Samuel Spewack

Samuel Spewack was a journalist, novelist, stage and screen writer, and documentary film maker. He began his career as a reporter for the New York World, which sent him and his wife, Bella, to Moscow as news correspondents. Bella and Samuel collaborated on several plays and movies characterized by slapstick humor and stereotypical comic characters. Their most notable comedy was Kiss Me Kate, a modern take on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, with songs and music by Cole Porter. Sam Spewack also wrote mysteries and produced a documentary film on World War II.

Education and Training
Stuyvesant High School, New York, New York
Columbia College, New York, New York

Connection to Bucks County
The Spewacks lived in the New Hope area during the 1930s. They were still living in Bucks County when the Bucks County Playhouse opened in 1939, but it is uncertain when they returned to New York.

Colleagues and Affiliations
In addition to his wife/co-writer Bella Spewack, other colleagues and friends were Jerome Chodorov, architect Don Hedges, Donald and Audrey Walker, and George S. Kaufman, who helped the Spewacks revise the play Spring Song.

Novels and Short Stories
Mon Paul, 1928
The Skyscraper Murder, 1928
The Murder in the Gilded Cage, 1929
The Busy, Busy People, 1948

Screenplays
Written with Bella Spewack:
When Ladies Meet, 1933
Should Ladies Behave?, 1933
The Nuisance, 1933
The Cat and the Fiddle, 1934
Rendezvous, 1935
The Chaser, 1938
Three Loves Has Nancy, 1938
My Favorite Wife, starring Cary Grant, 1940
Weekend at the Waldorf, 1945
We're No Angels, 1953
Move Over Darling

Plays
Written with Bella Spewack:
Solitaire Man, 1926
Poppa, 1928
War Song, 1928
Clear All Wires, 1932
Spring Song, 1934
Boy Meets Girl, 1935
Leave It to Me, 1938
Miss Swan Expects, 1939
Woman Bites Dog, 1946
Kiss Me Kate, 1948
My Three Angels, 1953
Festival, 1955

Major Awards
Academy Award Nomination, Best Original Story, My Favorite Wife, 1940
Tony Award, Best Musical, Kiss Me Kate, with Bella Spewack and Cole Porter, 1949
Tony Award, Best Authors of a Musical, Kiss Me Kate, with Bella Spewack, 1949
Page One Award, Kiss Me Kate, with Bella Spewack, 1949