Editing George S. Kaufman

{{short description|American playwright, theater director and producer (1889–1961)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox writer
| name             = George S. Kaufman
| image            = George S. Kaufman.jpg
| caption          = George S. Kaufman in 1928
| birth_name       = George Simon Kaufman
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1889|11|16}}
| birth_place      = [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], US
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|1961|6|2|1889|11|16}}
| death_place      = [[New York City]], US
| occupation =  {{hlist|Playwright|theatre director|theatre producer/manager|theatre performer|humorist|drama critic}}
| genre       = Comedy, political satire
| notableworks     = ''[[Of Thee I Sing]]''<br />''[[You Can't Take It with You (play)|You Can't Take It with You]]''
| spouse           = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Beatrice Kaufman|Beatrice Bakrow]] |1917|1945|end=her death}}
* {{marriage|[[Leueen MacGrath]]|1949|1957|end=div}}
}}
| awards           = {{plainlist|
* [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]]<br />([[Of Thee I Sing|1932]] and [[You Can't Take It with You (play)|1937]])
* [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical|Tony Award Best Director]] ([[Guys and Dolls|1951]])
}}
}}
'''George Simon Kaufman''' (November 16, 1889{{spnd}}June 2, 1961) was an American [[playwright]], [[theater director]] and [[theatre producer|producer]], [[humorist]], and [[drama critic]]. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals for the [[Marx Brothers]] and others. He won the [[Pulitzer Prize]] for Drama for the musical ''[[Of Thee I Sing]]'' (with [[Morrie Ryskind]] and [[Ira Gershwin]]) in 1932, and won again in 1937 for the play ''[[You Can't Take It with You (play)|You Can't Take It with You]]'' (with [[Moss Hart]]). He also won the [[Tony Award]] for Best Director in 1951 for the musical ''[[Guys and Dolls (musical)|Guys and Dolls]]''.

==Early years==
George S. Kaufman was born to Joseph S. Kaufman, a hatband manufacturer,<ref name="1910 United States Federal Census">1910 United States Federal Census</ref> and Nettie Meyers<ref>U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007</ref> in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]. He had a younger sister, Ruth.<ref name="1910 United States Federal Census"/> His other sister was Helen, nicknamed "Helse". Kaufman's family was Jewish. He graduated from high school in 1907 and studied law for three months. He grew disenchanted and took on a series of odd jobs,<ref name=wallace>Wallace, Irving, Amy Wallace, David Wallechinsky and Sylvia Wallace (2008). [https://books.google.com/books?id=FNTFJ1aqXcwC&pg=PA172 ''The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People'']. Feral House, {{ISBN|1-932595-29-5}}, p. 173.</ref> selling silk<ref name="1910 United States Federal Census"/> and working in wholesale ribbon sales.<ref name=obit/>

==Career==
Kaufman began contributing humorous material to the column that [[Franklin P. Adams]] wrote for the ''[[New York Evening Mail|New York Mail]]''. He became close friends with Adams, who helped him get his first newspaper job—humor columnist for ''[[Washington Times-Herald|The Washington Times]]''—in 1912. By 1915 he was a drama reporter on ''[[New-York Tribune|The New York Tribune]]'', working under [[Heywood Broun]]. In 1917 Kaufman joined ''[[The New York Times]]'', becoming drama editor and staying with the newspaper until 1930.<ref name=obit/>

Kaufman took his editorial responsibilities seriously. According to legend, on one occasion a press agent asked: "How do I get our leading lady's name in the ''Times''?" Kaufman: "Shoot her."<ref>{{cite book| last =Herrmann| first =Dorothy| title =With Malice Toward All| publisher =G. P. Putnam's Sons| year =1982| location =New York| page =58}}</ref>

