John Patrick
Encyclopedia
John Patrick was an American
playwright
and screenwriter
.
, his parents soon abandoned him and he spent a delinquent youth in foster homes and boarding schools. At age 19, he secured a job as an announcer at KPO
Radio in San Francisco, California
, marrying Mildred Legaye in 1925. He wrote over one thousand scripts for the Cecil and Sally radio program (originally titled "The Funniest Things") broadcast between 1928 and 1933. The show's sole actors were Patrick and Helen Troy. In 1937, Patrick wrote adaptations for NBC's Streamlined Shakespeare series, guest-starring Helen Hayes
.
Produced on a tight budget, his first play Hell Freezes Over, directed by Joshua Logan
, had a brief run on Broadway
in 1935. However, the credit opened the door for him as a Hollywood scriptwriter.
In 1942, a second play The Willow and I was produced with Martha Scott
and Gregory Peck
in the starring roles. Before its first night, Patrick had volunteered for the American Field Service providing medical services in support of the British Army
fighting World War II
. He served with Montgomery's Eighth Army in Egypt
and subsequently saw action in India
and Burma where the ideas for his next play The Hasty Heart
were germinated. Patrick completed the play on the ship that returned him to the US after the war and it proved a great commercial success, being adapted for the screen in 1949, starring Ronald Reagan
, and for TV in 1983.
His next two plays, The Curious Savage
(1950) and Lo and Behold (1951) fared less well but it was his 1953 stage adaptation of Vern J. Sneider's novel The Teahouse of the August Moon
that marked the height of his fame, winning both the Pulitzer Prize
and Tony Award
for drama. He adapted the play for the screen in 1956 and for the musical stage, under the title Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen
, in 1970.
His next play, Good as Gold (1957), was less well received and most of the rest of his career was dedicated to a series of successful screenwriting assignments including:
Following his success with The Hasty Heart, Patrick bought the 65 acres (26.3 ha) estate, Hasty Hill at Suffern, New York
, later moving to Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.
On November 7, 1995, the 90-year-old playwright was found dead in his room with a plastic bag over his head. His death was ruled a suicide
. Patrick is now best remembered for his screen work though his plays remain popular with community theatres.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
Biography
Born John Patrick Goggin in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, his parents soon abandoned him and he spent a delinquent youth in foster homes and boarding schools. At age 19, he secured a job as an announcer at KPO
KNBR
KNBR, The Sports Leader, is the on-air branding used by two AM radio stations in the San Francisco, California, area broadcasting a sports radio format, owned by Cumulus Media....
Radio in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, marrying Mildred Legaye in 1925. He wrote over one thousand scripts for the Cecil and Sally radio program (originally titled "The Funniest Things") broadcast between 1928 and 1933. The show's sole actors were Patrick and Helen Troy. In 1937, Patrick wrote adaptations for NBC's Streamlined Shakespeare series, guest-starring Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
.
Produced on a tight budget, his first play Hell Freezes Over, directed by Joshua Logan
Joshua Logan
Joshua Lockwood Logan III was an American stage and film director and writer.-Early years:Logan was born in Texarkana, Texas, the son of Susan and Joshua Lockwood Logan. When he was three years old his father committed suicide...
, had a brief run on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1935. However, the credit opened the door for him as a Hollywood scriptwriter.
In 1942, a second play The Willow and I was produced with Martha Scott
Martha Scott
Martha Ellen Scott was an American actress best known for her roles as mother of the lead character in numerous films and television shows.-Early life:...
and Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
in the starring roles. Before its first night, Patrick had volunteered for the American Field Service providing medical services in support of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
fighting World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He served with Montgomery's Eighth Army in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and subsequently saw action in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Burma where the ideas for his next play The Hasty Heart
The Hasty Heart
The Hasty Heart is a 1949 British-American co-production film based on the play of the same name by John Patrick. It tells the story of a group of wounded Allied soldiers in a mobile surgery unit at the end of World War II who, after initial resentment and ostracism, rally around a loner, a...
were germinated. Patrick completed the play on the ship that returned him to the US after the war and it proved a great commercial success, being adapted for the screen in 1949, starring Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, and for TV in 1983.
