+ Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was a newspaperman and 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 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." Runyon wrote these stories in a distinctive vernacular style: a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions. Broadcast from January to December 1949, with reruns well into the early 1950s, The Damon Runyon Theatre dramatized 52 of Runyon's short stories for radio. Produced by Mayfair Productions for syndication to local radio stations, John Brown played "Broadway," who served as host and narrator.-WikiPedia Click here to read more about Damon Runyon Theater