Serlin, Oscar, 1901-1971

Oscar Selin was born on January 30, 1901 in Russian Poland. In 1910 Selin's family immigrated to Chicago. Serlin faced a certain amount of bullying because of his heavy accent during his childhood, but he eventually overcame this obstacle and attended De Paul Academy and De Paul University, where he was a football star.

An interest in theater brought Serlin to New York, where he worked for producer Marion Gering on the 1928 production Skidding. All but forgotten today, this play introduced the Hardy family, which would be the subject of a hugely popular film series starring Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone. Gering and Serlin's next production, Broken Dishes (1929) featured a young actress on the brink of movie mega-stardom, Bette Davis.

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