===Theater===
[[File:Kaufman-Hart-1937.jpg|thumb|left|George S. Kaufman and [[Moss Hart]] in 1937]]
Kaufman's [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut was September 4, 1918, at the [[Knickerbocker Theatre (Broadway)|Knickerbocker Theatre]],  with the premiere of the melodrama ''Someone in the House''.<ref>{{cite news |title= The September Line-up | url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F5071FFE3F5D147A93C7AB1783D85F4C8185F9 | date=August 25, 1918 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | access-date=November 13, 2010}} (abstract) {{subscription required}}</ref><ref name=ibdb/> He coauthored the play with Walter C. Percival, based on a magazine story written by Larry Evans.<ref>{{cite journal | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_J_NAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA370 | title= The Stage | pages=356–371 | issue= 2 | volume= LXV | journal= [[Munsey's Magazine]] |date=November 1918 | first = Matthew Jr. | last= White | access-date=October 20, 2011 | location=New York | publisher= F.A. Munsey & Co.}}</ref> The play opened on Broadway (running for only 32 performances) during  [[1918 flu pandemic|that year's serious flu epidemic]], when people were being advised to avoid crowds.  With "dour glee", Kaufman suggested that the best way to avoid crowds in New York City was to attend his play.<ref name="time61obit">{{cite news |url= http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,938133,00.html |archive-url= https://archive.today/20130204134038/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,938133,00.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= February 4, 2013 | title= Broadway: One Man's Mede | date= June 9, 1961 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | access-date=November 13, 2010}}</ref>

Every Broadway season from 1921 through 1958 had a play written or directed by Kaufman. Since Kaufman's death in 1961,<ref name="time61obit"/> revivals of his work on Broadway were produced in the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s, the 2000s, and the 2010s.<ref name=ibdb>[http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=5827 "George S. Kaufman"]. Internet Broadway Database (ibdb.com). Retrieved November 13, 2010.</ref>  Kaufman wrote only one play alone, ''[[The Butter and Egg Man]]'' in 1925.<ref>Londré, Felicia Hardison (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Jldiza39QrcC&pg=PA47 ''Words at Play:Creative Writing and Dramaturgy'']. SIU Press, {{ISBN|0-8093-2679-5}}, p. 47.</ref>  With [[Marc Connelly]], he wrote ''[[Merton of the Movies (play)|Merton of the Movies]]'', ''Dulcy'', and ''[[Beggar on Horseback]]''; with [[Ring Lardner]], he wrote ''[[June Moon]]''; with [[Edna Ferber]], he wrote ''[[The Royal Family (play)|The Royal Family]]'', ''[[Dinner at Eight (play)|Dinner at Eight]]'', and ''[[Stage Door (play)|Stage Door]]''; with [[John P. Marquand]], he wrote a stage adaptation of Marquand's novel ''[[The Late George Apley]]''; and with [[Howard Teichmann]], he wrote ''[[The Solid Gold Cadillac]]''.  According to his biography on PBS, "he wrote some of the American theater's most enduring comedies" with [[Moss Hart]].<ref>Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). [https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/kaufman_g.html "Stars Over Broadway: Biography, Excerpted from the Encyclopedia of Popular Music"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114071807/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/kaufman_g.html |date=November 14, 2011 }}. pbs.org. Retrieved November 13, 2010.</ref> Their work includes ''[[Once in a Lifetime (play)|Once in a Lifetime]]'' (in which he also performed), ''[[Merrily We Roll Along (play)|Merrily We Roll Along]]'', ''[[The Man Who Came to Dinner]]'', and ''[[You Can't Take It with You (play)|You Can't Take It with You]]'', which won the [[Pulitzer Prize]] in 1937.<ref name=pulitzer>[http://www.pulitzer.org/bycat/Drama "The Pulitzer Prizes, Drama"]. pulitzer.org. Retrieved March 6, 2011.</ref>

For a period, Kaufman lived at 158 West 58th Street in New York City. The building later was the setting for ''Stage Door''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Teichmann | first=Howard | title=George S. Kaufman; An Intimate Portrait | url=https://archive.org/details/georgeskaufmanin00teicrich | url-access=registration | location=New York | publisher=Atheneum | year=1972 | oclc=400765}}</ref> It is now the Park Savoy Hotel, and for many years was considered a [[single room occupancy]] hotel.<ref>{{cite news |author=Okane, Laurence | title=Adjunct Garages Irk City Planners; Loophole in Zoning Permits All Comers to Use Space | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/24/archives/adjunct-garages-irk-city-planners-loophole-in-zoning-permits-all.html | work=The New York Times | date= January 24, 1965| access-date=October 13, 2008}} (abstract) {{subscription required}}</ref>

