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Smart Aleck: The Wit, World, and Life of Alexander Woollcott
From the jacketflap:
To those who knew Alexander Woollcett, he was literally larger than life. Harpo Marx once described him as something that got loose from the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. And Irma Selz, who sketched him, said he gave the impression of a great stuffed owl. But it was not just his formidable appearance that made Aleck a distinctive figure. For Woollcoot was a true American original.
One fo the most charismatic personalities of his or any other time, Alexander Woollcott helped set the literary and theatrical standards of the nation from the 1920's through the early 1940's. A man of arsenic wit and impeccable taste, he served as a drama critic for The New York Times, founded the Algonquin Round Table, became radio's first superstar as the Town Crier, and was immortalized as Sheridan Whiteside in the now classic comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman.
To those who knew Alexander Woollcett, he was literally larger than life. Harpo Marx once described him as something that got loose from the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. And Irma Selz, who sketched him, said he gave the impression of a great stuffed owl. But it was not just his formidable appearance that made Aleck a distinctive figure. For Woollcoot was a true American original.
One fo the most charismatic personalities of his or any other time, Alexander Woollcott helped set the literary and theatrical standards of the nation from the 1920's through the early 1940's. A man of arsenic wit and impeccable taste, he served as a drama critic for The New York Times, founded the Algonquin Round Table, became radio's first superstar as the Town Crier, and was immortalized as Sheridan Whiteside in the now classic comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman.
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
334 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 28, 2012
I read this book to learn more about Alexander Woolcott as I will be directing "The Man Who Came to Dinner" at our theatre in the fall, and the entire play is based on him and his relationships focused in the 1930s. It was a very helpful, insightful and entertaining glimpse into the world of a man that made SO MANY fabulous opportunities for himself in radio and theatre. I should have liked to live his life, but I wouldn't have wanted to be his friend.... I couldn't survive that acidic tongue of his if it should have ever turned on me!
June 13, 2017
The simplest way to express my opinion of Smart Aleck; is to tell you that I have added it to my wish list Howard Teichmann's biography of George S Kaufman. I have a standing interest in the members of the Algonquin Round table and with this biography of Alexander Wollcott; I trust the author to do a good job with Kaufman. I am not too surprised to find that both books are out of print and only available from used bookstores.
Among the high points of Smart Aleck are the aspects of his early life that to me seemed unlikely. His early life in semi-poverty was not nearly as surprising as his early life in a commune. That he was relatively un-athletic and picked on by his peers was no surprise. That he found a patron would help him attend Hamilton College was all but predictable. The author declares without reservation that Alexander Woollcott was a transvestite. More exactly he believes that he was a man of mostly indeterminate or at least minimal sexuality but with a preference for dressing up in women's clothing. That the men of Hamilton College would accept him as a drag queen seems to suggest a modern militancy about sexual identity that may not have existed over 100 years ago.
It was known to me that as a drama critic Woollcott's opinion was the published voice that could make or break new Broadway New York productions. That he would have had to work his way up with in the reporter's trade is obvious in retrospect but had not occurred to me before. Given his personal extravagances, prickly ego, and famous skills at the groaning board I would never have thought of him as a soldier serving in the front in World War I. His original service was as a private soldier in an ambulance unit where he would've been exposed if not to shell fire then certainly the bloody realities of trench warfare. After his promotion to sergeant it would appear his many friends pulled some strings and got him assigned to a then brand-new publication Stars & Stripes. As a reporter on this soldier's newspaper he would take himself to the battlefront with the same clarity of clarity that he would take himself to the finest restaurants in Paris. It would be during his military service that Woollcott and his friend George Kaufman would begin the card games that would later morph into the Algonquin Round Table.
It is likely that many important drama critics of his generation would've had a hand in promoting many of the careers that would become associated with Woollcott. He would claim the Marx Brothers as special protégés and Harpo Marx would become a lifelong friend. Woollcott was almost the sole critic to promote the play that would introduce Spencer Tracy. And while this list could go on for many more lines; Teichmann devotes little more than a paragraph to efforts by Woollcott to advance the career of a young black singer Paul Robeson.
