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George S. Kaufman: An Intimate Portrait
Beautiful, bright near perfect vintage paperback. Passes for new. Clean, fresh book with no markings other than remainder on top. Binding also like new. Gift quality beauty. Our Family carefully packs each book in high-quality bubble lined, envelopes. We appreciate your business and welcome any questions Our Family carefully packs each book in high-quality bubble lined, envelopes. We appreciate your business and welcome any questions
371 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 31, 2021
A very sweet very uneven biography. First of all, it is very dated. Today I think the psychoanalysis would be replaced with an examination of Kaufman's tics -- his aversion to being touched, his sensitivity to taste, his intense shyness, his intense focus -- hint at something more like a spectrum disorder than an overbearing mother. Secondly, biographies should not be written by the subject's best friend and this biography really shows why. While Teichmann's love for Kaufman shines through, he finds it difficult to be objective about him. And third, the book is really dated. All those shows and famous people were so long ago that the reader doesn't know what is being discussed half the time.
But on the positive side it is a very loving book and full of lovely stories about the Marx brothers and the Algonquin crowd and others that are worth reading.
But on the positive side it is a very loving book and full of lovely stories about the Marx brothers and the Algonquin crowd and others that are worth reading.
June 24, 2017
Bottom Line First
Author Howard Teichmann worked with and knew George F. Kaufman. As such he should have been more successful in crafting this Intimate Portrait. Kaufman was not the kind of man who would make it easy for a person to write an intimate portrait. This much comes across, but Teichman’s disorganized approach to the playwright, director, producer, former newspaper man and serial lover does not convey very much.
George S. Kaufmann an Intimate Portrait has been my second and lessor sampling of Howard Teichman’s books. He was an author of Broadway plays, four written with Mr. Kaufmann and the two had become somewhat close. Mr. Teichman’s biography of Alexander Woollcott was more to my liking.
Part of what threw me is the organization of the book. The traditional biography is the lessor portion of the text. We learn that Kaufman was mostly a private man, mostly withdrawn. Yet he was capable of biting wit, especially among his friends at the Algonquin Round table. Parenthetically an association that Teichmann tends to down rate. We learn that once he became a commanding Broadway figure, he developed a taste for show girls who accommodated him for reasons mostly unexplored. Evidently he could be charming. For years we are told that Kaufman’s play, written, and or directed by him, dominated Broadway. Yet it is not clear that this domination consisted of concurrent hits or periodic hits. Kaufman was wildly successful on Broadway meaning that there should be no uncertainty on this point. Kaufman was one of the creative minds behind the Marx Brothers. And again the book hardly celebrates this unlikely and significant match up.
Having rushed through the facts of Kaufman’s life the bulk of the book attempts to focus on particular aspects of Kaufman’s life. His role as a father, his poor/rich relationship with Hollywood and so forth. These tend to jump you back and forth in time and seem more like snapshots than in depth analysis.
Either because Teichman was too close to Kaufman, or was still morning the loss of his much admired friend. There is a sadness that permeates the book. Kaufman the author of comedy and caustic wit can be found here. There are some telling and enjoyable stories. It is also possible that Kaufman was a sad man. He could be withdrawn and cautious about being open, even with friends. Mostly this feels eulogistic.
I did like this book, just not as much as I had hoped. I finished it feeling more confused than enlightened about George S. Kaufman.
Author Howard Teichmann worked with and knew George F. Kaufman. As such he should have been more successful in crafting this Intimate Portrait. Kaufman was not the kind of man who would make it easy for a person to write an intimate portrait. This much comes across, but Teichman’s disorganized approach to the playwright, director, producer, former newspaper man and serial lover does not convey very much.
George S. Kaufmann an Intimate Portrait has been my second and lessor sampling of Howard Teichman’s books. He was an author of Broadway plays, four written with Mr. Kaufmann and the two had become somewhat close. Mr. Teichman’s biography of Alexander Woollcott was more to my liking.
