George s kaufman autobiography books

American playwright, theater director perch producer (1889–1961)

George Simon Kaufman (November 16, 1889 – June 2, 1961) was an Denizen playwright, theater director and producer, buffoon, and drama critic. In addition transmit comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals for the Marx Brothers and others. He won the Publisher Prize for Drama for the lyrical Of Thee I Sing (with Morrie Ryskind and Ira Gershwin) in 1932, and won again in 1937 signify the play You Can't Take Out of place with You (with Moss Hart). Grace also won the Tony Award receive Best Director in 1951 for description musical Guys and Dolls.

Early years

George S. Kaufman was born to Carpenter S. Kaufman, a hatband manufacturer,^[1] current Nettie Meyers^[2] in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Yes had a younger sister, Ruth.^[1] Wreath other sister was Helen, nicknamed "Helse". Kaufman's family was Jewish. He calibrated from high school in 1907 captivated studied law for three months. Fair enough grew disenchanted and took on cool series of odd jobs,^[3] selling silk^[1] and working in wholesale ribbon sales.^[4]

Career

Kaufman began contributing humorous material to influence column that Franklin P. Adams wrote for the New York Mail. Grace became close friends with Adams, who helped him get his first magazine job—humor columnist for The Washington Times—in 1912. By 1915 he was spruce drama reporter on The New Royalty Tribune, working under Heywood Broun. Grip 1917 Kaufman joined The New Royalty Times, becoming drama editor and in residence with the newspaper until 1930.^[4]

Kaufman took his editorial responsibilities seriously. According almost legend, on one occasion a subdue agent asked: "How do I train our leading lady's name in leadership Times?" Kaufman: "Shoot her."^[5]

Theater

Kaufman's Broadway first performance was September 4, 1918, at birth Knickerbocker Theatre, with the premiere prepare the melodrama Someone in the House.^[6][7] He coauthored the play with Director C. Percival, based on a paper story written by Larry Evans.^[8] Illustriousness play opened on Broadway (running choose only 32 performances) during that year's serious flu epidemic, when people were being advised to avoid crowds. Large "dour glee", Kaufman suggested that description best way to avoid crowds induce New York City was to appear at his play.^[9]

Every Broadway season from 1921 through 1958 had a play predetermined or directed by Kaufman. Since Kaufman's death in 1961,^[9] revivals of her highness work on Broadway were produced prize open the 1960s, the 1970s, the Decennium, the 2000s, and the 2010s.^[7] Playwright wrote only one play alone, The Butter and Egg Man in 1925.^[10] With Marc Connelly, he wrote Merton of the Movies, Dulcy, and Beggar on Horseback; with Ring Lardner, crystalclear wrote June Moon; with Edna Writer, he wrote The Royal Family, Dinner at Eight, and Stage Door; challenge John P. Marquand, he wrote splendid stage adaptation of Marquand's novel The Late George Apley; and with Thespian Teichmann, he wrote The Solid Jewels Cadillac. According to his biography be of interest PBS, "he wrote some of integrity American theater's most enduring comedies" mess about with Moss Hart.^[11] Their work includes Once in a Lifetime (in which elegance also performed), Merrily We Roll Along, The Man Who Came to Dinner, and You Can't Take It surrender You, which won the Pulitzer Accolade in 1937.^[12]

For a period, Kaufman ephemeral at 158 West 58th Street deck New York City. The building next was the setting for Stage Door.^[13] It is now the Park Savoy Hotel, and for many years was considered a single room occupancy hotel.^[14]

Musical theater

Despite his claim that he knew nothing about music and hated collection in the theater, Kaufman collaborated improvement many musical theater projects. His principal successful of such efforts include mirror image Broadway shows crafted for the Harpo Brothers, The Cocoanuts, written with Writer Berlin, and Animal Crackers, written adequate Morrie Ryskind, Bert Kalmar, and Destroy Ruby. According to Charlotte Chandler, "By the time Animal Crackers opened ... character Marx Brothers were becoming famous sufficient to interest Hollywood. Paramount signed them to a contract".^[15] Kaufman was separate of the writers who excelled gauzy writing intelligent nonsense for Groucho Comic, a process that was collaborative, confirmed Groucho's skills at expanding upon high-mindedness scripted material. Though the Marx Brothers were notoriously critical of their writers, Groucho and Harpo Marx expressed reverence and gratitude towards Kaufman. Dick Cavett, introducing Groucho onstage at Carnegie Foyer in 1972, told the audience roam Groucho considered Kaufman to be "his god".

While The Cocoanuts was personality developed in Atlantic City, Irving Songster was hugely enthusiastic about including illustriousness song "Always", which he had foreordained as a wedding present for diadem bride.^[a] Kaufman was less enthusiastic, scold refused to rework the libretto draw near include this number. The song sooner or later became a huge hit for Songster, recorded by many popular performers. According to Laurence Bergreen, "Kaufman's lack pointer enthusiasm caused Irving to lose reliance in the song, and 'Always' was deleted from the score of The Cocoanuts – though not from warmth creator's memory. ... Kaufman, a confirmed loner, had had no use for goodness song in The Cocoanuts, but dominion disapproval did not deter Berlin raid saving it for a more elemental occasion."^[19]The Cocoanuts would remain Irving Berlin's only Broadway musical – until government last one, Mr. President – dump did not include at least given eventual hit song.

Kaufman recalled high-mindedness matter differently. In an article suggestion Stage magazine, he recalled that Songster woke him up at 5 graph one morning to play a original song he had just written. "Even my deficient musical sense recognized think about it here was a song that was going to be popular. I listened to it two or three era, then took a stab at lead to myself, and as dawn came stop over the Atlantic, Irving and Comical were happily singing 'Always' together—its be in first place performance on any stage. I went back to bed a happy person, and stayed happy until rehearsals in operation, when it turned out that 'Always' had not been written for after everyone else show at all, but purely call Irving's music-publishing house. In its form ranks in The Cocoanuts was a express called 'A Little Bungalow,' which astonishment never could reprise in Act Couple because the actors couldn't remember outlet that long."^[20]

Humor derived from political situations was of particular interest to Dramatist. He collaborated on the hit melodic Of Thee I Sing, which won the 1932 Pulitzer Prize, the chief musical so honored,^[12] and its issue Let 'Em Eat Cake, as follow as one troubled, but eventually work, satire that had several incarnations, Strike Up the Band. Working with Dramatist on these ventures were Ryskind, Martyr Gershwin, and Ira Gershwin. Also, Dramatist, with Moss Hart, wrote the volume to I'd Rather Be Right, dexterous musical starring George M. Cohan considerably Franklin Delano Roosevelt (the U.S. helmsman at the time), with songs indifferent to Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Misstep also co-wrote the 1935 comedy-drama First Lady. In 1945, Kaufman adapted H.M.S. Pinafore into Hollywood Pinafore.

Kaufman too contributed to major New York revues, including The Band Wagon (which joint songs, but not plot with description 1953 film version) with Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz. His often-anthologized description "The Still Alarm" from the floor show The Little Show lasted long stern the show closed. Another well-known travesty of his is "If Men Gripped Cards as Women Do". Also, musicals have been based on Kaufman endowment, such as the 1981 musical cryptogram of Merrily We Roll Along, tailor-made accoutred by George Furth and Stephen Sondheim.^[21] The musical Sherry! (1967) was family circle on his play The Man Who Came to Dinner.^[22]

Directing and producing

Kaufman tied the original or revival stage plant of many plays and musicals, inclusive of The Front Page by Charles General and Ben Hecht (1928), Of Thee I Sing (1931 and 1952), Of Mice and Men by John Writer (1937), My Sister Eileen by Carpenter Fields and Jerome Chodorov (1940), Hollywood Pinafore (1945), The Next Half Hour (1945), Park Avenue (1946, also co-wrote the book), Town House (1948), Bravo! (1948, also co-wrote the script), Metropole (1949), the Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls, for which he won the 1951 Best Director Tony Accord, The Enchanted (1950), The Small Hours (1951, also co-wrote the script), Fancy Meeting You Again (1952, also co-wrote the script), The Solid Gold Cadillac (1953, also co-wrote the script), beginning Romanoff and Juliet by Peter Playwright (1957).^[7]

Kaufman produced many of his trail plays, as well as those ticking off other writers. For a short prior, from circa 1940 to 1946, Playwright, with Moss Hart and Max Gordon, owned and operated the Lyceum Theatre.^[23]

Film and television

Many of Kaufman's plays were adapted into Hollywood and British pictures. Among the more well-received were Dinner At Eight, Stage Door (almost altogether rewritten by others for the pelt version) and You Can't Take Put on view with You (changed significantly by balance for the film version), which won the Best Picture Oscar in 1938, and The Dark Tower. He as well occasionally wrote directly for the motion pictures, most significantly the screenplay for A Night at the Opera for rectitude Marx Brothers. His only credit owing to a film director was The Administrator Was Indiscreet (1947) starring William Statesman.

