Harris, Jed

Harris, Jed [né Jacob Horowitz] (1899–1979), producer and director. The abrasive but brilliant theatre artist, who once described himself as “an adventurer with a passion for the theatre and an indifference to show business,” was born in Vienna, brought to America while still very young, and was educated at Yale. After a brief stint in journalism, including time with the New York Clipper, Harris found modest success with Love 'Em and Leave 'Em (1926) and Spread Eagle (1927), then produced a series of hits that were not merely fine theatre but eminently “show business”: Broadway (1926), Coquette (1927), The Royal Family (1927), and The Front Page (1928). Although he quickly earned a reputation as the “wonder boy” of Broadway, his eccentric behavior antagonized many. Once he called several of his associates to his apartment to discuss revisions for a play. When they arrived they found him lounging, totally naked, and he remained so throughout the discussions. As one of the men was leaving (some accounts say it was George S. Kaufman, others, Charles MacArthur) he said to Harris, “Jed, your fly is open.” Harris gained national notoriety when he sued Helen Hayes, who was leaving Coquette to have a baby. He argued that an actress should not be pregnant when accepting a role or become pregnant while playing a part. Hayes countered that a baby was an “act of God.” The brouhaha resulted in “act of God” clauses being inserted in subsequent contracts to protect actresses. In the 1930s Harris began directing his productions, including interesting revivals of Uncle Vanya and The Inspector General and a mounting of the controversial The Green Bay Tree (1933). For the most part, however, his earlier success eluded him until he produced and directed Our Town (1938). Thereafter, only his productions of a slight comedy, Dark Eyes (1943), and the drama The Heiress (1947) were commercial successes, although some of his mountings, such as the thriller The Traitor (1949), received good notices. In 1953 he directed The Crucible. Autobiography: A Dance on the High Wire, 1979.