Part of what threw me is the organization of the book. The traditional biography is the lessor portion of the text. We learn that Kaufman was mostly a private man, mostly withdrawn. Yet he was capable of biting wit, especially among his friends at the Algonquin Round table. Parenthetically an association that Teichmann tends to down rate. We learn that once he became a commanding Broadway figure, he developed a taste for show girls who accommodated him for reasons mostly unexplored. Evidently he could be charming. For years we are told that Kaufman’s play, written, and or directed by him, dominated Broadway. Yet it is not clear that this domination consisted of concurrent hits or periodic hits. Kaufman was wildly successful on Broadway meaning that there should be no uncertainty on this point. Kaufman was one of the creative minds behind the Marx Brothers. And again the book hardly celebrates this unlikely and significant match up.
Having rushed through the facts of Kaufman’s life the bulk of the book attempts to focus on particular aspects of Kaufman’s life. His role as a father, his poor/rich relationship with Hollywood and so forth. These tend to jump you back and forth in time and seem more like snapshots than in depth analysis.
Either because Teichman was too close to Kaufman, or was still morning the loss of his much admired friend. There is a sadness that permeates the book. Kaufman the author of comedy and caustic wit can be found here. There are some telling and enjoyable stories. It is also possible that Kaufman was a sad man. He could be withdrawn and cautious about being open, even with friends. Mostly this feels eulogistic.
I did like this book, just not as much as I had hoped. I finished it feeling more confused than enlightened about George S. Kaufman.
February 11, 2016
With a bit of time on my hands have decided to plumb time and books that have sat far to long on my personal bookshelf. This one has finally seen the light of day, or so they say, and was ever so surprising in its breadth and subject matter that I am embarrassed it took almost fifteen years for me to crack. As a recovering actor I was enthralled with the book's retelling of the halcyon days of one of its major literary personalities. George S. Kaufman: An Intimate Portrait by Howard Teichman truly surpassed my expectations, which means it deserves a permanent place on my bookshelf. That says a lot for me, as real estate here in my humble apartment is at a premium. It delighted in ways I did not expect and held no punches for the subject covered. Truly a thorough work regarding one of the greatest contributors to the golden age of American Theater as well as American History.
June 16, 2020
Truly an "intimate" biography, as it's clearly the work of a friend and admirer rather than a traditional biographer. Topical treatment (e.g., Kaufman as correspondent, as relative, as wit, as journalist, as playwright, etc., etc.) make for an unusual format and lends itself to a less-than-rigorous "life-of" book. Shows Kaufman warts and all, yet still one deserving an important place in 20th century culture.
Having read Moss Hart's autobiography and seen the movie about Moss Hart and Kaufman (George Hamilton and Jason Robards), it was good to read a bio from the "other" collaborator. He comes off as less of a curmudgeon than in the movie, as I remember it, although it's clear that curmudgeon was a role Kaufman was very happy to play whenever possible.
Having read Moss Hart's autobiography and seen the movie about Moss Hart and Kaufman (George Hamilton and Jason Robards), it was good to read a bio from the "other" collaborator. He comes off as less of a curmudgeon than in the movie, as I remember it, although it's clear that curmudgeon was a role Kaufman was very happy to play whenever possible.
January 27, 2017
This is a delightful book that details the life and times of one of America's leading playwrights, George S. Kaufman. His actions were chronicled in detail in Moss Hart's "Act One," and in this book, Howard Teichmann, another collaborator, writes a full scale biography of the great man.
Kaufman was the leading playwright on Broadway from the 1920s-1950s, an impressive run, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for drama (a feat duplicated in his day only by Eugene O'Neal). He was, like most other members of the Algonquin Round Table, a bonafide eccentric and occasionally difficult, but also compelling, both in spite of and because of his faults.
This is an older, but still highly interesting book by yet another of his many collaborators. Well worth finding on Amazon and reading.
Kaufman was the leading playwright on Broadway from the 1920s-1950s, an impressive run, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for drama (a feat duplicated in his day only by Eugene O'Neal). He was, like most other members of the Algonquin Round Table, a bonafide eccentric and occasionally difficult, but also compelling, both in spite of and because of his faults.
This is an older, but still highly interesting book by yet another of his many collaborators. Well worth finding on Amazon and reading.
