Fred Thompson was an English librettist and screenwriter. Born in London in 1884, Thompson trained as an architect before briefly working as an actor and caricaturist for several London newspapers at the beginning of the twentieth century. He made his first foray into writing for the stage in 1908 with The Lady Jockey. He then teamed up with George Grossmith Jr., and the duo had a Broadway hit with the musical comedy Tonight's the Night (1914).
Thompson became in demand in London's West End, and he wrote the book for a series of shows, including The Bing Boys Are Here (1916), The Boy (1917), and Afgar (1920). In 1924, Thompson and fellow British playwright Guy Bolton had a big success on Broadway with Lady, Be Good. With music by George and Ira Gershwin, the show starred Fred and Adele Astaire. Thompson and Bolton then teamed up on a string of Broadway hits, including Funny Face, Rio Rita, and The Five O'CLock Girl (all of which ran on Broadway simultaneously in 1927).
Thompson did not see the same level of success in the 1930s, but his shows remained popular in London's West End. He and Bolton had one final Broadway hit with Follow the Girls in 1944. On screen, Thompson wrote the screenplay adaptation of his musical, This'll Make You Whistle (1936). Thompson died suddenly at the age of 65 while working on a new show.
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