Marc Connelly(1890-1980)
- Writer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Marc Connelly, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, is best known as
being one of the leading wits of the Algonquin Round Table and for
being a collaborator with
George S. Kaufman, with whom he wrote
many plays, including
Merton of the Movies (1947).
His Broadway career spanned 65 years, from 1915, when he got his first
writing credit on a Broadway play for contributing lyrics to that
year's edition of the musical revue "Hip! Hip! Hooray!", until the year
of his death, 1980. His last play, "The Stitch in Time", started
previews on December 29, 1980. (The play, alas, never officially
opened.)
He was born ninety years earlier, on December 13, 1890 in McKeesport,
Pennsylvania, the son of actors Patrick Joseph Connelly and Mabel
Louise Cook, who also ran a hotel. He began writing plays as a
youngster, and after serving as a cub reporter for the "Pittsburgh
Sun-Telegraph", he moved to New York City to seek his fame and fortune.
In The Big Apple, he wrote the book for the 1916 musical-comedy "The
Amber Empress", a flop that closed after 15 performances. He provided
lyrics for the 1918 musical "The Maid of the Mountains", which did a
little bit better, closing after 37 curtain calls.
He became a member of the Algonquin Round Table in the year after the
Great War ended. Two years later, in 1921, he and fellow Round Table
habitué Kauffman scored a success with their first collaboration, the
comedy "Dulcy", which ran for 241 performances. Other collaborations
followed. They had three productions in 1922, the original comedy "To
the Ladies", the musical revue "The '49ers", and "Merton of the
Movies", the latter of which proved a hit, running for 392
performances.
The more modestly successful musical comedy "Helen of Troy, New York"
followed in 1923, a year that also saw their comedy "The Deep Tangled
Wildwood" flop, closing after just 16 performances. They came back in
early 1924 with the comedy "Beggar on Horseback", which was a hit (and
which was briefly revived in 1925), but their other offering of 1924,
the musical comedy "Be Yourself", was not a success.
Their partnership broke up, and in 1926, Connelly scored a modest hit
with his original comedy "The Wisdom Tooth", which ran for 160
performances. His next play, the comedy "The Wild Man of Borneo"
written in collaboration with
Herman J. Mankiewicz (who would go
on to win an Oscar writing the original screenplay for
Citizen Kane (1941) with
Orson Welles) was a flop, closing after 15
performances. But his next venture on The Great White Way, the Old
Testament-inspired musical play "The Green Pastures", was his biggest
hit yet. Not only did "The Green Pastures" run for 640 performances, it
brought Connelly the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
He did not have another play on the boards until 1934's "The Farmer
Takes a Wife", which closed after 104 showings. His 1937 comedy "Having
Wonderful Time" was a hit, the last of his career, with 372
performances. Though he would write three more original plays between
1942 and 1948, none of them was success. His last, posthumous show,
which made it to Broadway 32 years after his last original, didn't even
merit an opening.
In addition to writing, Connelly also produced, directed and acted on
Broadway, and he also acted on the screen and in TV. He co-directed the
1936 cinema adaptation of his
The Green Pastures (1936) and
worked as a screenwriter for the movies and television, scoring an
Oscar nod for
Captains Courageous (1937)
and an Emmy nomination for the 1951 "Hallmark Hall of Fame" adaptation
of his "The Green Pastures".
Connelly's memoir, "Voices Offstage", was published in 1968. He died on
December 21, 1980, eight days before his last play, "The Stitch in
Time", went into previews (one of the reasons it likely didn't open as
the 90 year old playwright wasn't around to make revisions).
being one of the leading wits of the Algonquin Round Table and for
being a collaborator with
George S. Kaufman, with whom he wrote
many plays, including
Merton of the Movies (1947).
His Broadway career spanned 65 years, from 1915, when he got his first
writing credit on a Broadway play for contributing lyrics to that
year's edition of the musical revue "Hip! Hip! Hooray!", until the year
of his death, 1980. His last play, "The Stitch in Time", started
previews on December 29, 1980. (The play, alas, never officially
opened.)
He was born ninety years earlier, on December 13, 1890 in McKeesport,
Pennsylvania, the son of actors Patrick Joseph Connelly and Mabel
Louise Cook, who also ran a hotel. He began writing plays as a
youngster, and after serving as a cub reporter for the "Pittsburgh
Sun-Telegraph", he moved to New York City to seek his fame and fortune.
In The Big Apple, he wrote the book for the 1916 musical-comedy "The
Amber Empress", a flop that closed after 15 performances. He provided
lyrics for the 1918 musical "The Maid of the Mountains", which did a
little bit better, closing after 37 curtain calls.
He became a member of the Algonquin Round Table in the year after the
Great War ended. Two years later, in 1921, he and fellow Round Table
habitué Kauffman scored a success with their first collaboration, the
comedy "Dulcy", which ran for 241 performances. Other collaborations
followed. They had three productions in 1922, the original comedy "To
the Ladies", the musical revue "The '49ers", and "Merton of the
Movies", the latter of which proved a hit, running for 392
performances.
The more modestly successful musical comedy "Helen of Troy, New York"
followed in 1923, a year that also saw their comedy "The Deep Tangled
Wildwood" flop, closing after just 16 performances. They came back in
early 1924 with the comedy "Beggar on Horseback", which was a hit (and
which was briefly revived in 1925), but their other offering of 1924,
the musical comedy "Be Yourself", was not a success.
Their partnership broke up, and in 1926, Connelly scored a modest hit
with his original comedy "The Wisdom Tooth", which ran for 160
performances. His next play, the comedy "The Wild Man of Borneo"
written in collaboration with
Herman J. Mankiewicz (who would go
on to win an Oscar writing the original screenplay for
Citizen Kane (1941) with
Orson Welles) was a flop, closing after 15
performances. But his next venture on The Great White Way, the Old
Testament-inspired musical play "The Green Pastures", was his biggest
hit yet. Not only did "The Green Pastures" run for 640 performances, it
brought Connelly the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
He did not have another play on the boards until 1934's "The Farmer
Takes a Wife", which closed after 104 showings. His 1937 comedy "Having
Wonderful Time" was a hit, the last of his career, with 372
performances. Though he would write three more original plays between
1942 and 1948, none of them was success. His last, posthumous show,
which made it to Broadway 32 years after his last original, didn't even
merit an opening.
In addition to writing, Connelly also produced, directed and acted on
Broadway, and he also acted on the screen and in TV. He co-directed the
1936 cinema adaptation of his
The Green Pastures (1936) and
worked as a screenwriter for the movies and television, scoring an
Oscar nod for
Captains Courageous (1937)
and an Emmy nomination for the 1951 "Hallmark Hall of Fame" adaptation
of his "The Green Pastures".
Connelly's memoir, "Voices Offstage", was published in 1968. He died on
December 21, 1980, eight days before his last play, "The Stitch in
Time", went into previews (one of the reasons it likely didn't open as
the 90 year old playwright wasn't around to make revisions).