Marc Connelly

Marc Connelly (Marcus Cook Connelly) , 1890-1981, American dramatist, b. McKeesport, Pa. He is best known for his Pulitzer Prize winning play The Green Pastures (1930), a fantasy of biblical history presented in terms of the religious life of Southern blacks; it was based on Roark Bradford's book Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun (1928). Connelly also collaborated with George S. Kaufman on the plays Dulcy (1921), To the Ladies (1922), Merton of the Movies (1922), and Beggar on Horseback (1924). He published his first novel, A Souvenir from Quam in 1965; it satirizes spy stories.

Bibliography: See his memoirs (1968).

Connelly, Marc[us Cook] (1890–1981), playwright. Born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, he began writing plays for amateur productions while working as a newspaperman in nearby Pittsburgh. In 1916 he wrote the libretto and lyrics for The Amber Princess, but by the time the musical reached New York, others had rewritten the book and only one of his lyrics survived. After updating the libretto of Erminie for a 1921 revival, Connelly joined forces with George S. Kaufman, and together they wrote Dulcy (1921), To the Ladies (1922), Merton of the Movies (1922), the musical Helen of Troy, New York (1923), The Deep Tangled Wildwood (1923), Beggar on Horseback (1924), the musical Be Yourself (1924), and sketches for The 49ers (1922). After the two separated, Connelly wrote the fantasy The Wisdom Tooth (1926), and with Herman J. Mankiewicz, the comedy The Wild Man of Borneo (1927). Connelly's greatest success was the folklike fantasy The Green Pastures (1930), followed by the popular The Farmer Takes a Wife (1934). He directed many plays, most notably Having Wonderful Time (1937), and made occasional appearances as an actor when his bald head and avuncular face and voice prompted his casting in folksy parts. Autobiography: Voices Offstage, New York, 1968.