Cohen, who died in 1959, was an extremely prolific writer of novels and short stories. Many of the tales he wrote prior to 1940 are set in Birmingham; he lived in the city two different times. His first stint as a newspaper reporter came prior to World War I. He also spent most of the 1920's in Birmingham as the most successful member of the city's literary community. You can read his Encyclopedia of Alabama entry here. Before 1960 many of Cohen's novels and short stories were adapted for films and television.
The story is a light-hearted one involving a criminal played by William Powell who is turned into an upstanding citizen after a blow to the head, and then back again nine years later after another blow. The crook soon discovers he's married to Myrna Loy, who's divorcing him because he's such a cheapskate, and she's in love with another. Hilarity and much sparkling conversation ensues before Powell and Loy are together again. You can read the details at the film's Wikipedia entry. The film was directed by the prolific W.S. Van Dyke, whose career had begun in the silent era.
The story appeared several times on radio. The first was a Lux Radio Theatre adaptation in 1941 featuring Myrna Loy and Cary Grant. The next version premiered on January 17, 1944, on the Screen Guild Theater; you can listen to it here. The third production came in 1948, also on the Lux Radio Theatre, and featured William Powell and Ann Southern.
All illustrations are from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.
Source: BhamWiki
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