George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades.

Early years

Abbott was born in

Forestville, New York Forestville is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 697 at the 2010 census. The hamlet is within the town of Hanover and in the northeast part of the county. It was an incorporate ...

, to George Burwell Abbott (May 1858

Erie County, New York Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York State. As of the 2020 census, the population was 954,236. The county seat is Buffalo, which makes up about 28% of the county's population. Both the county and Lake Erie w ...

– February 4, 1942

Hamburg, New York Hamburg is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 56,936. It is named after the city of Hamburg, Germany. The town is on the western border of the county and is south of Buffalo. Ham ...

) and Hannah May McLaury (1869 – June 20, 1940

). He later moved to the city of

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...

, which twice elected his father mayor. In 1898, his family moved to

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne ...

, where he attended Kearney Military Academy. Within a few years, his family returned to New York, and he graduated from

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

High School in 1907. In 1911 he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...

, Sweeney, Louise
"Director George Abbott"
''Christian Science Monitor'', January 6, 1983 where he wrote his first play, ''Perfectly Harmless'', for the University Dramatic Club. Abbott then attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, to take a course in playwriting from George Pierce Baker. Under Baker's tutelage, he wrote ''The Head of the Family'', which was performed at the Harvard Dramatic Club in 1912. He then worked for a year as "author, gofer, and actor" at the Bijou Theatre in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where his play ''The Man in the Manhole'' won a contest.

Career

Abbott started acting on Broadway in 1913, debuting in ''The Misleading Lady''."George Abbott. The Stars"
pbs.com, accessed August 5, 2019 While acting in several plays in New York City, he began to write; his first successful play was ''The Fall Guy'' (1925). Abbott acquired a reputation as an astute "show doctor". He frequently was called upon to supervise changes when a show was having difficulties in tryouts or previews prior to its Broadway opening. His first hit was ''

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

'', written and directed in partnership with

Philip Dunning Philip Hart Dunning (December 11, 1889 – July 20, 1968) was a playwright and theatrical producer. Early years and education Dunning, one of six children, was the son of John M. Dunn, an electrochemist, and Mary Dunn. Theater and films Dun ...

, whose play Abbott "rejiggered". It opened on September 16, 1926, at the

Broadhurst Theatre The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for the Shubert brothers. The Bro ...

and ran for 603 performances. Other successes followed, and it was a rare year that did not have an Abbott production on Broadway. He also worked in Hollywood as a film writer and director while continuing with his theatre work. Among those who worked with Abbott early in their careers are

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...

, Gene Kelly,

June Havoc June Havoc (born Ellen Evangeline Hovick; November 8, 1912 – March 28, 2010) was a Canadian American actress, dancer, stage director and memoirist. Havoc was a child vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother Rose Thompson Hovick, ...

Betty Comden Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned ...

Adolph Green Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Ar ...

, Leonard Bernstein, Jules Styne, Stephen Sondheim,

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films a ...

, John Kander,

Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Riv ...

Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...

and Liza Minnelli.Folkart, Bur
"George Abbott; Legendary Broadway Producer, 107"
''Los Angeles Times'', February 1, 1995 He introduced the "fast-paced, tightly integrated style that influenced" performers and especially directors such as

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

and Hal Prince.

Autobiography

In 1963, he published his autobiography, ''Mister Abbott''.

Personal life

Abbott was married to Edna Lewis from 1914 to her death in 1930; they had one child. Actress Mary Sinclair was his second wife. Their marriage lasted from 1946 until their 1951 divorce.Arias, Ron (July 6, 1987)
Marking His First Century, George Abbott Once Again Brings Broadway to Broadway"
''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

