N. Richard Nash
Encyclopedia
N. Richard Nash was a writer and dramatist best known for writing Broadway
shows, including The Rainmaker
.
the son of S. L. Nusbaum, a bookbinder, and Jenny Singer Nusbaum. He worked as a ten dollar per match boxer and graduated from South Philadelphia high school in 1930 before entering the University of Pennsylvania to study English and philosophy.
Nash wrote his first play, Parting at Imsdorf, in 1940, which won the Maxwell Anderson Verse Drama Award. Next, he penned the Shakespearian-themed comedy The Second Best Bed, produced on Broadway in 1946. The highly acclaimed drama led to him writing more shows, including The Young and Fair (1948), See the Jaguar (1952, for which he won the International Drama Award in Cannes and the Prague Award), and The Rainmaker (1954, starring Geraldine Page
; revived on Broadway in 1999). The Rainmaker, a full-length play, had originally been a Philco Television Playhouse one-act 1953 television production. It was translated to over 40 languages and made into a 1956 Hollywood film
starring Burt Lancaster
and Katharine Hepburn
, and a 1982 full-length TV production. The play was also made into a Broadway musical
, 110 in the Shade
.
In the 1950s, Nash moved from New York to Hollywood to write the screenplay for The Rainmaker (1956 film)
. However, it was the 1972 Broadway failure of Echoes and novelization of a screenplay that ultimately lead Nash to transition from writing screenplays to writing novels. After working on Echoes, Nash developed a screenplay entitled Macho which he could not sell. In overcoming this, Nash notes, Nash turned Cry Macho into a 1975 book and filming for the movie "Cry Macho" began in Mexico
in 1991, with Jaws
star Roy Scheider
in the lead role. After selling Cry Macho, Nash began to write what he calls "real novels" and discover that writing a novel was more flexible than writing a play and received much less criticism than writing a play.
Nash wrote a number of screenplays, novels and more plays, including the screenplays for the 1947 Ann Sheridan
film noir, Nora Prentiss
, The Sainted Sisters (1948), Dear Wife (1949), Mara Maru (1952), Helen of Troy
(1956), Porgy and Bess
(1959), and later One Summer Love
) (1976) and Between the Darkness and the Dawn (1985). Other Broadway shows include Girls of Summer (1956), Handful of Fire
(1958), Wildcat
(1960, starring Lucille Ball
), 110 in the Shade (1963; revived in 2007), The Happy Time
(1968, nominated for the Tony Award
for Best Musical), and Saravà
(1979). Nash's novels include East Wind, Rain, "Radiance", "The Last Magic", and an unpublished novel,The Wildwood. Under the pseudonym, John Roc, he also wrote a play, "Fire!" and a novel, "Winter Blood".
in 1956, but they divorced later that same year. Later that year, he married Katherine Copeland aka Kaplan, with whom he had two daughters.
Nash died in Manhattan
, New York
on 11 December 2000, at the age of 87.
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...
shows, including The Rainmaker
The Rainmaker (play)
The Rainmaker is a play written by N. Richard Nash in the early 1950s. The play opened on October 28, 1954 at the Cort Theatre in New York and ran for 125 performances. It was directed by Joseph Anthony and produced by Ethel Linder Reiner....
.
Early life
Nash was born Nathan Richard Nusbaum in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
the son of S. L. Nusbaum, a bookbinder, and Jenny Singer Nusbaum. He worked as a ten dollar per match boxer and graduated from South Philadelphia high school in 1930 before entering the University of Pennsylvania to study English and philosophy.
Career
Nash published two books on philosophy, The Athenian Spirit and The Wounds of Sparta.Nash wrote his first play, Parting at Imsdorf, in 1940, which won the Maxwell Anderson Verse Drama Award. Next, he penned the Shakespearian-themed comedy The Second Best Bed, produced on Broadway in 1946. The highly acclaimed drama led to him writing more shows, including The Young and Fair (1948), See the Jaguar (1952, for which he won the International Drama Award in Cannes and the Prague Award), and The Rainmaker (1954, starring Geraldine Page
Geraldine Page
Geraldine Sue Page was an American actress. Although she starred in at least two dozen feature films, she is primarily known for her celebrated work in the American theater...
; revived on Broadway in 1999). The Rainmaker, a full-length play, had originally been a Philco Television Playhouse one-act 1953 television production. It was translated to over 40 languages and made into a 1956 Hollywood film
The Rainmaker (1956 film)
The Rainmaker is a 1956 film directed by Joseph Anthony and adapted by N. Richard Nash from his play The Rainmaker. The film tells the story of a middle-aged woman, suffering from unrequited love for the local town sheriff; however, she falls for a con man who comes to town with the promise that he...
starring Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
and Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
, and a 1982 full-length TV production. The play was also made into a Broadway musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, 110 in the Shade
110 in the Shade
110 in the Shade is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt.Based on Nash's 1954 play The Rainmaker, it focuses on Lizzie Curry, a spinster living on a ranch in the American southwest, and her relationships with local sheriff File, a cautious...
.