====Musical theater====
Despite his claim that he knew nothing about music and hated it in the theater, Kaufman collaborated on many [[musical theater]] projects. His most successful of such efforts include two Broadway shows crafted for the Marx Brothers, ''[[The Cocoanuts (musical)|The Cocoanuts]]'', written with [[Irving Berlin]], and ''[[Animal Crackers (musical)|Animal Crackers]]'', written with [[Morrie Ryskind]], [[Bert Kalmar]], and [[Harry Ruby]]. According to Charlotte Chandler, "By the time ''Animal Crackers'' opened&nbsp;... the Marx Brothers were becoming famous enough to interest Hollywood. Paramount signed them to a contract".<ref>Chandler, Charlotte (2007). ''Hello, I Must Be Going: Groucho and His Friends'', Simon and Schuster, {{ISBN|1-4165-6521-3}}.</ref>  Kaufman was one of the writers who excelled in writing intelligent nonsense for [[Groucho Marx]], a process that was collaborative, given Groucho's skills at expanding upon the scripted material. Though the Marx Brothers were notoriously critical of their writers, Groucho and [[Harpo Marx]] expressed admiration and gratitude towards Kaufman. [[Dick Cavett]], introducing Groucho onstage at [[Carnegie Hall]] in 1972, told the audience that Groucho considered Kaufman to be "his god".

While ''The Cocoanuts'' was being developed in Atlantic City, Irving Berlin was hugely enthusiastic about including the song "[[Always (1925 song)|Always]]", which he had written as a wedding present for his bride.{{efn|1=Both Kaufman and Marx describe the song as having been written expressly for the show,<ref name="Kaufman site">{{Cite web |url=http://www.georgeskaufman.com/play-catalogue/16-play-catalogue/critics-choice/80-the-cocoanuts-1925.html |title=The Cocoanuts (1925) |last1=Schneider |first1=Anne Kaufman |last2=Maslon |first2=Laurence |author-link2=Laurence Maslon |year=2013 |website=George S. Kaufman website |access-date=May 17, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com/irving-berlins-always-that-groucho-complained-was-for-the-marx-brothers-play-the-cocoanuts/ |title=Irving Berlin's 'Always' That Groucho Complained was for the Marx Brothers play 'The Cocoanuts.' |date=June 29, 2017 |website=The Life and Times of Hollywood |access-date=May 17, 2019 |archive-date=May 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517164818/https://thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com/irving-berlins-always-that-groucho-complained-was-for-the-marx-brothers-play-the-cocoanuts/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> but it had been registered with the [[National Music Publishers Association|Music Publishers' Protective Association]] in May 1925, before Berlin started working on ''The Cocoanuts''.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ArxJGmmIQR8C&pg=PA228 |title=The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin |last1=Kimball |first1=Robert |last2=Emmet |first2=Linda |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |year=2005 |isbn=9781557836816 |pages=228}}</ref> "Always" was eventually restored to the score in a 1996 revival.<ref name="Kaufman site"/>}} Kaufman was less enthusiastic, and refused to rework the libretto to include this number. The song ultimately became a huge hit for Berlin, recorded by many popular performers. According to Laurence Bergreen, "Kaufman's lack of enthusiasm caused Irving to lose confidence in the song, and 'Always' was deleted from the score of ''The Cocoanuts'' – though not from its creator's memory.&nbsp;... Kaufman, a confirmed misogynist, had had no use for the song in ''The Cocoanuts'', but his disapproval did not deter Berlin from saving it for a more important occasion."<ref>Bergreen, Laurence  (1996). ''As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin'', Da Capo Press, {{ISBN|0-306-80675-4}}, pp. 249, 264.</ref> ''The Cocoanuts'' would remain Irving Berlin's only Broadway musical – until his last one, ''[[Mr. President (musical)|Mr. President]]'' – that did not include at least one eventual hit song.

Kaufman recalled the matter differently.  In an article in ''Stage'' magazine, he recalled that Berlin woke him up at 5 am one morning to play a new song he had just written.  "Even ''my'' deficient musical sense recognized that here was a song that was going to be popular.  I listened to it two or three times, then took a stab at it myself, and as dawn came up over the Atlantic, Irving and I were happily singing 'Always' together—its first performance on any stage.  I went back to bed a happy man, and stayed happy until rehearsals started, when it turned out that 'Always' had not been written for our show at all, but purely for Irving's music-publishing house.  In its place in ''The Cocoanuts'' was a song called 'A Little Bungalow,' which we never could reprise in Act Two because the actors couldn't remember it that long."<ref>"Music to My Ears", ''Stage'', August 1938. Reprinted in ''By George: A Kaufman Collection'', 1979.</ref>

