Jump to content

Howard Lindsay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.
For the athlete, see Howard Lindsay (athlete).
Howard Lindsay
Lindsay in 1935
Lindsay in 1935
BornHerman Nelke
(1889-03-29)March 29, 1889
Waterford, New York
DiedFebruary 11, 1968(1968-02-11) (aged 78)
New York City, New York
Notable awardsPulitzer Prize for Drama (1946)
Special Tony Award (1959)
Tony Award for Best Musical (1960)
Spouse
​
(m. 1927)​

Howard Lindsay, born Herman Nelke, (March 29, 1889 – February 11, 1968) was an American playwright, librettist, director, actor and theatrical producer. He is best known for his writing work as part of the collaboration of Lindsay and Crouse, and for his performance, with his wife Dorothy Stickney, in the long-running play Life with Father.

Biography

Lindsay graduated from Boston Latin School in 1907. He was an actor and director before turning to writing plays. He played the role of "Father" in Life with Father on Broadway in 1939.[1]

Together with Russel Crouse, Lindsay won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the 1945 play State of the Union, which was adapted into a film directed by Frank Capra three years later.[2]

On October 5, 1947, Lindsay became the master of ceremonies of the Ford Theatre radio program.[3]

The 1957 Rodgers and Hammerstein television musical Cinderella, recently revived by PBS, featured Lindsay and Stickney playing the roles of the King and Queen, one of the few times a Lindsay performance has been captured on film.[4]

In 1960, he and Crouse won the Tony Award for Best Musical for The Sound of Music, for which they wrote the book.[5] They also collaborated on Call Me Madam, Happy Hunting and Mr. President.[6]

Lindsay was a member of The Players, the theatrical club founded in the 1800s by Edwin Booth, and served as its president from 1955 to 1965.[7] Lindsay joined The Lambs in 1925 and remained a member until he died. His writing partner, Russel Crouse, was also a member of The Lambs.[8]

Starting in 1935, Stickney and Howard maintained a weekend and vacation home – a farmstead built in 1745 – in the Stanton section of Readington Township, New Jersey; the township purchased it from then-centenarian Stickney, for preservation, in 1997.[9]

References

  1. ^ " 'Life with Father' Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved June 21, 2016.[dead link]
  2. ^ "Pulitzer Prizes Awarded; 'State of Union' the Play". Books. The New York Times. May 7, 1946.
  3. ^ Gould, Jack (August 28, 1947). "Howard Lindsay to Be Master of Ceremonies for 'Ford Theatre' Starting Oct. 5". The New York Times. p. 40. ProQuest 107749283 – via ProQuest.
  4. ^ " 'Cinderella' – 1957 Television Cast". Masterworks Broadway. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  5. ^ " 'The Sound of Music' Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved June 21, 2016.[dead link]
  6. ^ "Howard Lindsay Credits" Playbill. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  7. ^ "Howard Lindsay, Playwright, Star of 'Life With Father,' Dies". The New York Times. February 12, 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  8. ^ "About the Lambs". The Lambs. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  9. ^ "The Bouman-Stickney Farmstead". Township of Readington, New Jersey. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Howard_Lindsay&oldid=1247204425"