Lawrence, Jerome, 1915-2004

In 1925 high school teacher John T. Scopes was arrested and tried for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in Dayton, Tennessee. Scopes was defended by Clarence Darrow, while the prosecution was represented by William Jennings Bryan. The historical characters' names were changed for this dramatization, which originally premiered on Broadway in 1955.

The best known stage plays of collaborators Jerome Lawrence (OSU '37) and Robert E. Lee include Inherit the wind (1955), Auntie Mame (1956), and The night Thoreau spent in jail (1971). They also wrote the books for such musicals as Look Ma, I'm dancin'! (1948) and Mame (1966), as well as numerous screenplays for film and television. Both men have also shown a life-long commitment to promoting American professional and academic theater as directors, professors, and co-founders of American Playwrights Theater.

Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee were a creative team who wrote, adapted, and produced scripts for radio broadcasts, television programs, and musical theatre productions from the 1940's into the 1970's.

Lawrence and Lee began their collaboration with the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS), which they helped to create in 1942. While with the AFRS, they wrote a wide variety of programs that were broadcast to troops overseas - comedy programs, dramatic programs, and informational programs - including such titles as Command performance, Yarns for Yanks, and Mail call.

After the war, Lawrence and Lee continued their collaboration, working in commercial radio and producing such programs as The Railroad hour, Request performance, Favorite story, and Young love. At the same time, they began to write musicals and television scripts, such as the television adaptaion of James Hilton's Lost horizon, which was aired under the title Shangri-La, and the musical production of Auntie Mame. Overall, Lawrence and Lee produced many major works for radio, television and stage.

Both Lawrence and Lee were active in later years as teachers and lecturers, giving talks to a wide range of academic and industry groups around the country and world.

Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee were a writing team who wrote, adapted and produced for radio, television and the stage from the 1940's into the 1990's.

They became collaborators in 1942 when they were among the founders of Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). While with the AFRS, they wrote a wide variety of programs that were broadcast to troops overseas - comedy programs, dramatic programs and informational programs - including such titles as COMMAND PERFORMANCE, YARNS FOR YANKS and MAIL CALL.

After the war Lawrence and Lee continued their successful collaborative efforts writing for commercial television, radio and the theater. RAILROAD HOUR, FAVORITE STORY, YOUNG LOVE and REQUEST PERFORMANCE are a few of the radio programs which used materials written or adapted by Lawrence and Lee. They were successful as well, in their theatrical endeavors writing such famous plays as AUNTIE MAME, MAME, INHERIT THE WIND, LOOK, MA, I'M DANCIN', DEAR WORLD, FIRST MONDAY IN OCTOBER and THE NIGHT THOREAU SPENT IN JAIL. Lawrence and Lee also wrote and adapted for television and motion pictures.

In later years, Lawrence and Lee continued as writers, teachers and lecturers, givings talks to a wide range of academic and general interest groups throughout the country and around the world.

Jerome Lawrence (b. 1915) and Robert E. Lee (1918-1994) were a writing team who collaborated on many works for radio, television, and the stage, from the 1940s into the 1990s.

Lawrence and Lee were both born in Ohio, but it was Army service which brought them together, and in 1942 they were among the founders of Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). After the war their partnership continued as they successfully adapted their playwriting style from radio to television, and then to the Broadway stage, where their successes included AUNTIE MAME and its musicalized offshoot MAME, INHERIT THE WIND, THE NIGHT THOREAU SPENT IN JAIL, and LOOK MA, I'M DANCIN'!

Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee were a creative team who wrote, adapted, and produced scripts for radio broadcasts, television programs, and musical theatre productions from the 1940's into the 1970's. Lawrence and Lee began their collaboration with the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS), which they helped to create in 1942. While with the AFRS, they wrote a wide variety of programs that were broadcast to troops overseas - comedy programs, dramatic programs, and informational programs - including such titles as Command performance, Yarns for Yanks, and Mail call.

After the war, Lawrence and Lee continued their collaboration, working in commercial radio and producing such programs as The Railroad hour, Request performance,Favorite story, and Young love. At the same time, they began to write musicals and television scripts, such as the television adaptaion of James Hilton's Lost horizon, which was aired under the title Shangri-La, and the musical production of Auntie Mame. Overall, Lawrence and Lee produced many major works for radio, television and stage.

Both Lawrence and Lee were active in later years as teachers and lecturers, giving talks to a wide range of academic and industry groups around the country and world.

Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee were a writing team who wrote, adapted and produced for radio, television and the stage from the 1940s into the 1990s. Both from Ohio, they didn't meet and become collaborators until 1942 when they were among the founders of Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). While with the AFRS, they wrote a wide variety of programs that were broadcast to troops overseas - comedy programs, dramatic programs, and informational programs - including such titles as Command Performance, Yarns for Yanks and Mail Call .

After the war, Lawrence and Lee continued their successful collaborative efforts writing for commercial television, radio and the theater. Railroad Hour, Favorite Story, Young Love and Request Performance are a few of the radio programs which used materials written or adapted by Lawrence and Lee. They were also successful in their theatrical endeavors writing such famous plays as, Auntie Mame, Mame, Inherit the Wind, Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'!, Dear World, First Monday in October and The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail . Lawrence and Lee also wrote and adapted for film and television. Their television work includes adaptations and original scripts for Favorite Story and The Unexpected . They also adapted for television their play Inherit the Wind which was produced for Hallmark Hall of Fame . Their film adaptations include the screenplay for First Monday in October .

In later years, Lawrence and Lee continued as writers, teachers and lecturers, giving talks to a wide range of academic and general interest groups throughout the country and around the world.