Humor derived from political situations was of particular interest to Kaufman. He collaborated on the hit musical ''[[Of Thee I Sing]]'', which won the 1932 Pulitzer Prize, the first musical so honored,<ref name=pulitzer/> and its sequel ''[[Let 'Em Eat Cake]]'', as well as one troubled, but eventually successful, satire that had several incarnations, ''[[Strike Up the Band (musical)|Strike Up the Band]]''. Working with Kaufman on these ventures were Ryskind, [[George Gershwin]], and [[Ira Gershwin]]. Also, Kaufman, with Moss Hart, wrote the book to ''[[I'd Rather Be Right]]'', a musical starring [[George M. Cohan]] as [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] (the U.S. president at the time), with songs by [[Richard Rodgers]] and [[Lorenz Hart]]. He also co-wrote the 1935 comedy-drama ''[[First Lady (play)|First Lady]]''.  In 1945, Kaufman adapted ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]'' into ''[[Hollywood Pinafore]]''.

Kaufman also contributed to major New York revues, including ''[[The Band Wagon (musical)|The Band Wagon]]'' (which shared songs, but not plot with the 1953 film version) with [[Arthur Schwartz]] and [[Howard Dietz]]. His often-anthologized sketch "The Still Alarm" from the revue ''[[The Little Show]]'' lasted long after the show closed. Another well-known sketch of his is "If Men Played Cards as Women Do". Also, musicals have been based on Kaufman properties, such as the 1981 musical version of ''[[Merrily We Roll Along (musical)|Merrily We Roll Along]]'', adapted by [[George Furth]] and [[Stephen Sondheim]].<ref>Rich, Frank (November 17, 1981). [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9805E6D91F39F934A25752C1A967948260 "Stage: A New Sondheim, ''Merrily We Roll Along''"]. ''The New York Times''.</ref> The musical ''[[Sherry!]]'' (1967) was based on his play ''The Man Who Came to Dinner''.<ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=3073 "''Sherry!''"]. Internet Broadway Database (ibdb.com). Retrieved November 13, 2010.</ref>

====Directing and producing====
[[File:The-Front-Page-1928-5.jpg|thumb|''[[The Front Page]]'' (1928)]]
[[File:Ford-Crawford-Of-Mice-and-Men-1938-cropped.jpg|thumb|''Of Mice and Men'' (1937), with [[Wallace Ford]] and [[Broderick Crawford]]]]
Kaufman directed the original or revival stage productions of many plays and musicals, including ''[[The Front Page]]'' by [[Charles MacArthur]] and [[Ben Hecht]] (1928), ''[[Of Thee I Sing]]'' (1931 and 1952), ''[[Of Mice and Men (play)|Of Mice and Men]]'' by [[John Steinbeck]] (1937), ''[[My Sister Eileen (play)|My Sister Eileen]]'' by [[Joseph Fields]] and [[Jerome Chodorov]] (1940), ''[[Hollywood Pinafore]]'' (1945), ''The Next Half Hour'' (1945), ''Park Avenue'' (1946, also co-wrote the book), ''Town House'' (1948), ''Bravo!'' (1948, also co-wrote the script), ''Metropole'' (1949), the [[Frank Loesser]] musical ''[[Guys and Dolls (musical)|Guys and Dolls]]'', for which he won the 1951 Best Director [[Tony Award]], ''[[The Enchanted (play)|The Enchanted]]'' (1950), ''The Small Hours'' (1951, also co-wrote the script), ''Fancy Meeting You Again'' (1952, also co-wrote the script), ''[[The Solid Gold Cadillac]]'' (1953, also co-wrote the script), and ''[[Romanoff and Juliet (play)|Romanoff and Juliet]]'' by [[Peter Ustinov]] (1957).<ref name=ibdb/>

Kaufman produced many of his own plays, as well as those of other writers. For a short time, from ''circa'' 1940 to 1946, Kaufman, with Moss Hart and Max Gordon, owned and operated the [[Lyceum Theatre (Broadway)|Lyceum Theatre]].<ref>Bloom, Ken (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=zd15GW0ruWUC&pg=PA158 "Lyceum Theatre"]. ''The Routledge Guide To Broadway'', CRC Press, {{ISBN|0-415-97380-5}}, p. 158.</ref>

===Film and television===
Many of Kaufman's plays were adapted into Hollywood and British films.  Among the more well-received were ''[[Dinner at Eight (play)|Dinner At Eight]]'', ''[[Stage Door]]'' (almost completely rewritten by others for the film version) and ''[[You Can't Take It with You (film)|You Can't Take It with You]]'' (changed significantly by others for the film version), which won the Best Picture [[Academy Award|Oscar]] in 1938, and ''[[The Dark Tower (1943 film)|The Dark Tower]]''. He also occasionally wrote directly for the movies, most significantly the screenplay for ''[[A Night at the Opera (film)|A Night at the Opera]]'' for the Marx Brothers. His only credit as a [[film director]] was ''[[The Senator Was Indiscreet]]'' (1947) starring William Powell.

From 1949 until midway through the 1952–1953 season, he appeared as a panelist on the [[CBS]] [[television series]] ''[[This Is Show Business]]''.<ref>McNeil, Alex. ''Total Television: Revised Edition''. Penguin Books (1996), pp. 830–1. {{ISBN|0140249168}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081222123130/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,817722,00.html "Radio: The Troubled Air"]. ''Time'', January 12, 1953.</ref> Kaufman made a remark about the excessive airing of "[[Silent Night]]" during the [[Christmas]] season, "Let's make this one program", he said, "on which no one sings 'Silent Night'."  The resulting public outcry prompted his dismissal by CBS.<ref name = "TTV">McNeil, Alex. ''Total Television: Revised Edition''. Penguin Books (1996), p. 832. {{ISBN|0140249168}}</ref>  In response, [[Fred Allen]] said, "There were only two wits on television: [[Groucho Marx]] and George S. Kaufman.  Without Kaufman, television has reverted to being half-witted."<ref>Kaufman, GS. ''By George: A Kaufman Collection''. St. Martins Press (1979), pp. ix–x. {{ISBN|0312111010}}</ref>  It would be more than a year before Kaufman appeared on TV again.<ref name = "TTV"/>

===Bridge===

Kaufman was a prominent player of bridge, probably both [[auction bridge]] and [[contract bridge]]. ''[[The New Yorker]]'' published many of his humorous items about the card game; at least some have been reprinted more than once, including:
*"Kibitzers' Revolt" {{when|date=June 2014}} and the suggestion that bridge clubs should post notice whether the North–South or the East–West pairs are holding good cards.<ref name=ACBLbeat>[http://acblstory.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/acbl-bridge-beat-121-george-kaufman "ACBL Bridge Beat #121: George Kaufman"]. ''Not Just the ACBL Story – but History''. November 5, 2012. [[American Contract Bridge League]] (75th Anniversary contributions by anonymous members?). Retrieved June 13, 2014.</ref>
*Kaufman was notoriously impatient with poor players. One such partner asked permission to use the men's room, according to legend, and Kaufman replied: "Gladly. For the first time today I'll know what you have in your hand."<ref name=ACBLbeat/><ref>{{cite book| editor1-last =Hall| editor1-first =Donald| title =The Oxford Book of American Literary Anecdotes| publisher =Oxford| year =1981| location =New York| page =234}}</ref>
*On sitting South: (1) "No matter who writes the books or articles, South holds the most terrific cards I ever saw. There is a lucky fellow if ever I saw one."<ref>{{cite book |last = Johnson |first = Jared |title = Classic Bridge Quotes |publisher = Devyn Press Inc. |location = Louisville, KY |page = 61 |year = 1989 |isbn = 0-910791-66-X }}</ref> (2) [[Oswald Jacoby]] reported a deal that Kaufman played marvelously in 1952, after which he cracked, "I'd rather sit South than be the [[President of the United States|President]]."<ref name=ACBLbeat/>
*On {{gcb|coffeehousing}}, "I'd like a review of the bidding with all the original inflections."<ref>{{cite book |last = Johnson |first = Jared |title = Classic Bridge Quotes |publisher = Devyn Press Inc. |location = Louisville, KY |page = 41 |year = 1989 |isbn = 0-910791-66-X }}</ref>

His first wife [[Beatrice Kaufman|Beatrice Bakrow Kaufman]] was also an avid bridge player, and an occasional poker player with [[Algonquin Round Table|Algonquin]] men, who wrote at least one ''New Yorker'' article on bridge herself, in 1928.<ref name=beatrice>Galchinsky, Michael (March 1, 2009). "Beatrice Kaufman 1895–1945". ''Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia''. Jewish Women's Archive (jwa.org). Retrieved June 13, 2014.</ref>

==Personal life==

[[File:Portrait of Beatrice Kaufman LCCN2004663117.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Beatrice Kaufman]] in 1934]]