His next two plays, The Curious Savage
The Curious Savage
The Curious Savage, written by John Patrick, is a comedic play about Ethel P. Savage, a woman whose husband recently died and left her approximately ten million dollars. The play was first produced in New York by the Theatre Guild and Lewis & Young at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 24, 1950...
(1950) and Lo and Behold (1951) fared less well but it was his 1953 stage adaptation of Vern J. Sneider's novel The Teahouse of the August Moon
The Teahouse of the August Moon
The Teahouse of the August Moon is a 1956 American comedy film satirizing the U.S. occupation and Americanization of the island of Okinawa following the end of World War II in 1945. The motion picture starred Glenn Ford and Marlon Brando....
that marked the height of his fame, winning both the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
and Tony Award
Tony Award for Best Play
The Tony Award for Best Play is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theatre, including musical theatre, honoring productions on Broadway in New York. It currently takes place in mid-June each year.There was no award in the Tony's first year...
for drama. He adapted the play for the screen in 1956 and for the musical stage, under the title Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen
Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen
Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen is a musical with a book by John Patrick and music and lyrics by Stan Freeman and Franklin Underwood.Based on Patrick's play and screenplay The Teahouse of the August Moon, it focuses on Capt. Fisby who, assigned the task of Americanizing the village of Tobiki on...
, in 1970.
His next play, Good as Gold (1957), was less well received and most of the rest of his career was dedicated to a series of successful screenwriting assignments including:
- Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
- Love Is a Many-Splendored ThingLove Is a Many-Splendored Thing (film)Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing is a 1955 American drama-romance film. Set in 1949-50 Hong Kong, it tells the story of a married, but separated, American reporter , who falls in love with a Eurasian doctor originally from China , only to encounter prejudice from her family and from Hong Kong...
(1955) - High Society (1956)
- Les GirlsLes GirlsLes Girls, also known as Cole Porter's Les Girls, is a 1957 musical comedy film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by George Cukor, produced by Sol C...
(1957), earning him an award from the Writers Guild of AmericaWriters Guild of AmericaThe Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi.... - Some Came RunningSome Came RunningSome Came Running is a novel by James Jones, published in 1957. It is the story of a war veteran with literary aspirations who returns in 1948 to his hometown of Parkman, Indiana, after a failed writing career...
(1958) - The World of Suzie WongThe World of Suzie WongThe World of Suzie Wong is a 1957 novel written by Richard Mason. The main characters are Robert Lomax, a young British artist living in Hong Kong, and Suzie Wong, the title character, a Chinese woman who works as a prostitute...
(1960) - Lo and Behold!
- The Shoes of the FishermanThe Shoes of the FishermanThe Shoes of the Fisherman is a 1963 novel by the Australian author Morris West, as well as a 1968 film based on the novel.The book reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for adult fiction on 30 June 1963, and became the #1 bestselling novel in the United States for that year, according...
(1968). - Everybody Loves Opal (1962)
Following his success with The Hasty Heart, Patrick bought the 65 acres (26.3 ha) estate, Hasty Hill at Suffern, New York
Suffern, New York
Suffern is a village in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the State of New Jersey; east of Hillburn; south of Montebello and west of Airmont...
, later moving to Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.
On November 7, 1995, the 90-year-old playwright was found dead in his room with a plastic bag over his head. His death was ruled a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Patrick is now best remembered for his screen work though his plays remain popular with community theatres.
List of Plays
- The Hasty Heart, 1945
- The Curious SavageThe Curious SavageThe Curious Savage, written by John Patrick, is a comedic play about Ethel P. Savage, a woman whose husband recently died and left her approximately ten million dollars. The play was first produced in New York by the Theatre Guild and Lewis & Young at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 24, 1950...
, 1951 - A Barrel Full Of Pennies, 1971
- Anybody Out There, 1972
- The Dancing Mice, 1972
- Macbeth Did It!, 1972
- A Bad Year for Tomatoes, 1975
- Compulsion, 1975
- Divorce, Anyone?, 1975
- Confession, 1976
- Empathy, 1976
- Cheating Cheaters, 1981
- The Chiropodist, 1991
- Doctor Will See You Now, 1991