For the rest, Woollcott was a large man and lived a large life. He would succeed in several media. Listing his many friends often read like name-dropping. This becomes a problem when Teichmann frequently assumes that you know the careers that go with the names.
The weakness to this book is its preference for the sharper retorts and cutting witticisms. The Round Table was famous for saber slash insults made by brilliant writers. It is fun to store up famous Woollcott jabs, but only towards the end to we get significant samples of his writing. The subtitle of Smart Alack is: The Wit, World and Life of Alexander Woollcott. All of these things are delivered. What is missing from the title, and more critically missing in the text are Woollcott's words.
It would have been interesting to have a few extended selections from the Woollcott keyboard. Especially those that demonstrated the various qualities Teichmann ascribes to Woollcott. It would have been interesting to contrast his early reports from the seamy side of New York City with his sometimes gushing reviews of performances by favored actors. A partial radio script would help to demonstrate the more mature writer, but also the differences he knew to be necessary in writing for the theater page and speaking to a live audience.
This is not an academic biography; this is a good thing for us non-academic readers. I also credit Teichmann with working to attempt neutrality about his subject. The result is readable, if overly larded with needless references to the man's weight and Buddha Belly. It is also too much of a name dropper book. These are petty complaints, but near dearth of original Woollcott material makes Smart Alack less than it could have been.
Among the high points of Smart Aleck are the aspects of his early life that to me seemed unlikely. His early life in semi-poverty was not nearly as surprising as his early life in a commune. That he was relatively un-athletic and picked on by his peers was no surprise. That he found a patron would help him attend Hamilton College was all but predictable. The author declares without reservation that Alexander Woollcott was a transvestite. More exactly he believes that he was a man of mostly indeterminate or at least minimal sexuality but with a preference for dressing up in women's clothing. That the men of Hamilton College would accept him as a drag queen seems to suggest a modern militancy about sexual identity that may not have existed over 100 years ago.
It was known to me that as a drama critic Woollcott's opinion was the published voice that could make or break new Broadway New York productions. That he would have had to work his way up with in the reporter's trade is obvious in retrospect but had not occurred to me before. Given his personal extravagances, prickly ego, and famous skills at the groaning board I would never have thought of him as a soldier serving in the front in World War I. His original service was as a private soldier in an ambulance unit where he would've been exposed if not to shell fire then certainly the bloody realities of trench warfare. After his promotion to sergeant it would appear his many friends pulled some strings and got him assigned to a then brand-new publication Stars & Stripes. As a reporter on this soldier's newspaper he would take himself to the battlefront with the same clarity of clarity that he would take himself to the finest restaurants in Paris. It would be during his military service that Woollcott and his friend George Kaufman would begin the card games that would later morph into the Algonquin Round Table.
It is likely that many important drama critics of his generation would've had a hand in promoting many of the careers that would become associated with Woollcott. He would claim the Marx Brothers as special protégés and Harpo Marx would become a lifelong friend. Woollcott was almost the sole critic to promote the play that would introduce Spencer Tracy. And while this list could go on for many more lines; Teichmann devotes little more than a paragraph to efforts by Woollcott to advance the career of a young black singer Paul Robeson.
For the rest, Woollcott was a large man and lived a large life. He would succeed in several media. Listing his many friends often read like name-dropping. This becomes a problem when Teichmann frequently assumes that you know the careers that go with the names.
The weakness to this book is its preference for the sharper retorts and cutting witticisms. The Round Table was famous for saber slash insults made by brilliant writers. It is fun to store up famous Woollcott jabs, but only towards the end to we get significant samples of his writing. The subtitle of Smart Alack is: The Wit, World and Life of Alexander Woollcott. All of these things are delivered. What is missing from the title, and more critically missing in the text are Woollcott's words.
It would have been interesting to have a few extended selections from the Woollcott keyboard. Especially those that demonstrated the various qualities Teichmann ascribes to Woollcott. It would have been interesting to contrast his early reports from the seamy side of New York City with his sometimes gushing reviews of performances by favored actors. A partial radio script would help to demonstrate the more mature writer, but also the differences he knew to be necessary in writing for the theater page and speaking to a live audience.
