Hubert Benjamin Osborne (1881–1958) was a Canadian-born

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

who worked in the US. Although he created many adaptations of Shakespeare's works, he was best known for his light comedies. He was born in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

, and attended Queen's University for two years before progressing to

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He later worked as professor of drama at the

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

until 1925, and then at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

until 1928. Osborne also worked at several American theaters and scripted films as well as Broadway and off-Broadway shows. In 1928 his play ''Eve's Complaint'' was produced in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. This was the first so-called "American play" to have a Paris premiere. Osborne also worked on Broadway during this period. He wrote ''The Good Men Do'' (1917), ''April'' (1918), ''Shore Leave'' (1922), ''Rita Coventry'' (1923) and ''The Blue Bandanna'' (1924). His most successful works were light comedies. Osborne also created a pioneering synthetic stage lighting system, which was used in productions of Shakespeare, with whose work he had a particular fascination. His play ''The Good Men Do'' was about a meeting between

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime ...

and Anne Whateley, an earlier fiancée of the playwright's. He also co-wrote ''The Shakespeare Play: A Drama in Rhythmic Prose'' (c.1911), about Shakespeare's life, but this was never produced on Broadway. In addition he created many adaptations of Shakespeare's works. Osborne was also credited in a number of film adaptations of his plays, including ''Don't Call It Love'' (1923) (based on the play ''Rita Coventry''); '' Hit the Deck'' (1930) (play ''Shore Leave''); ''

Follow the Fleet ''Follow the Fleet'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film with a nautical theme starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their fifth collaboration as dance partners. It also features Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, and Astrid Allwyn, wi ...

'' (1936) (also based on ''Shore Leave''); ''Strange Experiment'' (1937) (play ''Two Worlds'').IMDb data
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Filmography

*'' Don't Call It Love'', directed by

William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

(1923, based on the play ''Rita Coventry'') *''

Shore Leave Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is also known as "liberty" within the United States Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. During the Age of Sail, shore leave was often abused by the members of the ...

'', directed by John S. Robertson (1925, based on the play ''Shore Leave'') *'' Hit the Deck'', directed by

Luther Reed Luther A. Reed (July 14, 1888 – November 16, 1961) was an American screenwriter and film director. Biography Reed was born in 1888 in Berlin, Wisconsin, and graduated from Columbia University. He worked as a journalist and the music and the ...

(1930, based on the musical '' Hit the Deck'') *''

'', directed by

Mark Sandrich Mark Sandrich (born Mark Rex Goldstein; October 26, 1900 – March 4, 1945) was an American film director, writer, and producer. Early life Sandrich was born in New York City on October 26, 1900 into a Jewish family. His sister was Ruth Har ...

(1936, based on the play ''Shore Leave'') *'' Strange Experiment'', directed by Albert Parker (UK, 1937, based on the play ''Two Worlds'') *'' Hit the Deck'', directed by Roy Rowland (1955, based on the musical '' Hit the Deck'')

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, Hubert 1881 births 1958 deaths Writers from Ontario Harvard University alumni Queen's University at Kingston alumni Yale University faculty Carnegie Mellon University faculty Canadian emigrants to the United States