Goodman Ace was born on January 15, he was a prominent American humorist, radio writer, comedian, television writer, and magazine columnist. Known for his low-key, literate sense of humor and sharp commentary on societal trends, Ace became a highly sought-after writer throughout the 1930s to the 1960s. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Latvian Jewish immigrants Harry Aiskowitz and Anna Katzen. Ace developed an interest in writing early on, editing his high school newspaper and adopting the pen name Asa Goodman. His early jobs included working as a roller skating messenger while he studied journalism at Kansas City Polytechnic Institute, where he also wrote a column titled "The Dyspeptic" for the school paper. After his father passed away, Ace supported his family by working various jobs before finally becoming a reporter and columnist for the Kansas City Journal-Post. His personal life included a significant relationship with his high school sweetheart, Jane Epstein; they attended an Al Jolson concert on their first date, facilitated by Ace’s press pass, and were married six months later in 1922.
In 1930, Goodman Ace began working at radio station KMBC, initially reading Sunday comics and later hosting "Ace Goes to the Movies." The idea originated from an editor seeking to boost the newspaper's circulation by having Ace, already covering local theater, read comics. He suggested a film review show to earn extra income. An unexpected airtime gap led to an impromptu chat with his wife Jane about a bridge game, resulting in a new domestic comedy show, "Easy Aces." It evolved from focused bridge humor to broader comedic situations involving Jane's malapropisms. Running from 1930 to 1945, "Easy Aces" became a beloved yet understated success in radio for its witty conversational style and literary quality. While never a ratings giant, it maintained a loyal following among radio insiders and adapted to film with the release of "Dumb Luck" in 1935. Ace also contributed to other shows and served on the "Committee of 25" during WWII, influencing music selections for the War Department's songbook series.
In 1945, Ace began writing for The Danny Kaye Show after previously filling in for Kaye during his performances for troops. He resigned when the show moved to Hollywood. Ace assessed his scripts based on the number of cigars he smoked while writing, with fewer cigars indicating better prospects for the show. After a legal incident in 1940 regarding character names, he decided to have performers use their real names. In 1948, he created a new version of the show called mr. ace and JANE, which lasted only one season. Despite a pilot featuring Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams being discussed in 1956, it is unclear if it was produced. The Aces returned to radio with NBC's Monitor and participated in commercials, including those for NBC's Startime. Ace was also humorously misquoted in 1951 regarding the play I Am a Camera.
Ace critiqued television in a 1953 letter to Groucho Marx, calling it a "clever contraction" of "Terrible Vaudeville," yet he was open to experimentation. Alongside Jane Ace, he adapted their radio show Easy Aces for television in December 1949, airing on the DuMont network until mid-June 1950. Despite retaining their witty dynamic from radio, the show failed to attract a comparable audience and effectively ended the Aces' careers in performance. Subsequently, Jane Ace largely retired, while Goodman shifted to writing. Ace also created a notable radio show, CBS Was There, which blended absurdity with historical re-creations narrated by CBS News reporters. However, he struggled for recognition, as credit went to CBS executive Desmond Taylor, despite the show's lasting impact, particularly on television with memorable introductions narrated by Walter Cronkite.
Goodman Ace passed away in March 1982, eight years after his wife, and they are both interred at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Raytown, a suburb of Kansas City. Highlighting Ace's views on comedy, obituarist David Bird of The New York Times reported that Ace believed success in comedy relied on collaboration between writer and performer, not solely on individual talent. This notion was illustrated by an anecdote where, in response to a relative's desperate request for money, Ace humorously suggested a lower amount along with a more dangerous plan. After being dismissed from his role as head of CBS's comedy workshop in the late 1940s, Ace responded to a sympathetic vice president's remark about the network's lack of comedy understanding with his own witticism, indicating that such understanding was already presumed. In a playful nod to an epitaph poll by Saturday Review, he quipped that he would not want to be dug up just for such recognition, though it is noted that Easy Aces was later inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1990, despite Ace's self-deprecating suggestion being overlooked.
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