In the 1920s, Kaufman was a member of the [[Algonquin Round Table]], a circle of writers and show business people. From the 1920s through the 1950s, Kaufman was as well known for his personality as he was for his writing.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} In the [[Moss Hart]] autobiography ''[[Act One (book)|Act One]]'', Hart portrayed Kaufman as a morose and intimidating figure, uncomfortable with any expressions of affection between human beings—in life or on the page. Hart writes that Max Siegel said: "Maybe I should have warned you. Mr Kaufman hates any kind of sentimentality—can't stand it!"<ref>Hart, Moss (1989). ''Act one: an autobiography''. Macmillan, {{ISBN|0-312-03272-2}}, p. 274.</ref>
This perspective, along with a number of taciturn observations made by Kaufman himself, led to a simplistic but commonly held belief that Hart was the emotional soul of the creative team while Kaufman was a misanthropic writer of punchlines.  Kaufman preferred never to leave Manhattan. He once said: "I never want to go any place where I can't get back to Broadway and 44th by midnight."<ref>{{cite book| last=Meryman| first=Richard| author-link=Richard Meryman|title=Mank: The Wit, World, and Life of Herman Mankiewicz| url=https://archive.org/details/mankwitworldlife00mery| url-access=registration|publisher=William Morrow|year=1978|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/mankwitworldlife00mery/page/100 100]| isbn=9780688033569}}</ref>

Called "Public Lover Number One", he dated several prominent actresses on Broadway.<ref name=wallace174>Wallace 2008, p. 174.</ref> Kaufman found himself in the center of a scandal in 1936 when, in the midst of a child custody suit, the former husband of actress [[Mary Astor]] threatened to publish one of Astor's diaries purportedly containing extremely explicit details of an affair between Kaufman and the actress.<ref name=wallace174/> The diary was eventually destroyed by the court, unread, in 1952, but details of the supposed contents were published in ''[[Confidential (magazine)|Confidential]]'' magazine, ''[[Hollywood Babylon]]'' by [[Kenneth Anger]] (both always have been considered unreliable sources)<ref>[https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2007/08/confidential--1.html ''Los Angeles Times'' piece about unreliability of ''Confidential'' magazine]</ref><ref>[http://thepurplediaries.com/2017/03/29/kenneth-angers-hollywood-babylon-fiction-verses-fact/ RS explains unreliability of Kenneth Anger’s Hollywood Babylon]</ref> and in various other questionable publications. Some of the sexually explicit portions of Mary Astor's writing about Kaufman were reprinted in ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine in 2012 and ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' magazine in 2016.<ref name=NYmag>{{cite journal|title=Mary Astor Blushes When Her Filthy Diary Leaks|journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=April 9, 2012|page=44|url=http://nymag.com/news/features/scandals/mary-astor-2012-4|access-date=September 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/09/inside-the-trial-of-actress-mary-astor-hollywoods-juiciest-sex-scandal|title=Inside the Trial of Actress Mary Astor, Old Hollywood's Juiciest Sex Scandal|last=Sorel|first=Edward|author-link=Edward Sorel|journal=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|date=October 2016 |access-date=September 26, 2016}}</ref> Kaufman had an affair with actress [[Natalie Schafer]] during the 1940s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brozan |first=Nadine |date=February 13, 1995 |title=Chronicle |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/13/nyregion/chronicle-058495.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 14, 2018 }}</ref>

Kaufman joined the theater club, The Lambs, in 1944.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://the-lambs.org/history/roster/ |title=Member Roster |date=November 6, 2015 |publisher=[[The Lambs]] |access-date=March 14, 2018 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531032150/https://the-lambs.org/history/roster/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Kaufman was married to his first wife Beatrice from 1917 until her death in 1945.<ref name=beatrice/><ref>
{{cite news |date=October 7, 1945 |title=Beatrice Kaufman, Story Editor, Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/10/07/archives/beatrice-kaufman-story-editor-dies-wife-of-noted-playwright-did.html
 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 14, 2018 }}</ref> They had one daughter, Anne Kaufman (Booth).<ref name=beatrice/> Four years later, he married actress [[Leueen MacGrath]] on May 26, 1949,<ref>{{cite news |date=May 27, 1949 |title=George S. Kaufman Weds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/05/27/archives/george-s-kaufman-weds-playwright-and-leueen-m-grathi-actress-marry-.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 14, 2018 }}</ref> with whom he collaborated on a number of plays before their divorce in August 1957. Kaufman died in New York City on June 2, 1961, at the age of 71.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |date=June 3, 1961 |title=George S. Kaufman Dies at 71 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/06/03/archives/george-s-kaufman-dies-at-71-shared-2-pulitzers-for-drama-cited-for.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 14, 2018 }}</ref> His granddaughter, [[Beatrice Colen]], was an actress who had recurring appearances on both ''[[Happy Days]]'' and ''[[Wonder Woman (TV series)|Wonder Woman]]''.<ref>[http://www.wonderland-site.com/html/miscel/bios/bios5.htm Beatrice Colen profile]. Wonderland: The Ultimate Lynda Carter Site; retrieved June 13, 2014.</ref>

