From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American newspaperman and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the Brooklyn or Midtown demi-monde. The adjective "Runyonesque" refers to this type of character as well as to the type of situations and dialog that Runyon depicted. He spun humorous and sentimental tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors, and gangsters, few of whom go by "square" names, preferring instead colorful monikers such as "Nathan Detroit", "Benny Southstreet", "Big Jule", "Harry the Horse", "Good Time Charley", "Dave the Dude", or "The Seldom Seen Kid". His distinctive vernacular style is known as "Runyonese": a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions. He is credited with coining the phrase "Hooray Henry", a term now used in British English to describe an upper-class, loud-mouthed, arrogant twit. Runyon's fictional world is also known to the general public through the musical Guys and Dolls based on two of his stories, "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure". The musical additionally borrows characters and story elements from a few other Runyon stories, most notably "Pick The Winner". The film Little Miss Marker (and its two remakes, Sorrowful Jones and the 1980 Little Miss Marker) grew from his short story of the same name. Runyon was also a well-known newspaper reporter, covering sports and general news for decades for various publications and syndicates owned by William Randolph Hearst. Already famous for his fiction, he wrote a well-remembered "present tense" article on Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Presidential inauguration in 1933 for the Universal Service, a Hearst syndicate, which was merged with the co-owned International News Service in 1937.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 4, 1884
- December 10, 1946 (aged 62)
- Manhattan, Kansas, USA
- Writer, also producer
- 17 on MovieCove · 33 credits in all
What are Damon Runyon's films like?
Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 11
Light 12 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 5 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 0
Gentle 9 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 9 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 9
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1
Casual 11 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 12 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 13 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy11
- Bittersweet2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Damon Runyon's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Damon Runyon's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
33 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Three Wise Guys(2004)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Bloodhounds of Broadway(1989)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Little Miss Marker(1980)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all filmsTalisman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
40 Pounds of Trouble(1962)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Pocketful of Miracles(1961)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Guys and Dolls(1955)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Money from Home(1953)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Stop, You're Killing Me(1952)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Bloodhounds of Broadway(1952)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
The Lemon Drop Kid(1951)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Johnny One-Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Sorrowful Jones(1949)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Daisy Kenyon(1947)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Irish Eyes Are Smiling(1944)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
It Ain't Hay(1943)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
The Big Street(1942)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Butch Minds the Baby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
At the Stroke of Twelve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
Tight Shoes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
A Slight Case of Murder(1938)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Professional Soldier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Hold 'Em Yale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Princess O'Hara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
No Ransom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
The Lemon Drop Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Million Dollar Ransom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Midnight Alibi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Little Miss Marker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
A Very Honorable Guy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Lady for a Day(1933)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 32 titles from 1933 to 2005.
Biggest box office
Little Miss Marker (1980)
Highest rated
Lady for a Day (1933)
Most popular right now
40 Pounds of Trouble (1962)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Damon Runyon's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 58/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Damon Runyon work with?
People who share at least 2 of Damon Runyon's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Howard Lindsay shares the most, 2.
Writers
- Howard LindsayShared titles: Stop, You're Killing Me (1952), A Slight Case of Murder (1938)See all 2 shared titles with Howard Lindsay
- Earl BaldwinShared titles: Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944), A Slight Case of Murder (1938)See all 2 shared titles with Earl Baldwin
Actors
- Tom PediShared titles: Little Miss Marker (1980), Sorrowful Jones (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Pedi
- Tony CurtisShared titles: Little Miss Marker (1980), 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Tony Curtis
- Sheldon LeonardShared titles: Money from Home (1953), Stop, You're Killing Me (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Sheldon Leonard
- Lucille BallShared titles: Sorrowful Jones (1949), The Big Street (1942)See all 2 shared titles with Lucille Ball
Composers and cinematographers
- Daniel L. FappShared titles: Money from Home (1953), Sorrowful Jones (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Daniel L. Fapp
- Leigh HarlineShared titles: Money from Home (1953), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Leigh Harline
- Howard JacksonShared titles: Stop, You're Killing Me (1952), Lady for a Day (1933)See all 2 shared titles with Howard Jackson
Producers
- Hal B. WallisShared titles: Money from Home (1953), A Slight Case of Murder (1938)See all 2 shared titles with Hal B. Wallis
Mixed roles
- Harmon JonesShared titles: Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952), Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944)See all 2 shared titles with Harmon Jones