Biography
Jo Swerling was an American screenwriter, playwright and lyricist. Born in Berdichev in the Russian Empire (now Ukraine), he grew up on New York City's Lower East Side and began his career as a journalist in Chicago before moving into vaudeville sketches and plays.
In Hollywood from the early 1930s, Swerling wrote or co-wrote dozens of screenplays, often in collaboration with directors such as Frank Capra. His credits include Platinum Blonde (1931), The Westerner (1940), Blood and Sand (1941), The Pride of the Yankees (1942, for which he received an Academy Award nomination), Lifeboat (1944) and Leave Her to Heaven (1945). He also contributed uncredited work to Gone with the Wind (1939) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946).
Swerling returned to Broadway in 1950, co-writing the book for the musical Guys and Dolls (1955 film adaptation followed), which won the Tony Award for Best Musical. He continued occasional screen work into the 1950s.
