Leonard Gershe

Leonard Gershe (June 10, 1922 – March 9, 2002) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and lyricist.

Born in New York City, Gershe made his Broadway debut as a lyricist for the 1950 revue ''Alive and Kicking''. He wrote the book for Harold Rome's musical stage adaptation of ''Destry Rides Again'' in 1959 and the play ''Butterflies Are Free'' in 1969. Later Gershe wrote the play ''Snacks'' for Tony Danza.

He wrote the lyrics for the "Born in a Trunk" sequence from the Judy Garland/James Mason musical ''A Star Is Born''. In the 1950s, Gershe wrote 10 scripts for the Ann Sothern sitcom ''Private Secretary''. He also wrote a number of episodes of ''The Lucy Show''. His screen credits include ''Funny Face'', ''40 Carats'', and ''Butterflies Are Free''.

According to World of Wonder website writer Stephen Rutledge, Gershe had a long-term relationship with composer Roger Edens.

Gershe died in Beverly Hills, California from complications from a stroke. He was 79 and was buried at the Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Provided by Wikipedia