What do you think?
Rate this book
George S. Kaufman: His Life, His Theater
Writer, director, TV panelist and sometime actor, Kaufman (1889-1961) during a long career is best known as the playwright who collaborated with Moss Hart, Edna Ferber and Marc Connelly on a series of hit Broadway comedies. He collected two Pulitzer Prizes ("Of Thee I Sing," "You Can't Take It With You"). With interviews from Kaufman's family and friends.
518 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 1979
1 person is currently reading
14 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 11, 2025
Beatrice Kaufman, wife of George S. ~~ Saddest photograph I've ever seen of anyone is Carl Van Vechten's 1934 pic of Beatrice (then around 40) on Google. She married George S. (the "S" stands for nothing) in 1917. A year later their baby was stillborn and he never had sex w her again. The idea appalled him. (So sensitif, he--.) They kept up a 'front' until her death, age 51, in 1945. Since you seldom get Truth in a bio or autobio, I read - always - for evasions between the lines. For publishing access, he remains silent on Moss Hart's active gay life. This distorts the story.
George S. was probably the most successful Bwy figure for 30 years as playwright-director-show doctor-TV panelist-what have you during the days when Broadway had glam & prestige. He had, in later years, many flops, but consider his collabs: with Ed Ferber (Stage Door, Dinner at Eight,), Connelly (Dulcy), Lardner (June Moon), Of Thee I Sing (Ryskind) and Moss Hart (You Can't/Man to Dinner).
He directed: Front Page, My Sister Eileen, Guys & Dolls.
K was everywhere : he couldn't sit still for a sec. A nervous, highly neurotic man of many twitches-phobias (see YT : TV panelist), he was not a gent who made you feel comfortable. He kept spilling his seed, so to speak, without any depth, but the work had likeability & twinkly innocence. America prizes Innocence .
For worldliness, you have to turn to the plays of Philip Barry (Holiday) or John Van Druten (Voice of the Turtle). ~~ GSK also wrote for the Marx Bros; their sense of joyous anarchy clearly informed his comedies w Moss Hart (throw lots of people onstage for "mad" chaos).
This bio is lively reading. It's loaded w interesting, vivid theatre facts without analysis; alas, there's no appendix w a roll of his contributions. ~ GSK was drama editor at NYT in the 20s while his plays ran on Bwy. The author doesn't even ask why the "conflict of interest" was allowed. Eh??
The author doesn't wonder how Big Beatrice maintained a salon with graciousness while GSK was humping Mary Astor and other chiseled actresses. Or what kept the 2 together. GSK couldn't bear to touch her physically, but he needed her advice & mothering. In return, he gave her a life of dazzle (if that's what you want. For most, something is better than nothing). Beatrice's confidant was Moss Hart. They had much in common : both were longing for men (Hart, in his mid40s, married the smarmy, then-in her 30s Kitty Carlisle, 1946. Poor Mossie). Author cannot dare hint that Hart was gay; Kitty was still alive. Both men died in 1961 - six months apart. GSK did remarry: the very pretty, young actress-climber Leueen McGrath (divorced twice) who divorced GSK as soon as he needed a bedpan.
Bios/autobios must be read with caution and a keen, open mind. The most revealing is usually missing for legal reasons. What's revealed here is the fraudulence of most marital relationships.
George S. was probably the most successful Bwy figure for 30 years as playwright-director-show doctor-TV panelist-what have you during the days when Broadway had glam & prestige. He had, in later years, many flops, but consider his collabs: with Ed Ferber (Stage Door, Dinner at Eight,), Connelly (Dulcy), Lardner (June Moon), Of Thee I Sing (Ryskind) and Moss Hart (You Can't/Man to Dinner).
He directed: Front Page, My Sister Eileen, Guys & Dolls.
K was everywhere : he couldn't sit still for a sec. A nervous, highly neurotic man of many twitches-phobias (see YT : TV panelist), he was not a gent who made you feel comfortable. He kept spilling his seed, so to speak, without any depth, but the work had likeability & twinkly innocence. America prizes Innocence .
For worldliness, you have to turn to the plays of Philip Barry (Holiday) or John Van Druten (Voice of the Turtle). ~~ GSK also wrote for the Marx Bros; their sense of joyous anarchy clearly informed his comedies w Moss Hart (throw lots of people onstage for "mad" chaos).
This bio is lively reading. It's loaded w interesting, vivid theatre facts without analysis; alas, there's no appendix w a roll of his contributions. ~ GSK was drama editor at NYT in the 20s while his plays ran on Bwy. The author doesn't even ask why the "conflict of interest" was allowed. Eh??
The author doesn't wonder how Big Beatrice maintained a salon with graciousness while GSK was humping Mary Astor and other chiseled actresses. Or what kept the 2 together. GSK couldn't bear to touch her physically, but he needed her advice & mothering. In return, he gave her a life of dazzle (if that's what you want. For most, something is better than nothing). Beatrice's confidant was Moss Hart. They had much in common : both were longing for men (Hart, in his mid40s, married the smarmy, then-in her 30s Kitty Carlisle, 1946. Poor Mossie). Author cannot dare hint that Hart was gay; Kitty was still alive. Both men died in 1961 - six months apart. GSK did remarry: the very pretty, young actress-climber Leueen McGrath (divorced twice) who divorced GSK as soon as he needed a bedpan.
Bios/autobios must be read with caution and a keen, open mind. The most revealing is usually missing for legal reasons. What's revealed here is the fraudulence of most marital relationships.
Displaying 1 of 1 review