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On Kaufman and Hart…
George S. Kaufman
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Moss Hart
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In the records of American theatre, the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
collaboration lasted only ten years, from 1930 to 1940. This, however, seems
hard to believe. During the partnership, the popularity of their plays was
tremendous. This popularity continues to this day; it is as if Kaufman and
Hart have always been there.
In 1929 at 25 years of age, Hart was a penniless, aspiring young man with one
single ambition: to be a Broadway playwright. He had written a handful of plays
with no success until he completed a comedy about the changeover from silent
films to talking pictures and actors who talk. Broadway producer Sam Harris
offered him a production if he would agree to work with Kaufman, who could help
iron out the comedy kinks. Since Kaufman was one of the most successful
playwrights in the country, this was a wonderful opportunity for Hart.
The play they wrote was Once in a Lifetime. Opening in September 1930, it
became one of the greatest successes of its time. Hart sprang overnight from
oblivion to being one of the brightest stars of the inner circle, known as the
Algonquin Roundtable. Kaufman and Hart were on a pedestal in the theatrical hall
of fame. Over the next ten years, they wrote seven other shows together, all of
them major events and four were long-run hits - Merrily We Roll Along
(1934), You Can’t Take It with You
(1936), I’d Rather Be Right (1937), The Fabulous Invalid (1938),
The American Way (1939), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939), and
George Washington Slept Here (1940).
Hart had a psychological need to prove to himself that he could work alone.
After 1940, the two did not work together again. Alone, Hart was brilliant.
During this time, he wrote Lady in the Dark, Winged Victory,
Christopher Blake, Light Up the Sky, and The Climate of Eden.
In addition, he wrote many screenplays that were produced in Hollywood,
including the 1954 version of A Star Is Born. His most notable screenplay
was Gentleman’s Agreement, which won an Academy Award.
Before and after working with Hart, Kaufman wrote such hits as The Butter and
Egg Man, The Coconuts, and Strike Up the Band; The Royal
Family and Dinner at Eight (with Edna Ferber);
Animal Crackers
(with Morris Ryskind); Park Avenue; and The Solid Gold Cadillac
(with Howard Teichmann) in addition to being one of Broadway’s busiest directors.
The two men remained the best of friends. Following Kaufman’s death on June 2,
1961, Hart delivered a moving address at the funeral. He died seven months later
on December 20, 1961.
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