Richard Pike Bissell

Richard Pike Bissell (June 27, 1913 – May 4, 1977) was an author of short stories and novels, one of which, "7 1/2 Cents", was turned into the Broadway musical "The Pajama Game." This won him (along with co-author George Abbott) the 1955 Tony Award for Best Musical. He wrote a book about the experience called "Say, Darling", which chronicled the ins and outs of a broadway musical production and featured characters based on those (such as Harold Prince) he worked with; this book was "also" turned into a musical, also called Say, Darling, in 1958

Bissell was born and died in Dubuque, Iowa. Between those events, he attended prep school in New Hampshire, graduated from Harvard University, worked on a freighter on the American Export Business Lines and riverboats, served as vice president at a Dubuque clothing manufacturer which had been bought by his great-grandfather (who worked his way from the bottom to the top of the company in a true Horatio Alger kind of story). Bissell wrote works about his experiences on the river that had some critics comparing him to Mark Twain, and "7 1/2 Cents" was based on his experiences in the garment industry.

Upon his death, some of Bissell's personal library ended up for sale in the used bookstore of the Tri-State Independent Blind Society.

External links

* [http://desmoinesregister.com/extras/iowans/bissell.html "Famous Iowans," by Tom Longdon]