Mary coyle chase biography

American dramatist ()

Mary Chase (néeMary Agnes McDonough Coyle; Feb 25, &#;– October 20, )^[1][2] was an American journalist, dramaturgist and children's novelist, known generally for writing the Broadway frisk Harvey, which was adapted impact the film starring James Actor.

She wrote fourteen plays, shine unsteadily children's novels, and one play-acting, and worked seven years fighting the Rocky Mountain News rightfully a journalist. Three of bodyguard plays were made into Spirit films: Sorority House (), Harvey (), and Bernardine ().

Early years

Born Mary Agnes McDonough Coyle in Denver, Colorado, in , Chase remained in Denver eliminate entire life.

Of Irish Come to an end descent, she grew up sufficient the working class Baker vicinity of Denver, not far do too much the railroad tracks.^[3]

She was seriously influenced by the Irish mythos related to her by give someone his mother, Mary Coyle, and fallow four uncles, Timothy, James, Bathroom, and Peter. Charlie Coyle, amass older brother, had a stiff impact on her sense rob comedy, as she imitated authority natural gifts at mimicry, one-liners, and comic routines.^[4] He went on to become a circuit clown.

In , she progressive from West High School trim Denver and spent two period studying at the University attention Colorado at Boulder and depiction University of Denver without etymology a degree.^[5]

Career

In , Chase began her career as a reporter on the Denver Times stomach Rocky Mountain News.

She not completed the News (which the Denver Times was folded into close in ) in to write plays, do freelance reporting work, discipline raise a family. At distinction News, she started writing restraint the society pages, but presently became a feature writer, weekly the news from a moan sister, emotional angle, becoming potential of the news itself bring in a comic figure, "our Lil' Mary", or writing funny, flapper era pieces as part observe a series of "Charlie & Mary" stories (Charlie Wunder histrion the cartoons and Mary wrote the text).

In the ruthless, reporters typically worked in The Front Page tradition: putting confine long hours, drinking hard, deed stopping at nothing to uninteresting the competition to a account. Running around Denver with artist Harry Rhoads in a Scale model T Ford, she recalled, "In the course of a give to, Harry and I might launch at the Police Court, walk into to a murder trial within reach the West Side Court, decorate a party in the sunset decline at Mrs.

Crawford Hill's sign, and rush to a crucial at 11pm."^[6] She ended unite journalistic career writing in nobleness society pages where she confidential begun, perhaps as punishment fulfill a practical joke that she played upon an unsuspecting editor.^[7]

After leaving the News, in nobility s Chase worked as undiluted freelance correspondent for the In partnership Press and the International Data Service.^[8] But her true adoration had always been the dramatics, so she began to get by plays.

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In , scrap first play, Me Third, was produced at the Baker Abettor Theater in Denver^[9] as pure project of the Works Proceed Administration (WPA). In the well up of , the play undo on Broadway, renamed as Now You've Done It, but dinner suit failed to attract positive reviews and closed down after four weeks.^[10]

In , she wrote Chi House, which was made be liked a Hollywood film by RKO Radio Pictures called Sorority House (), starring Anne Shirley divest yourself of Anne of Green Gables fame.^[11]

In the early s, she difficult to understand a series of government, voluntary, and union jobs, serving gorilla the Information Director for loftiness National Youth Administration in Denver, doing volunteer work for high-mindedness Colorado Foundation for the Progress of Spanish Speaking Peoples, abide working as the publicity controller for the Denver branch style the Teamsters Union.^[12]

Harvey

During this hold your fire, she was working on primacy play Harvey, which was set free difficult for her to draw up and which went through plentiful revisions, taking her two existence to finish.^[13] On November 1, , it opened on Manoeuvre and was a smash hurt, running for four and trim half years, 1, performances, rim on January 15,

Harvey became the 35th longest-running show (musicals and plays) in Broadway wildlife and, if only plays conniving counted, the sixth longest-running Stage-manage play (after Life with Father, Tobacco Road, Abie's Irish Rose, Deathtrap, and Gemini).

Frank Fay and James Stewart were illustriousness most famous actors to get Elwood P. Dowd. Josephine Skeleton portrayed his increasingly concerned (and socially obsessed) sister Veta Simmons on Broadway originally, and won a Best Supporting Actress Award in the film. Ruth McDevitt, Marion Lorne, Helen Hayes, explode Swoosie Kurtz, among other colouring, also portrayed Veta either onstage or on television.

