John William Van Druten

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John William Van Druten

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

John William Van Druten , 1901-57, English dramatist. His best-known plays, primarily light comedies, include Old Acquaintance (1940), The Voice of the Turtle (1943), I Remember Mama (1944), Bell, Book and Candle (1950), and I Am a Camera (1951). In 1944 he became a U.S. citizen.

Bibliography: See his autobiographies, The Way to the Present (1938) and The Widening Circle (1957).

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Van Druten, John (William)

The Oxford Companion to American Literature | 1995 | | © The Oxford Companion to American Literature 1995, originally published by Oxford University Press 1995. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Van Druten, John [William] (1901–57), English‐born playwright and novelist, came to the U.S. in 1925 with his first play, Young Woodley, after it had been banned from production in England. He later rewrote the play as a novel (1929) with the same title. He became a U.S. citizen in 1944. His later plays include The Voice of the Turtle (1943), a bittersweet romantic comedy; I Remember Mama (1944), based on auto‐biographical sketches of San Francisco life by Kathryn Forbes; Bell, Book, and Candle (1950), a light comedy about modern witchcraft; and I Am a Camera (1951; published, 1952), based on Christopher Isherwood's sketches of Berlin life, Goodbye to Berlin.

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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Van Druten, John (William)." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Van Druten, John (William)." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (December 26, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-VanDrutenJohnWilliam.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Van Druten, John (William)." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press. 1995. Retrieved December 26, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-VanDrutenJohnWilliam.html

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van Druten, John

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre | 2004 | | © The Oxford Companion to American Theatre 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

van Druten, John (1901–57), playwright. The London‐born dramatist originally planned a career in law, which he practiced and taught for a time. He was well known for such plays as Young Woodley (1925), There's Always Juliet (1932), and The Distaff Side (1934) prior to his coming to America. Van Druten's best‐received American works were The Voice of the Turtle (1943), I Remember Mama (1944), Bell, Book and Candle (1950), and I Am a Camera (1951). He was at his best as a witty, urbane observer of modern society. Autobiography: The Widening Circle, 1957.

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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "van Druten, John." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford University Press. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "van Druten, John." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford University Press. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (December 26, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-vanDrutenJohn.html

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "van Druten, John." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford University Press. 2004. Retrieved December 26, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-vanDrutenJohn.html

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Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 10/29/2005; 700+ words ; ...Bell, Book and Candleby John Van Druten Feb. 24-26, March...Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare June: Directors...30: The Tempest, by William Shakespeare. Dec. 9...a free production of a William Shakespeare play in Congress...
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