December 30, 2018
Apparently Teichmann was going to produce this book ten years earlier than he did. All of us who read this book benefit from Teichmann's wait. This is a terrific view of one of our greatest contributors to writing and theater. I love the detail and thought and organization of this book.
The obvious missing piece of this book is the absence of what took place involving the death of Kaufman's first wife, Beatrice. The time period is entirely missing. This would lead to what else is missing. My already knowing Kaufman's story, has me know Teichmann covers territory other books do not.
Bottom line: i recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.
The obvious missing piece of this book is the absence of what took place involving the death of Kaufman's first wife, Beatrice. The time period is entirely missing. This would lead to what else is missing. My already knowing Kaufman's story, has me know Teichmann covers territory other books do not.
Bottom line: i recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.
December 26, 2012
A delight. Every bon mot you ever wished you uttered, and wasn't snarled by Dorothy Parker, was probably said by George S Kaufman, and they're all here, in this affectionate look at the genius of popular American theater of the 1920s and 30s.
July 23, 2017
Haven't laughed this much with a book in ages. What a fascinating man. Admirable that the author obviously admired and liked Kaufman, but can write an honest book about him - his virtues and his faults.
October 2, 2015
An amazing bio about an icon american playwright. Who knew? But what a great discovery I found in this book. Well worth it even though it was a bit dated.
September 8, 2025
I know we should begin with showcasing the playwright and wit behind decades of Broadway hits and three Marx Brothers movies.
But I give the first line to the gregarious, life-loving Beatrice Kaufman, who managed George to greatness.
Running late to a concert at Carnegie Hall, she declared to Oscar Levant: Hurry up, “or we’ll miss the intermission.” Of Bea, producer Max Gordon said, she ran the house—she did everything. “He couldn’t run a peanut stand.”
So what about this Kaufman? Skinny, pale, unathletic, shy, a ribbon salesman who got a break writing quips for a NY humorist columnist and graduated to drama critic, Mark Twain studier and eventually co-writer of the Pulitzer-winning “You Can’t Take It With You.” Also co-writer of the Pulitzer-winning “Of Thee I Sing,” with a score by George and Ira Gershwin.
Like the Marx Brothers, he hated fakery and pomposity, and would have feasted in this Age of Bogosity. He enjoyed tearing apart complaining rich people, saying one whining writer was really in the chips - “but most of them are on his shoulders.” He always rooted for underdogs.
Columnist Earl Wilson said Kaufman “in a way is a policeman for America, somewhat as Will Rogers used to be.”
But I give the first line to the gregarious, life-loving Beatrice Kaufman, who managed George to greatness.
Running late to a concert at Carnegie Hall, she declared to Oscar Levant: Hurry up, “or we’ll miss the intermission.” Of Bea, producer Max Gordon said, she ran the house—she did everything. “He couldn’t run a peanut stand.”
So what about this Kaufman? Skinny, pale, unathletic, shy, a ribbon salesman who got a break writing quips for a NY humorist columnist and graduated to drama critic, Mark Twain studier and eventually co-writer of the Pulitzer-winning “You Can’t Take It With You.” Also co-writer of the Pulitzer-winning “Of Thee I Sing,” with a score by George and Ira Gershwin.
Like the Marx Brothers, he hated fakery and pomposity, and would have feasted in this Age of Bogosity. He enjoyed tearing apart complaining rich people, saying one whining writer was really in the chips - “but most of them are on his shoulders.” He always rooted for underdogs.
Columnist Earl Wilson said Kaufman “in a way is a policeman for America, somewhat as Will Rogers used to be.”
February 13, 2024
I am a fan of Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Round Table participants, of whom George Kaufman was one.
I found the book interesting all the way through, and commend the author for the way he segmented it.
I found the book interesting all the way through, and commend the author for the way he segmented it.
September 9, 2007
his jokes and celebrated wit are old but i enjoy reading 'gossip' even if it s 50 s hollywood and new york.
August 23, 2010
reads like a laundry list but does discuss the Astor diary scandal
March 31, 2016
Interesting creative life...
March 24, 2013
An interesting look at the premier American humorist of the first half of the 20th century, and if you don't believe me, just ask him.
October 16, 2010
Interesting people to read about -- would I have liked them as friends?
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews