Bert Kalmar was an influential American songwriter, comedian, and screenwriter, born in New York City. He is best known for his prolific partnership with composer Harry Ruby, forming the successful Tin Pan Alley duo Kalmar and Ruby. Together, they wrote classic songs like 'I Wanna Be Loved by You' and 'Three Little Words,' which became standards of the era. Kalmar also contributed to screenplays, most notably for several Marx Brothers films including the iconic comedies 'Duck Soup' and 'Animal Crackers'.