In 1979, [[Donald Oliver]] compiled and edited a collection of Kaufman's humorous pieces, with a foreword by [[Dick Cavett]].<ref>Kaufman, George S. (Donald Oliver, compiler/editor) (1979). ''By George: A Kaufman Collection''. New York: St. Martin's Press, {{ISBN|0-312-11101-0}}.</ref>

==Portrayals==
Kaufman was portrayed by the actor [[David Thornton (actor)|David Thornton]] in the 1994 film ''[[Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle]]''<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110588 "''Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle''"]. Internet Movie Database (imdb.com).</ref> and by [[Jason Robards]] in the 1963 film ''[[Act One (film)|Act One]]''. In the 2014 Broadway adaptation of the latter by [[James Lapine]], he was played by [[Tony Shalhoub]].

The title character of the 1991 [[Coen brothers]] film ''[[Barton Fink]]'', who is a playwright, bears a strong physical resemblance to Kaufman.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/bartonfinkrhowe_a0b31a.htm?noredirect=on |title=Barton Fink |last=Howe |first=Desson |date=August 23, 1991 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=May 17, 2019 }}</ref>

Kaufman is portrayed in the film ''[[Mank]]'' by actor Adam Shapiro.<ref>{{Citation|title=Mank (2020) – IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt10618286/fullcredits|access-date=April 22, 2021}}</ref>

==Awards==
{|class="wikitable"
| Awarding institution 
| Award title
| Year
| Production
| Results
| Notes
|-
| [[Pulitzer Prize]]
| [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]]
| 1932
| ''[[Of Thee I Sing]]''
| {{Won}}
| Won award in collaboration of [[Morris Ryskind]], [[Ira Gershwin]]
|-
| Pulitzer Prize
| Pulitzer Prize for Drama
| 1937
| ''[[You Can't Take It With You (play)|You Can't Take It With You]]''
| {{Won}}
| Award won in collaboration with [[Moss Hart]]
|-
| [[Tony Awards]]
| [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical]]
| 1951
| ''[[Guys and Dolls (musical)|Guys and Dolls]]''
| {{Won}}
|
|}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

==External links==
{{Archival records|title=	George S. Kaufman and Anne Kaufman Schneider papers, circa 1892–1998|location= Music Division, [[Library of Congress]]|description_URL=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu014003}}

{{Commons category|George S. Kaufman}}
{{Portal|Biography|Theater}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121005161641/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&keyword=name&first=George&last=Kaufman&middle=S. George S. Kaufman] at [[Internet Off-Broadway Database]]
* {{IMDb name|442151}}
* {{FadedPage|id=Kaufman, George S.|name=George S. Kaufman|author=yes}}
*[http://arcat.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=678/ George S. Kaufman Papers] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20131210040651/http://arcat.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=678/ |date=December 10, 2013 }} at the [[Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research]]
*[http://lccn.loc.gov/mm73028233/ George S. Kaufman Papers at the Library of Congress]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110131074052/http://www.georgeskaufman.com/index.html George S. Kaufman.com]
*[http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsK/kaufman-george-s.html George S. Kaufman at doollee.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418012604/http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsK/kaufman-george-s.html |date=April 18, 2009 }}, The Playwrights Database
*{{cite web| date=October 8, 2010 | title=The Titan and the Pfc | department= Opinionator |url= http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/the-titan-and-the-pfc/| first=Dick | last=Cavett | newspaper=The New York Times| author-link=Dick Cavett }} (a tribute to Kaufman)
* {{LCAuth|n79063710|George S. Kaufman|158}}

{{George Kaufman}}
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[[Category:1889 births]]
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