In the 1950s, Nash moved from New York to Hollywood to write the screenplay for The Rainmaker (1956 film)
The Rainmaker (1956 film)
The Rainmaker is a 1956 film directed by Joseph Anthony and adapted by N. Richard Nash from his play The Rainmaker. The film tells the story of a middle-aged woman, suffering from unrequited love for the local town sheriff; however, she falls for a con man who comes to town with the promise that he...
. However, it was the 1972 Broadway failure of Echoes and novelization of a screenplay that ultimately lead Nash to transition from writing screenplays to writing novels. After working on Echoes, Nash developed a screenplay entitled Macho which he could not sell. In overcoming this, Nash notes, Nash turned Cry Macho into a 1975 book and filming for the movie "Cry Macho" began in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1991, with Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
star Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
in the lead role. After selling Cry Macho, Nash began to write what he calls "real novels" and discover that writing a novel was more flexible than writing a play and received much less criticism than writing a play.
Nash wrote a number of screenplays, novels and more plays, including the screenplays for the 1947 Ann Sheridan
Ann Sheridan
-Life and career:Born Clara Lou Sheridan in Denton, Texas on February 21, 1915, she was a student at the University of North Texas when her sister sent a photograph of her to Paramount Pictures. She subsequently entered and won a beauty contest, with part of her prize being a bit part in a...
film noir, Nora Prentiss
Nora Prentiss
Nora Prentiss is a 1947 black-and-white drama film. It is shot in the film noir style. The film, considered by some to be a "woman's noir", was directed by Vincent Sherman, who bought the story for $2500 ,. Sherman also directed leading lady Ann Sheridan in another 1947 film noir, The Unfaithful...
, The Sainted Sisters (1948), Dear Wife (1949), Mara Maru (1952), Helen of Troy
Helen of Troy (film)
Helen of Troy is a 1956 Warner Bros. epic film, based on Homer's Iliad. It was directed by Robert Wise, from a screenplay by Hugh Gray and John Twist, adapted by Hugh Gray and N. Richard Nash...
(1956), Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess (1959 film)
Porgy and Bess is a 1959 American musical film directed by Otto Preminger. It is based on the 1935 opera of the same name by George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, and Ira Gershwin, which is in turn based on Heyward's 1925 novel Porgy, and the subsequent 1927 non-musical stage adaptation he co-wrote...
(1959), and later One Summer Love
One Summer Love
One Summer Love, originally titled Dragonfly, is a 1976 romantic drama film directed by Gilbert Cates from a screenplay by N. Richard Nash. It stars Beau Bridges and Susan Sarandon and features Mildred Dunnock and Ann Wedgeworth.-Plot:...
) (1976) and Between the Darkness and the Dawn (1985). Other Broadway shows include Girls of Summer (1956), Handful of Fire
Handful of Fire
Handful of Fire is a 1958 play in two acts by American playwright N. Richard Nash. The play opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 1, 1958, closing after five performances on October 4, 1958....
(1958), Wildcat
Wildcat (musical)
Wildcat is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and music by Cy Coleman.The original production opened on Broadway in 1960, starring a 48-year-old Lucille Ball in her only Broadway show.-Background and production:...
(1960, starring Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
), 110 in the Shade (1963; revived in 2007), The Happy Time
The Happy Time (musical)
The Happy Time is a musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by N. Richard Nash loosely based on a 1950 hit Broadway play, The Happy Time by Samuel A. Taylor, which was in turn based on stories by Robert Fontaine...
(1968, nominated for the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Musical), and Saravà
Sarava
Sarava is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2002 Belmont Stakes. Sired by the 1984 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Wild Again, he was out of the mare Rhythm of Life, a daughter of Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee and two-time Leading sire in North America,...
(1979). Nash's novels include East Wind, Rain, "Radiance", "The Last Magic", and an unpublished novel,The Wildwood. Under the pseudonym, John Roc, he also wrote a play, "Fire!" and a novel, "Winter Blood".
Personal life
In 1935 Nash married Helena Taylor,with whom he had one son. They divorced in 1954. Nash was married to Janice RuleJanice Rule
-Early life and career:Born in Norwood, Ohio, her career included stage, screen and television work. Rule studied ballet and began dancing in Chicago nightclubs in her teens. She soon attracted attention in Hollywood and made her film debut in 1951...
in 1956, but they divorced later that same year. Later that year, he married Katherine Copeland aka Kaplan, with whom he had two daughters.
Nash died in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 11 December 2000, at the age of 87.
Drama
- The Second Best Bed (1946)
- See the Jaguar (1952)
- The Rainmaker (1954)
- Handful of FireHandful of FireHandful of Fire is a 1958 play in two acts by American playwright N. Richard Nash. The play opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 1, 1958, closing after five performances on October 4, 1958....
(1958)
Screenplays
- Sainted Sisters (1948)
- The Joker (1954)
- Top of the World (1955)
- Porgy und Bess (1959)
- Sarava
- Wildcat
- Between the Darkness and the Dawn (1985)
Novels
- East, Wind Rain
- Cry macho
- The Last Magic
- Winter Blood
- The Wildwood (2000)
External links
- N. Richard Nash at the IMDB database