''. Vol. 28, No. 1. Retrieved August 28, 2013. He had a long romance with actress Maureen Stapleton from 1968 to 1978. She was 43 and he was 81 when they began their affair, then ten years later Abbott left her for a younger woman. His third wife was Joy Valderrama. They were married from 1983 until his death in 1995. Abbott was a vigorous man who remained active past his 100th birthday by golfing and dancing. He died of a stroke on January 31, 1995, at his home on Sunset Island off Miami Beach, Florida, at age 107. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' obituary read, "Mrs. Abbott said that a week and a half before his death he was dictating revisions to the second act of ''Pyjama Game'' with a revival in mind, in addition to working on a revival of ''Damn Yankees''. At the age of 106, he walked down the aisle on opening night of the ''Damn Yankees'' revival and received a standing ovation. He was heard saying to his companion, 'There must be somebody important here.'" Just thirteen days before his 107th birthday, Abbott made an appearance at the 48th Tony Awards, coming onstage with fellow ''Damn Yankees'' alumni Gwen Verdon and

Jean Stapleton Jean Stapleton (born Jeanne Murray; January 19, 1923 – May 31, 2013) was an American character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton was best known for playing Edith Bunker, the perpetually optimistic and devoted wife of Arc ...

at the end of the opening number, a medley performed by the nominees for Best Revival of A Musical, which included ''Grease'', ''She Loves Me'', ''Carousel'', and his own ''Damn Yankees''. Berger, Marilyn (February 2, 1995)
"George Abbott, Broadway Giant with Hit after Hit, Is Dead at 107"
''

''. Retrieved August 28, 2013. He was cremated at Woodlawn Park Cemetery in Miami and the ashes were taken by his wife.

Family

In addition to his wife, who died in 2020 at 88, Abbott was survived by a sister, Isabel Juergens, who died a year later at the age of 102; two granddaughters, Amy Clark Davidson and Susan Clark Hansley; a grandson, George Clark, and six great-grandchildren.

Honours

In 1965, the

54th Street 54th Street is a two-mile-long (3.2 km), one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan. Notable places, west to east Twelfth Avenue *The route begins at Twelfth Avenue ( New York Route 9A). Opposite the intersection is the N ...

Theatre was rechristened the George Abbott Theatre in his honour. The building was demolished in 1970. New York City's

George Abbott Way George Abbott Way is a section of West 45th Street west of Times Square between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in New York City, named for Broadway producer and director George Abbott. It is just east of Restaurant Row. Notable buildings The are ...

, the section of West 45th Street northwest of

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

, is also named after him. He received New York City's Handel Medallion in 1976, honorary doctorates from the Universities of

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

and

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, and the Kennedy Centre Lifetime Achievement Award in 1982. He was also inducted into the Western New York Entertainment Hall of Fame and the American Theatre Hall of Fame. In 1990, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. He received the Kennedy Centre Honours in 1982.

Work

Stage

Source: ''Playbill'' "George Abbott Broadway"
''Playbill'' (vault), accessed August 5, 2019 * 1915: ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

'' (actor) * 1918: ''Daddies'' (actor) * 1920: ''The Broken Wing'' (actor) * 1923: ''Zander the Great'' (actor) * 1924: ''Hell-Bent Fer Heaven'' (actor) * 1925: ''The Fall Guy'' (playwright) * 1926: ''Love 'em and Leave 'em '' (playwright, director) * 1926: ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'' (director) * 1926: ''

'' (playwright, director) * 1928: ''Gentlemen of the Press'' (director) * 1932: ''Lilly Turner'' (playwright, director, producer) * 1932: ''

Twentieth Century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 (1901, MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 (2000, MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu, Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and ...

'' (director, producer) * 1934: '' Small Miracle'' (director) * 1935: '' Three Men on a Horse'' (playwright, director) * 1935: ''

Jumbo Jumbo (about December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and t ...

'' (director) * 1936: '' On Your Toes'' (book) * 1937: ''

Room Service Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end ...

'' (director, producer) * 1937: ''Brown Sugar'' (director, producer) * 1938: ''

The Boys from Syracuse ''The Boys from Syracuse'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play ''The Comedy of Errors'', as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemporar ...