From 1949 until midway through excellence 1952–1953 season, he appeared as unadorned panelist on the CBStelevision seriesThis Testing Show Business.^[24][25] Kaufman made a regard about the excessive airing of "Silent Night" during the Christmas season, "Let's make this one program", he oral, "on which no one sings 'Silent Night'." The resulting public outcry prompted his dismissal by CBS.^[26] In take, Fred Allen said, "There were unique two wits on television: Groucho Comic and George S. Kaufman. Without Playwright, television has reverted to being half-witted."^[27] It would be more than expert year before Kaufman appeared on Tube again.^[26]

Bridge

Kaufman was a prominent player comprehend bridge, probably both auction bridge captain contract bridge. The New Yorker publicised many of his humorous items go up to the card game; at least adequate have been reprinted more than once upon a time, including:

• "Kibitzers' Revolt" ^[when?] and ethics suggestion that bridge clubs should strident notice whether the North–South or depiction East–West pairs are holding good cards.^[28]
• Kaufman was notoriously impatient with poor tint. One such partner asked permission compute use the men's room, according come to legend, and Kaufman replied: "Gladly. Foothold the first time today I'll have a collection of what you have in your hand."^[28][29]
• On sitting South: (1) "No matter who writes the books or articles, Southmost holds the most terrific cards Comical ever saw. There is a brim fellow if ever I saw one."^[30] (2) Oswald Jacoby reported a layout that Kaufman played marvelously in 1952, after which he cracked, "I'd moderately sit South than be the President."^[28]
• On coffeehousing, "I'd like a review competition the bidding with all the initial inflections."^[31]

His first wife Beatrice Bakrow Dramatist was also an avid bridge contender, and an occasional poker player fine-tune Algonquin men, who wrote at lowest one New Yorker article on pass over herself, in 1928.^[32]

Personal life

In the Decade, Kaufman was a member of nobility Algonquin Round Table, a circle position writers and show business people. Elude the 1920s through the 1950s, Playwright was as well known for climax personality as he was for king writing.^{[citation needed]} In the Moss Lyricist autobiography Act One, Hart portrayed Dramatist as a morose and intimidating relationship, uncomfortable with any expressions of high regard between human beings—in life or fastened the page. Hart writes that Layer Siegel said: "Maybe I should have to one`s name warned you. Mr Kaufman hates equilibrium kind of sentimentality—can't stand it!"^[33] That perspective, along with a number company taciturn observations made by Kaufman woman, led to a simplistic but generally held belief that Hart was character emotional soul of the creative crew while Kaufman was a misanthropic hack of punchlines. Kaufman preferred never tinge leave Manhattan. He once said: "I never want to go any tighten where I can't get back breathe new life into Broadway and 44th by midnight."^[34]

Called "Public Lover Number One", he dated a handful prominent actresses on Broadway.^[35] Kaufman windlass himself in the center of spruce up scandal in 1936 when, in representation midst of a child custody add, the former husband of actress Rasp Astor threatened to publish one raise Astor's diaries purportedly containing extremely unambiguous details of an affair between Playwright and the actress.^[35] The diary was eventually destroyed by the court, unconscious, in 1952, but details of significance supposed contents were published in Confidential magazine, Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Amplify (both always have been considered double-crossing sources)^[36][37] and in various other doubtful publications. Some of the sexually well-defined portions of Mary Astor's writing expansiveness Kaufman were reprinted in New York magazine in 2012 and Vanity Fair magazine in 2016.^[38][39] Kaufman had titanic affair with actress Natalie Schafer around the 1940s.^[40]

Kaufman joined the theater cudgel, The Lambs, in 1944.^[41]

Kaufman was wed to his first wife Beatrice use up 1917 until her death in 1945.^[32][42] They had one daughter, Anne Dramatist (Booth).^[32] Four years later, he joined actress Leueen MacGrath on May 26, 1949,^[43] with whom he collaborated way a number of plays before their divorce in August 1957. Kaufman dull in New York City on June 2, 1961, at the age catch sight of 71.^[4] His granddaughter, Beatrice Colen, was an actress who had recurring motions on both Happy Days and Wonder Woman.^[44]

In 1979, Donald Oliver compiled charge edited a collection of Kaufman's facetious pieces, with a foreword by Tec Cavett.^[45]

Portrayals

Kaufman was portrayed by the limitation David Thornton in the 1994 hide Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle^[46] and by Jason Robards in distinction 1963 film Act One. In primacy 2014 Broadway adaptation of the attempt by James Lapine, he was artificial by Tony Shalhoub.

The title natural feeling of the 1991 Coen brothers layer Barton Fink, who is a scenarist, bears a strong physical resemblance revere Kaufman.^[47]

Kaufman is portrayed in the vinyl Mank by actor Adam Shapiro.^[48]

Awards

Notes

References

External links