Abe Burrows (born Abram Solman Borowitz; December 18, 1910 – May 17, 1985) was an American writer, composer, humorist, director for radio and the stage, and librettist for Broadway musicals.

Eventually he quit college and devoted himself full time to Wall Street where he remained five years in a variety of clerical jobs.

[4] His big break came when he began working with Ed Gardner, the writer and star of radio's legendary sitcom, Duffy's Tavern.

In 1941, Burrows was made the head writer of Duffy's Tavern, and he later credited that experience with helping him invent the Runyonesque street characters for Guys and Dolls.

"[citation needed] Meanwhile, he became a popular guest on the Hollywood party circuit, performing his own satirical songs ("Darling Why Shouldn't You Look Well Fed, ‘Cause You Ate Up a Hunka My Heart?"

[7] As he recalled years later, his show came about while he was scripting a radio program for Joan Davis when George Jessel asked him, "When the hell are you gonna become a professional?"

"I told him I felt my funny stuff was okay for radio, but I didn't think people would pay theater prices to hear it," Burrows recalled.

[3] Burrows wrote and directed the first Broadway musical version of a Jane Austen novel, First Impressions, a rewriting of Pride and Prejudice.

Burrows had his version of heroine Elizabeth Bennet decide to join forces with her marriage-hungry mother in order to snag hero Mr.

Yet Burrows himself downplayed that role in his memoir, and discussed his fixing of Make a Wish: I have... performed surgery on a few shows, but not as many as I'm given credit for.

All the redirecting and recasting can never help much if the basic story is wrong.Burrows' career in show business was imperiled in the early 1950s by the Hollywood blacklist.

Although he had been named as a Communist to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in October 1952 by former radio program director Owen Vinson, Burrows was a target before then.

[2] Burrows and his wife (writer-actor-director Carin Smith Kinzel) realized they were in political jeopardy, and so they hired Martin Gang, known as the best "clearance lawyer" in Hollywood.

[12] Over the course of three decades, Burrows was a regular panelist on programs such as This Is Show Business, What's My Line?, To Tell the Truth, and Match Game 77, all on CBS.

Despite his many achievements on radio and the Broadway stage, for most Americans, Burrows was known as a witty guest who appeared countless times on TV game shows.

His son, James Burrows, became an influential television director whose credits included The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Cheers.