'' (book, director, producer) * 1939: '' Too Many Girls'' (director, producer) * 1940: '' Pal Joey'' (director, producer) * 1940: '' The Unconquered'' (producer, director) * 1941: '' Best Foot Forward'' (producer, director) * 1943: ''

Kiss and Tell (play) ''Kiss and Tell'' is a 1943 Broadway play by F. Hugh Herbert. ''Kiss and Tell'' starred Joan Caulfield as Corliss Archer and Judith Parrish as her friend Mildred Pringle. The play's great success led to offers from Hollywood for Caulfield, who ...

(producer, director) * 1944: ''A Highland Fling'' (play) (producer, director) * 1944: '' On the Town'' (director) * 1945: '' Billion Dollar Baby'' (musical) (director) * 1947: '' High Button Shoes'' (director) * 1948: ''

Where's Charley? ''Where's Charley?'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by George Abbott. The story was based on the 1892 play ''Charley's Aunt'' by Brandon Thomas. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1948 and was revived on Broadway an ...

'' (book, director) * 1949: '' Mrs. Gibbons' Boys'' (producer, director) * 1950: ''

Call Me Madam ''Call Me Madam'' is a musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical is a satire on politics and foreign policy that spoofs postwar America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to ...

'' (director) * 1951: '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (book, director, producer) * 1953: ''

Wonderful Town ''Wonderful Town'' is a 1953 musical with book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical tells the story of two sisters who aspire to be a writer and act ...

'' (director) '' Me and Juliet'' (director) * 1954: ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel '' 7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his ...

'' (book, director) * 1955: ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...

'' (book, director) * 1957: ''

New Girl in Town ''New Girl in Town'' is a musical with a book by George Abbott and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill based on Eugene O'Neill's 1921 play ''Anna Christie'', about a prostitute who tries to live down her past. ''New Girl'', unlike O'Neill's play, foc ...

'' (book, director) * 1959: ''

Once Upon a Mattress ''Once Upon a Mattress'' is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was writte ...

'' (director) * 1959: ''

Fiorello! ''Fiorello!'' is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia, a reform Republican, which debuted on Broadway in 1959, and tells the story of how La Guardia took on the Tammany Hall political machine. The book is by Jerome Weidman and ...

'' (book, director) * 1960: '' Tenderloin'' (book, director) * 1961: '' Take Her, She's Mine'' (director) * 1962: '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (director) * 1962: '' Never Too Late'' (director) * 1964: '' Fade Out – Fade In'' (director) * 1965: '' Flora, The Red Menace'' (book, director) * 1965: '' Anya'' (book, director) * 1967: '' How Now, Dow Jones'' (director) * 1968: '' The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N'' (director) * 1969: '' The Fig Leaves Are Falling'' (director) * 1970: '' Norman, Is That You?'' (director) * 1976: ''

Music Is ''Music Is'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book by George Abbott, music by Richard Adler, and lyrics by Will Holt. It is the second musical adaptation of the William Shakespeare play ''Twelfth Night'', following ''Your Own Thing'' in 1968. ...

'' (book, director) * 1987: ''

'' (revival, book, director) * 1994: ''

'' (revival, book, consultant, script revisions)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Source: ''Playbill'' ;Awards * 1955 Tony Award for Best Musical – ''The Pajama Game'' * 1956 Tony Award for Best Musical – ''Damn Yankees'' * 1960

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

– ''Fiorello!''"Prize Winners by Category"
pulitzer.org, accessed August 6, 2019 * 1960 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – ''Fiorello!'' * 1960 Tony Award for Best Musical – ''Fiorello!'' * 1963 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' * 1976 Special Tony Award: The Lawrence Langer award * 1983 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical – ''On Your Toes'' * 1987 Special

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

on the occasion of his 100th birthday ;Nominations * 1930

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Achievement in Writing – ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' * 1958

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Gu ...

Award for Best Written American Musical – ''Damn Yankees'' * 1958 Tony Award for Best Musical – ''New Girl in Town'' * 1958 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical – ''The Pajama Game'' * 1959

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures – ''Damn Yankees'' * 1963 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play – ''Never Too Late'' * 1968 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – ''How Now, Dow Jones''

References

External links

* * *
George Abbot fansite

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