Al Boasberg — Biographical Sketch (1927) 🇺🇸
Al Boasberg had a yen for writing from the time of his graduation from the Buffalo High School, so he became a writer. His natural bent was toward theatricals, and he entered that field after he had tried out several jobs not to his liking in Buffalo. He took in all of the leading shows that visited his home town and then decided he too would be the author of a play.
Becoming a successful author is difficult for any one, and is usually attained only after a lot of hard knocks. Al took the knocks and plodded on. The going was very tough in spots, but he could not be stopped. He was determined to contribute to a Broadway success, and he made good on his determination.
It was not until 1924 that Boasberg really got fairly under way, and he has been taking on added momentum ever since then. In that year he became co-author of the Music Box Review, which was a tremendous success in New York. He did so well that first year that he was co-author of the same review the following year.
Boasberg became well known around Broadway as a result of his contribution to the Music Box Review, and there was plenty of work for him in the way of writing. He took a fling at vaudeville, and wrote a number of successful sketches for some of vaudeville’s headliners. He was all set in the theatrical game, but he wanted to write for the movies, so he did just that.
It required a lot of patience and a lot of perseverance, but Boasberg had both, and he landed with Buster Keaton when the latter was making “Battling Butler.” Al contributed a lot of comedy gags that were all good for laughs, and he has been providing laughs on the screen ever since.
Boasberg’s services are much in demand in Hollywood, where he is well known and popular. He is active there with the Masons and Elks, and is a member of the Academy of M. P. Arts and Sciences. He describes his favorite sport as that of matching pennies.
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Identified with the big laugh pictures of the year
- Rookies
- Kosher Kitty Kelly
- The Fair Co-Ed
- McFadden’s Flats
- Too Many Crooks
- Quarantined Rivals
- Smile, Brother, Smile
- Uneasy Payments
- Homestruck
- The Wisecracker Series
- Battling Butler
- The Gorilla
Al Boasberg
For Laffs
Dunkirk 8811
3333 West 4th Street
Los Angeles
Collection: Motion Picture News, October 1927 (Booking Guide and Studio Directory)