A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Ullman chose a writing career, supplying humorous articles for magazines in the 1930s.
Producer Jules White teamed Ullman with Al Giebler, a former sight-gag writer for Mack Sennett in the silent-film days.
Ullman was soon completing scripts by himself, and wrote for most of Columbia's short subject stars, including The Three Stooges, Buster Keaton, Charley Chase, Harry Langdon, and Hugh Herbert.
Bernds then became a writer-director for The Bowery Boys, and hired Ullman to write for the popular feature-length comedies.
Unfortunately the Academy had confused the high-budget Bing Crosby-Grace Kelly feature with Ullman's work on a Bowery Boys movie of the same name.