Editing Charles MacArthur (section)

==Life and career==
{{Moresources|section|date=August 2022}}
MacArthur was born in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]], the sixth of seven children of stern [[Evangelism|evangelist]] William Telfer MacArthur and Georgiana Welsted MacArthur.<ref name=jamesmacarthur.com>{{cite web| title=A Salute to Charles Gordon MacArthur| year=2004| publisher=James Macarthur Official Website| url=http://www.jamesmacarthur.com/CharlesMacArthur/CharlesMacArthur.shtml}}</ref> Early in life, MacArthur developed a passion for reading. Declining to follow his father into ministry, he moved to the [[Midwest]] and soon became a successful reporter in [[Chicago]], working for the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' and ''[[Chicago Daily News]]''. MacArthur joined the [[United States Army]] for [[World War I]], and served in France as a private assigned to Battery F, 149th Field Artillery, a unit of the [[42nd Infantry Division (United States)|42nd Division]], The Rainbow Division.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 20, 1919 |title=Reporter Writes View of the War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XzZJAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA24-PA25 |work=The Fourth Estate |location=New York, NY |page=25}}</ref> He recounted his wartime experience in 1919's ''A Bug's-Eye View of the War''.<ref>{{cite book |last=MacArthur |first=Charles G. |date=1919 |title=A Bug's-Eye View of the War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y5fvAAAAMAAJ |location=New York, NY |publisher=149th Field Artillery Regiment |page=title}}</ref> After the war, he wrote several short stories, two of which, "Hang It All" (1921) and "Rope" (1923), were published in [[H. L. Mencken]]'s ''[[The Smart Set]]'' magazine.<ref name=jamesmacarthur.com /> Eventually he settled in [[New York City]], where he turned to [[playwriting]].

MacArthur is best known for his plays in collaboration with [[Ben Hecht]], ''[[Ladies and Gentlemen (play)|Ladies and Gentlemen]]'' (filmed as ''[[Perfect Strangers (1950 film)|Perfect Strangers]]''), ''[[Twentieth Century (play)|Twentieth Century]]'' and the frequently filmed ''[[The Front Page]]'', which was based in part on MacArthur's experiences at the [[City News Bureau of Chicago]]. MacArthur also co-wrote, with [[Edward Sheldon]], the play ''Lulu Belle'', which was staged in 1926 by [[David Belasco]]. MacArthur was friends with members of the [[Algonquin Round Table]], shared an apartment with [[Robert Benchley]] and had an affair with [[Dorothy Parker]].

His second marriage was to the stage and screen actress [[Helen Hayes]], from 1928 until his death. They lived in [[Nyack, New York|Nyack]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Mary, who died of polio in 1949 at age 19. The shock of her death hastened MacArthur's own, according to those who knew him. Their adopted son, [[James MacArthur]], was also an actor, best known for playing Danny "Danno" Williams on the American [[television]] series ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]''.  His brother, [[John D. MacArthur]], was an insurance-company owner and executive, and founded the [[MacArthur Foundation|John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation]], the benefactor of the [[MacArthur Fellowships]].