This is not an academic biography; this is a good thing for us non-academic readers. I also credit Teichmann with working to attempt neutrality about his subject. The result is readable, if overly larded with needless references to the man's weight and Buddha Belly. It is also too much of a name dropper book. These are petty complaints, but near dearth of original Woollcott material makes Smart Alack less than it could have been.
January 29, 2025
Alexander Woollcott was a major celebrity in the 20s and 30s but he is largely forgotten these days except for Algonquin Round Table devotees and fans of the The Man Who Came to Dinner movie. That's a shame but not really surprising. He was a journalist more than anything else but most journalism does not age well. But he was a man of tremendous wit and that wit shines through pretty well in this book. This is a light biography with a heavy emphasis on anecdotes. The anecdotes are enjoyable but the author's reliance on psychologists to analyze Woollcott after the fact is annoying and not particularly illuminating.
May 16, 2024
What a pompous book. The author can’t write about any of his sources without describing them as delightful, and Woollcott himself — a famed and beloved curmudgeon — has most of his rough edges sanded off. I wondered about the interior life that could create such a wit, but author Teichmann has essentially written a glossy, twee, and shallow showbiz bio that’s as pleased with itself as it is his subject.
April 17, 2018
In pen on the first page (endpapers) of my copy:
Most chapters give a biographical introduction to some phase of Woollcott's life (theater critic, lecturer, radio personality) followed by a string of anecdotes related, sometimes vaguely, to this activity. The anecdotes are mostly entertaining and are the meat of the book. Consulting medical advisers, Teichmann attempts some physical and psychological diagnoses of his subject's peculiarities, but Woollcott remains something of an enigma.
Best wishes to the reader of this book from the author of this book Howard Teichmann
Most chapters give a biographical introduction to some phase of Woollcott's life (theater critic, lecturer, radio personality) followed by a string of anecdotes related, sometimes vaguely, to this activity. The anecdotes are mostly entertaining and are the meat of the book. Consulting medical advisers, Teichmann attempts some physical and psychological diagnoses of his subject's peculiarities, but Woollcott remains something of an enigma.
May 22, 2022
Fleishman is first rate here and his subject, well, who can imagine a juicier subject than the remarkable Woolcott?
September 10, 2012
Drama critic, author, lecturer, and actor Alexander Woollcott was a famous wit and a diamond in the tiara that was the Algonquin Round Table, a collection of some of the wittiest and brightest men and women of American letters in the early twentieth century. Woollcott's irascibility and acerbic nature were famous and he was immortalized as the leading character (only slightly disguised) in the Kaufman and Hart play THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER. Howard Teichmann, who wrote a splendid biography of playwright and fellow Algonquian George S. Kaufman, brings Woollcott to fascinating life in this clear-eyed biography.
September 22, 2024
Absolutely loved the book and the subject. Alexander Woollcott was an American drama critic and commentator for The New Yorker magazine, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, an occasional actor and playwright, and a prominent radio personality. Woollcott was the inspiration for two fictional characters. The first was Sheridan Whiteside, the caustic but charming main character in the play The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939) by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, and the snobbish, vitriolic columnist Waldo Lydecker in the novel and later movie, Laura.
I highly recommend this book and others featuring the members of that period and, especially, the members of the Round Table.
I highly recommend this book and others featuring the members of that period and, especially, the members of the Round Table.
February 13, 2011
This is an intelligent and engrossing biography of a fascinating figure. Many of the figures of the Algonquin Round Table have been described as being famous simply for being famous, but Aleck Woollcott was a person worthy of biographies.
Teichmann did occasionally wander off on a tangent, and there were several occasions in which I wished for more detail, rather than less, but on the whole this was an edifying and entertaining read.
Teichmann did occasionally wander off on a tangent, and there were several occasions in which I wished for more detail, rather than less, but on the whole this was an edifying and entertaining read.
March 10, 2011
Alexander Woollcott was the coolest guy ever. cool like truman capote cool.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews