Alfred Damon Runyon grew up in Colorado, and at the age of 14, enlisted and served in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. After leaving the army he worked as a journalist on small dailies. He was a sportswriter for the Denver Post and in 1908 he became a director of the Denver Press Club. Runyon began publishing verses and short stories in national magazines such as McClure’s and Harper’s Weekly. His first book, THE TENTS OF TROUBLE (1911), was a collection of poems. In 1910 he went to New York City to work for the Hearst daily, the New York American. To get material for his column, ‘The Mornin’s Mornin’, he spent much time with the colorful characters of Broadway. Several of his ‘Broadway Stories’ appeared in book form in the 1930s. In 1932 Runyon’s collection ‘Guys and Dolls’ became commercially successful.
The archetype of tough, cynical reporter, who mingled with gangster and show people, became part of Runyon’s public image. He parodied such issues as police corruption and organized crime, and managed to avoid the criticism easily prompted by realistic writing with a message. His characters, Lemon Drop Kid, Dave the Dude, Harry the Horse, Dream Street Rose, Izzy Cheesecake reflected the colorful side of the city life. Runyon’s fiction was natural for the big screen: sixteen stories and one play were turned into movies.
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