- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- Mel
- Melville Shavelson was born on April 1, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Houseboat (1958), The Five Pennies (1959) and The War Between Men and Women (1972). He was married to Ruth Lafaye Florea and Lucille (Lucy) T. Myers. He died on August 8, 2007 in Studio City, California, USA.
- SpousesRuth Lafaye Florea(December 20, 2001 - August 8, 2007) (his death)Lucille (Lucy) T. Myers(November 2, 1938 - October 13, 2000) (her death, 2 children)
- President of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAw), 1969-71, 1979-81, 1985-87.
- He was a gag writer for Bob Hope's radio show in the 1930s.
- He was born in Brooklyn, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. After graduating from Cornell University in 1937 he wrote a humorous column for a campus newspaper, as well as wrote and produced a radio show. His work on that show came to the attention of Bob Hope, who promptly recruited him.
- When people want to talk to me or invite me to something these days, it's usually because I'm 90 years old. I don't want to be loved just for being 90, although I guess you can't prevent it.
- There's a difference between being the performer and being outside, watching the performer do the performance. It just makes it easier for you to judge what's going on. It's not that you're trying to control the actor. You're just trying to do what you can to help get the best performance.
- I miss being young.
- [on casting Bob Hope] We took his own characteristics and exaggerated them. We just put them in. He thought he was playing a character. He was playing, really, the real Bob Hope.
- Working for Warner Brothers was like making love to a porcupine--a thousand pricks against one.
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