Montague Marsden Glass (July 23, 1877 – February 3, 1934) was a British-American Jewish lawyer and writer of short stories, plays and film scripts. His greatest success came with the creation of his fictional duo Abe Potash and Morris ("Mawrus") Perlmutter, who appeared in three books, a play, and several films.
Life
Glass was born in Manchester, England, but spent his childhood in Baguley, in Cheshire. Glass's father worked in the linen and cotton trade. The Glass family moved to New York in 1890, in pursuit of Glass's father's business interests. Glass married Mary Caroline Patterson in 1908. He attended The College of the City of New York, and New York University Law School. After qualifying for the bar, Glass practiced law for several years while writing semi-professionally on the side. In 1909, Glass abandoned the practice of law to write full-time. Glass's transition from law to professional writing coincided with the emergence of the a pair of characters that would prove to be his most enduringly popular creations: Abe Potash and Mawrus Perlmutter. He died on February 3, 1934, at his home in Westport, Connecticut and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. He was survived by his widow, Mary Caroline Glass, and a daughter, Elizabeth Glass.
Potash & Perlmutter
Potash and Perlmutter made their debut in the short stories published serially in the New York Evening Post. These were then published in a collection Potash and Perlmutter: Their Copartnership Ventures and Adventures, in 1909. In the first story, Potash and Perlmutter meet and become partners in the "cloak and suit" business. Subsequent stories seek humor in the pair's business dealings with buyers, suppliers and employees.
