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Hart, Moss
Hart, Moss (1904–61), playwright and director. Born in New York, he received his earliest theatrical training as assistant to producer Augustus Pitou. Hart's first two plays failed, but success came when he collaborated with George S. Kaufman on the Hollywood spoof Once in a Lifetime (1930). The team of Kaufman and Hart would write some of the most popular or interesting plays of the day, including Merrily We Roll Along (1934), You Can't Take It with You (1936), The Fabulous Invalid (1938), The American Way (1939), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939), and George Washington Slept Here (1940), as well as the libretto for the musical I'd Rather Be Right (1937). With others or alone, Hart wrote the books or sketches for the musicals Face the Music (1932), As Thousands Cheer (1933), The Great Waltz (1934), Jubilee (1935), Sing Out the News (1938), and Lady in the Dark (1941). His solo nonmusical efforts include Winged Victory (1943), Christopher Blake (1946), Light Up the Sky (1948), and The Climate of Eden (1952). Because so many of Hart's earlier works were collaborations, it is difficult to assess his precise contribution to them, but his solo efforts revealed a gift for superior, literate dialogue and probing characterization, this last quality probably reflecting his interest in human psychology following his own much‐publicized psychoanalysis. Besides directing many of his own shows, he also staged such hits as Junior Miss (1941), Dear Ruth (1944), My Fair Lady (1956), and Camelot (1960). Autobiography: Act One, 1959. Biography: Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart, Steven Bach, 2001.
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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Hart, Moss." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Hart, Moss." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-HartMoss.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Hart, Moss." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-HartMoss.html |
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Moss Hart
Moss Hart 1904–61, American dramatist, b. New York City, studied at Columbia. His first important play, Once in a Lifetime (1930), marked the beginning of a long collaboration with George S. Kaufman . Among their other successful comedies are Merrily We Roll Along (1934), You Can't Take It with You (1936; Pulitzer Prize), I'd Rather Be Right (1937, written with George M. Cohan ), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939), and George Washington Slept Here (1940). Hart also collaborated on musicals with Irving Berlin and Cole Porter , and his most successful musical, Lady in the Dark (1941), was written with Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin . Among his plays, produced between 1941 and 1952, are Winged Victory,Christopher Blake,Light Up the Sky, and The Climate of Eden. Hart also directed several 1940s film comedies and wrote the 1952 screen hit Hans Christian Andersen. In 1956 he returned to Broadway as director of the long-running musical hit My Fair Lady. |
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"Moss Hart." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Moss Hart." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Hart-Mos.html "Moss Hart." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Hart-Mos.html |
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Hart, Moss
Hart, Moss (1904–61), New York playwright, was best known for his collaborations with George S. Kaufman, which include Once in a Lifetime (1930), You Can't Take It with You (1936, Pulitzer Prize), I'd Rather Be Right (1937), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939), and George Washington Slept Here (1940). He also wrote the librettos for the Irving Berlin revues Face the Music (1932) and As Thousands Cheer (1933), and the musical comedy Lady in the Dark (1941), with songs by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin. Winged Victory (1943), a play about the air force, was performed by soldiers. Act One (1959) is his autobiography.
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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Hart, Moss." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Hart, Moss." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-HartMoss.html James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Hart, Moss." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-HartMoss.html |
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Hart, Moss
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Cite this article
"Hart, Moss." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Hart, Moss." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-HartMoss.html "Hart, Moss." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-HartMoss.html |
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