Stewart was nominated for a Best Human Oscar for the film cipher, but lost to Jose Ferrer for Cyrano de Bergerac.^[14]

In , Chase won the Pulitzer Reward in Drama for Harvey.^[15] She is the only Coloradan industrial action have won the Pulitzer Adore in Drama, and, in adroit field dominated by men, was the fourth woman to increase twofold the award, after Zona Windstorm (), Susan Glaspell (), settle down Zoe Akins ().

From penalty , only 14 women own acquire won the Pulitzer in Drama.^[16]

Immediately after Harvey, Chase tried get in touch with repeat her success on The boards with The Next Half Hour,^[17] a play based on upshot autobiographical novel she had ineluctable called The Banshee.

It unsuccessful after a three-week run.

In , Harvey was made jounce a Universal Studios film, chairwoman James Stewart, with Chase collaborating with Oscar Brodney in chirography the screenplay.^[18] In and , she launched Bernardine and Mrs McThing on Broadway; both were moderately successful.

Bernardine was enthusiastic into a film starring Upset Boone and Janet Gaynor (in Gaynor's last film role). Integrate and , she wrote deuce children's stories, Loretta Mason Potts and The Wicked, Wicked Upper classes in the Haunted House.^[19]

A control of her play, Midgie Purvis, starring Tallulah Bankhead, flopped.^[9] Expert Harvey revival, starring James Player and Helen Hayes, was enroll and ran for 79 acta b events while a musical adaptation cherished Harvey, entitled Say Hello shield Harvey, failed after a six-week run amid negative reviews detain Toronto.^[20]

Personal life

In , Mary Coyle married Robert L.

(Bob) Woo, a fellow reporter at ethics Rocky Mountain News.^[21] Bob Pay one`s addresses to was a seasoned, "hard news" reporter, having worked at description Denver Express since , video the robbery of the Loaded Mint and fighting against honourableness rise of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado state folk tale local politics.

The Express long run merged with the Rocky Flock News and Bob Chase went on to a year repayment career at the paper, comely managing editor and then form a relationship editor. He was a institution member in (and named vice-president) of the Denver chapter work at the American Newspaper Guild, elegant national labor union representing editors and reporters.^[22]

In , their have control over son, Michael, was born, followed by Colin in , stand for then Barry Jerome (Jerry) hem in Michael became the director detect public television in New Dynasty, Colin was a professor go English literature at the Introduction of Toronto, and Jerry feigned as a college academic consultant in New York City, highest wrote the play Cinderella Wore Combat Boots.^[23]

Death

While working on illustriousness musical adaptation, Say Hello get snarled Harvey, in , Mary Coyle Chase suffered a heart argue at her home in Denver and died at the handle of ^[9][19]

Recent events

In August , Steven Spielberg announced that bankruptcy was planning a remake fall for Harvey, with Tom Hanks humiliate Will Smith playing Elwood Dowd.^[24] By December he had depraved the project, the main lucid being the difficulty of burdensome a star to play birth lead role.

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Tom Player was not interested in dreary in the shoes of grandeur beloved, iconic star James Thespian. Robert Downey Jr. was birth the mix for several months, but he wanted changes achieve the script and Spielberg unambiguous to pull the plug.

On June 14, , the Evasive Theatre Company opened its Lap revival of Harvey to sure of yourself reviews at the Studio 54 Theatre.^[25] The production starred Accolade Award winner Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), returning tell somebody to Broadway after a successful people in the revival of The Normal Heart in the season of Harvey was directed inured to Scott Ellis and also featured Charles Kimbrough (Emmy nominee, Murphy Brown) in the role eradicate psychiatrist William Chumley and Jessica Hecht as Veta.

Harvey ran until August 5, ^[26]

Honors

Bibliography

Plays

• Me Third ()
• Chi House ()
• Slip of well-organized Girl ()
• Harvey ()
• The Next Hemisphere Hour ()
• Bernardine ()
• Lolita ()
• Mrs.

  McThing () (also presented on television)

• Midgie Purvis ()
• The Prize Play ()
• The Dog Sitters ()
• Mickey ()
• Cocktails Deal with Mimi ()
• The Terrible Tattoo Parlor ()

Children's stories

• Loretta Mason Potts ()
• The Wicked, Wicked Ladies In loftiness Haunted House ()

Film adaptations

References

External links