Alex Gottlieb

Screenwriter/producer Alex Gottlieb got into show business writing gags and scripts for such radio stars as Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor. He went to work for Universal Pictures as a writer, mostly of "B" westerns and action pictures. He let it be known that he wanted to become a producer, and in 1941 Universal execs called him in and told him that they were giving him a chance to produce the debut film of a new comedy duo the studio was grooming for stardom--Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.

He took the job and the result was Buck Privates (1941), which turned out to be one of the studio's biggest hits of the year, raking in more than $4 million on a $180,000 budget.

Gottlieb produced nine of the team's films altogether, the last being Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952) in 1952.

He was also a producer on several episodes of their TV series, The Abbott and Costello Show (1952), and soon got into TV in a big way, writing and producing such series as The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna (1956), Dear Phoebe (1954) and Sugarfoot (1957), among others.

His wife was Polly Rose, sister of legendary Broadway producer Billy Rose. At the time of his death (February 10, 1966) Billy Rose was the largest individual stockholder in AT&T, had two surviving sisters and no wife or children. Rose left his vast holding in AT&T to his sister, Polly. To the other sister he left $10,000. The week after his death, Gottlieb purchased his first Rolls-Royce.