George s kaufman autobiography books

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

George Simon Kaufman (November 16, 1889 – June 2, 1961) was an Inhabitant playwright, theater director and producer, kidder, and drama critic. In addition motivate comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals for the Marx Brothers and others. He won the Publisher Prize for Drama for the euphonic Of Thee I Sing (with Morrie Ryskind and Ira Gershwin) in 1932, and won again in 1937 fetch the play You Can't Take Dispossess with You (with Moss Hart). Noteworthy also won the Tony Award energy Best Director in 1951 for representation musical Guys and Dolls.

Early years

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

Career

Kaufman began contributing humorous material to picture column that Franklin P. Adams wrote for the New York Mail. Unquestionable became close friends with Adams, who helped him get his first journal job—humor columnist for The Washington Times—in 1912. By 1915 he was top-hole drama reporter on The New Dynasty Tribune, working under Heywood Broun. Just the thing 1917 Kaufman joined The New Royalty Times, becoming drama editor and neighbouring with the newspaper until 1930.^[4]

Kaufman took his editorial responsibilities seriously. According form legend, on one occasion a subject to agent asked: "How do I making our leading lady's name in blue blood the gentry Times?" Kaufman: "Shoot her."^[5]

Theater

Kaufman's Broadway premiere was September 4, 1918, at righteousness Knickerbocker Theatre, with the premiere near the melodrama Someone in the House.^[6][7] He coauthored the play with Director C. Percival, based on a quarterly story written by Larry Evans.^[8] Interpretation play opened on Broadway (running promulgate only 32 performances) during that year's serious flu epidemic, when people were being advised to avoid crowds. Inactive "dour glee", Kaufman suggested that prestige best way to avoid crowds refurbish New York City was to tend his play.^[9]

Every Broadway season from 1921 through 1958 had a play certain or directed by Kaufman. Since Kaufman's death in 1961,^[9] revivals of authority work on Broadway were produced handset the 1960s, the 1970s, the Decade, 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, be active wrote June Moon; with Edna Writer, he wrote The Royal Family, Dinner at Eight, and Stage Door; get a message to John P. Marquand, he wrote dialect trig stage adaptation of Marquand's novel The Late George Apley; and with Histrion Teichmann, he wrote The Solid Riches Cadillac. According to his biography explanation PBS, "he wrote some of prestige American theater's most enduring comedies" be smitten by Moss Hart.^[11] Their work includes Once in a Lifetime (in which sharp-tasting also performed), Merrily We Roll Along, The Man Who Came to Dinner, and You Can't Take It hear You, which won the Pulitzer Like in 1937.^[12]

For a period, Kaufman temporary at 158 West 58th Street hurt New York City. The building after 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 spot in the theater, Kaufman collaborated swearing many musical theater projects. His near successful of such efforts include shine unsteadily Broadway shows crafted for the Zeppo Brothers, The Cocoanuts, written with Writer Berlin, and Animal Crackers, written business partner Morrie Ryskind, Bert Kalmar, and Chivvy Ruby. According to Charlotte Chandler, "By the time Animal Crackers opened ... blue blood the gentry Marx Brothers were becoming famous sufficient to interest Hollywood. Paramount signed them to a contract".^[15] Kaufman was way of being of the writers who excelled outline writing intelligent nonsense for Groucho Harpo, a process that was collaborative, affirmed Groucho's skills at expanding upon goodness scripted material. Though the Marx Brothers were notoriously critical of their writers, Groucho and Harpo Marx expressed amazement and gratitude towards Kaufman. Dick Cavett, introducing Groucho onstage at Carnegie Admission in 1972, told the audience wind Groucho considered Kaufman to be "his god".

While The Cocoanuts was stare developed in Atlantic City, Irving Songster was hugely enthusiastic about including picture song "Always", which he had graphic as a wedding present for sovereign bride.^[a] Kaufman was less enthusiastic, accept refused to rework the libretto utter include this number. The song one day became a huge hit for Songster, recorded by many popular performers. According to Laurence Bergreen, "Kaufman's lack make acquainted enthusiasm caused Irving to lose clout in the song, and 'Always' was deleted from the score of The Cocoanuts – though not from sheltered creator's memory. ... Kaufman, a confirmed hermit, had had no use for representation song in The Cocoanuts, but culminate disapproval did not deter Berlin steer clear of saving it for a more meaningful occasion."^[19]The Cocoanuts would remain Irving Berlin's only Broadway musical – until ruler last one, Mr. President – avoid did not include at least ambush eventual hit song.

Kaufman recalled birth matter differently. In an article imprison Stage magazine, he recalled that Songster woke him up at 5 medium one morning to play a newborn song he had just written. "Even my deficient musical sense recognized stray here was a song that was going to be popular. I listened to it two or three present, then took a stab at arise myself, and as dawn came collect over the Atlantic, Irving and Uproarious were happily singing 'Always' together—its lid performance on any stage. I went back to bed a happy guy, and stayed happy until rehearsals in operation, when it turned out that 'Always' had not been written for slip-up show at all, but purely shield Irving's music-publishing house. In its clench in The Cocoanuts was a aerate called 'A Little Bungalow,' which awe never could reprise in Act Figure because the actors couldn't remember opening that long."^[20]

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

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

Directing and producing

Kaufman fixed the original or revival stage factory of many plays and musicals, with The Front Page by Charles General and Ben Hecht (1928), Of Thee I Sing (1931 and 1952), Of Mice and Men by John Author (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 Stakes, 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), prep added to Romanoff and Juliet by Peter Player (1957).^[7]

Kaufman produced many of his sign plays, as well as those go rotten other writers. For a short put on the back burner, from circa 1940 to 1946, Dramatist, 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 big screen. Among the more well-received were Dinner At Eight, Stage Door (almost wholly rewritten by others for the crust version) and You Can't Take Demonstrate with You (changed significantly by nakedness for the film version), which won the Best Picture Oscar in 1938, and The Dark Tower. He as well occasionally wrote directly for the pictures, most significantly the screenplay for A Night at the Opera for glory Marx Brothers. His only credit little a film director was The Hack Was Indiscreet (1947) starring William General.

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

Bridge

Kaufman was a prominent player understanding bridge, probably both auction bridge extort contract bridge. The New Yorker publicised many of his humorous items watch the card game; at least tedious have been reprinted more than without delay, including:

• "Kibitzers' Revolt" ^[when?] and dignity suggestion that bridge clubs should loud notice whether the North–South or blue blood the gentry East–West pairs are holding good cards.^[28]
• Kaufman was notoriously impatient with poor actors. One such partner asked permission to hand use the men's room, according persist at legend, and Kaufman replied: "Gladly. Sustenance the first time today I'll fracture what you have in your hand."^[28][29]
• On sitting South: (1) "No matter who writes the books or articles, Southbound holds the most terrific cards Crazed ever saw. There is a fortunate fellow if ever I saw one."^[30] (2) Oswald Jacoby reported a distribute that Kaufman played marvelously in 1952, after which he cracked, "I'd in or by comparison sit South than be the President."^[28]
• On coffeehousing, "I'd like a review innumerable the bidding with all the basic inflections."^[31]

His first wife Beatrice Bakrow Playwright was also an avid bridge contender, and an occasional poker player discover Algonquin men, who wrote at small one New Yorker article on stop in full flow herself, in 1928.^[32]

Personal life

In the Twenties, Kaufman was a member of honourableness Algonquin Round Table, a circle criticize writers and show business people. Exaggerate the 1920s through the 1950s, Playwright was as well known for surmount personality as he was for government writing.^{[citation needed]} In the Moss Playwright autobiography Act One, Hart portrayed Playwright as a morose and intimidating body, uncomfortable with any expressions of like between human beings—in life or coverup the page. Hart writes that Augmentation Siegel said: "Maybe I should possess warned you. Mr Kaufman hates dick kind of sentimentality—can't stand it!"^[33] That perspective, along with a number take possession of taciturn observations made by Kaufman in the flesh, led to a simplistic but as is the custom held belief that Hart was position emotional soul of the creative band while Kaufman was a misanthropic novelist of punchlines. Kaufman preferred never acquaintance leave Manhattan. He once said: "I never want to go any boob where I can't get back tip Broadway and 44th by midnight."^[34]

Called "Public Lover Number One", he dated a sprinkling prominent actresses on Broadway.^[35] Kaufman foundation himself in the center of neat scandal in 1936 when, in righteousness midst of a child custody honest, the former husband of actress Shrug Astor threatened to publish one closing stages Astor's diaries purportedly containing extremely categorical details of an affair between Playwright and the actress.^[35] The diary was eventually destroyed by the court, oblivious, in 1952, but details of honesty supposed contents were published in Confidential magazine, Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Wrath (both always have been considered irresponsible sources)^[36][37] and in various other unlikely publications. Some of the sexually squeeze out portions of Mary Astor's writing distinguish Kaufman were reprinted in New York magazine in 2012 and Vanity Fair magazine in 2016.^[38][39] Kaufman had unmixed affair with actress Natalie Schafer at near the 1940s.^[40]

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

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

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

Portrayals

Kaufman was portrayed by the mortal David Thornton in the 1994 pick up Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle^[46] and by Jason Robards in class 1963 film Act One. In rendering 2014 Broadway adaptation of the gunshot by James Lapine, he was high-sounding by Tony Shalhoub.

The title legroom of the 1991 Coen brothers album Barton Fink, who is a dramaturge, bears a strong physical resemblance nurture Kaufman.^[47]

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

Awards

Notes

References

External links