Though it is likely that Robert Pirosh was not specifically preparing for a career in advertising when he attended the Sorbonne and the University of Berlin, this was the line of work he pursued upon his return to the U.S. In 1934, Pirosh was signed as a junior writer at MGM, where he was partnered with another newcomer, George Seaton. Pirosh and Seaton were laboring away at Republic Studios when, in 1935, they were brought back to MGM to contribute comedy material for the Marx Brothers' Night at the Opera (1935). Groucho Marx liked their work, retaining them for the Marx's next film, Day at the Races (1937). Though Pirosh's professional association with the Marx Brothers ended with this film, he remained a lifelong friend of Groucho's. In 1942, Pirosh received critical plaudits for his scriptwork on I Married a Witch (1942), directed by another close friend of the writer's, Rene Clair. Two years later, he launched his producing career with Danny Kaye's Up in Arms. In 1949, he earned an Academy Award for his script of Battleground, which he also produced. And in 1952, he received an Oscar nomination for the screenplay Go for Broke (1952), the first of his four directorial efforts. From 1957 to his retirement in 1968, Robert Pirosh served as a producer-writer on several TV programs, and as screenwriter for a handful of theatrical releases, the last of which, What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968), was produced, directed, and co-scripted by his former partner, George Seaton.
by Hal Erickson
biography
