- Born
- Died
- Birth nameAbram Solman Borowitz
- Songwriter, composer, writer, panelist, director, singer and pianist, educated at City College of New York and New York University. He began his writing career as a script writer for "Duffy's Taven" on radio, and later, the Rudy Vallee program. He sang in his own radio shows , in night clubs, and on television. He wrote the Broadway librettos for "Guys and Dolls" and received a Tony award and a New York Drama Critics award in 1951), and also directed "Happy Hunting", "Silk Stockings", "First Impressions", "Can-Can", "Say, Darling", and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (earning a Pulizer Prize and a Tony and New York Drama Critics awards). He directed "Two on the Aisle", "Reclining Figure", "The Golden Fleecing", and "What Makes Sammy Run?". He was also the playwright and director of "Cactus Flower". Joining ASCAP in 1952, he composed the popular songs "The Girl With the Three Blue Eyes" and "Leave Us Face It, We're in Love", and authored "The Abe Burrows Song Book".- IMDb mini biography by: Hup234!
- SpousesCarin Smith Kinzel(April 29, 1950 - May 17, 1985) (his death)Ruth Levinson(September 6, 1936 - April 4, 1949) (divorced, 3 children)
- Children
- RelativesJonathan Burrows(Niece or Nephew)Ellie Burrows(Grandchild)Nicholas Grad(Grandchild)
- Abe Burrows won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the musical "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" collaborating with Frank Loesser.
- Distant cousin of Woody Allen.
- Won four Tony Awards from four nominations: in 1951, as writer of the Book, along with Jo Swerling, of Best Musical winner "Guys and Dolls;" and, in 1962, as Best Director (Musical); and, along with Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, as Best Authors (Musical) and writers of the Book for Best Musical winner "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,
- In addition to his fine work as a composer and playwright, he was also much in demand as a "script doctor". If a Broadway show needed a rewrite, he was often called to do the job. His talents were so well known, he was mentioned by name in Baby Fat (1965).
- Father of James Burrows and Laurie Burrows Grad. Uncle of Jonathan Burrows.
- Glamour: the indefinable something about a girl with a big bosom.
- Doctoring seldom cures a show. The sickness usually starts at the moment the author puts the first sheet of paper into his typewriter. All the redirecting and recasting can never help much if the basic story is wrong.
- [on Frank Loesser] He always could write songs. They burst out of him! How, or why or where? I don't know how you can ask that. What makes an artist, even a Van Gogh or whoever? The stuff was pouring out of him, It was always there. He read a lot, he asked questions a lot, he knew a lot. He was fascinated with words, the way I am.
- When you're dealing with songwriters, I think you're dealing with the most intuitive kind of guys. None of them can explain where the hell their stuff is coming from. They're all a little nuts - and it comes out. See, everybody forgets that the purest example of abstract art in our world is music. Music gives you all of those things - love, hate, anger, fear - all of it in abstract form.
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