so bad not even [Milton] Berle will steal them." But not only did Berle eventually pay $50 for a page of their jokes, but he continued to buy Brecher's gags, in 1936 made him the only writer on his cbs radio program, and took Brecher along when he moved the show to Hollywood.