Norman Krasna

Who was Norman Krasna?

Norman Krasna (November 7, 1909 – November 1, 1984) was an American screenwriter, playwright, producer, and film director who penned screwball comedies centered on a case of mistaken identity. Krasna was born in Queens, New York City. He attended Columbia University and St. John's University School of Law, working at Macy's Department Store during the day. Krasna eventually quit law school, and worked his way up to being a drama critic, at first for The World then the New York Evening Graphic and Exhibitors Herald World. Krasna directed three films during a forty-year career in Hollywood. Krasna wrote a number of successful Broadway plays, including Dear Ruth and John Loves Mary. Krasna wanted to get into journalism and talked his way into a job as a copy boy for the Sunday feature department of the New York World in 1928.

While at that newspaper, he worked with Lewis Weitzenkorn who turned Krasna into a character in the play Five Star Final. He was offered a job with Hubert Voight in the publicity department of Warner Bros.

Historical significance

He garnered four Academy Award screenwriting nominations, winning once for 1943's Princess O'Rourke, which he also directed.