Clifford Goldsmith (March 29, 1899 – July 11, 1971) was an American writer, best known for his play ''What a Life'', from which ''

The Aldrich Family ''The Aldrich Family'', a popular radio teenage situation comedy (July 2, 1939 – April 19, 1953), was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-''ry-y-y ...

'' radio and television series and the ''Henry Aldrich'' film series were derived. In 1943, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine reported that Goldsmith earned "radio's fattest writing fee ($3,000 for one show a week)."

Early years

Goldsmith was born in East Aurora, New York, the son of Charles Goldsmith and Edith Henshaw Goldsmith. His father was the local high school's principal. Goldsmith's mother died in 1907; he and his half-sister were orphaned when their father died in 1909. They spent much time thereafter with an aunt in Centerville, New York, where he spent most of his childhood. He attended

Moses Brown School Moses Brown School is an independent, Quaker, college preparatory school, currently with 774 students, located in Providence, Rhode Island,offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. Founded in 1784 by Moses Brown, a Quaker ab ...

in Providence, Rhode Island, and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. After one year at the latter, he went to the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

. For eight years, Goldsmith taught high school students about health topics during the day and wrote plays during the evening.

Career

In the early 1920s, Goldsmith tried acting, with bit parts in stage productions, including

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

s, in New York. In 1922, he began working with publicity for the National Dairy Council, a job that he kept until 1938.

Henry Aldrich

In 1943, ''Time'' called Henry Aldrich "U.S. radio's favorite juvenile") Decades later,

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described him as "The quintessential teenager of the 1940s." Aldrich first was seen in 1938 as the main character of Goldsmith's Broadway play ''What A Life''. The play opened at the Biltmore Theatre on April 13, 1938. It ran for 538 performances and was adapted into a film (also called '' What a Life'') that was released in 1939. A radio adaptation, ''The Aldrich Family'', was broadcast from 1939 to 1953. Goldsmith was the show's sole writer for approximately seven years; thereafter, he supervised the work of other writers. A television adaptation, also titled ''The Aldrich Family'', was broadcast from 1949 to 1953. Goldsmith was that program's sole writer for its first year, and after that he collaborated with other writers. Goldsmith based his writings on what he observed in the lives of Peter and Thayer White, his wife's sons from a previous marriage.

Other television

Programs for which Goldsmith "consulted or collaborated in the writing" included ''The Flying Nun'', ''Leave it to Beaver'', ''The Donna Reed Show'', ''Petticoat Junction'', and ''Dennis the Menace''.

Personal life

On July 2, 1921, Goldsmith married Margaret Towell in New York City. In 1933, he married Kathryn Allen. They had been married 38 years at the time of his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsmith, Clifford 1899 births 1971 deaths American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni American male stage actors American dramatists and playwrights American radio writers American radio show creators Moses Brown School alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni