Samuel and Bella Spewack
Encyclopedia
Samuel and Bella Spewack (March 25, 1899 - April 27, 1990) were a husband-and-wife writing team.
Samuel, who also directed many of their plays, was born in the Ukraine
. He attended Stuyvesant High School
in New York City
and then received his degree from Columbia College
.
His wife, the oldest of three children of a single mother, was born Bella Cohen in Bucharest, Romania and with her family emigrated to the Lower East Side
of Manhattan
when she was a child. After graduation from Washington Irving High School
, she worked as a journalist
for socialist and pacifist newspapers such as The New York Call. Her work drew attention from Samuel, working as a reporter for The World, and the couple married in 1922. Shortly afterwards, they departed for Moscow
, where they worked as news correspondents for the next four years.
After returning to the United States
, they settled in New Hope, Pennsylvania
. In the latter part of the decade, Samuel wrote several novels, including Mon Paul, The Skyscraper Murder, and The Murder in the Gilded Cage, on his own, while the pair collaborated on plays. The two wrote several plays and screenplays for mostly B-movies throughout the 1930s, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Story for My Favorite Wife
in 1940. They also penned a remake of Grand Hotel
, entitled Week-End at the Waldorf
(1945), which starred Ginger Rogers
.
Always known as a turbulent couple, the Spewaks were in the midst of their own marital woes in 1948 when they were approached to write the book for Kiss Me, Kate
, which centered on a once-married couple of thespians who use the stage on which they're performing as a battling ground. Bella initially began working with composer
Cole Porter
on her own, but theatrical necessity overcame marital sparks, and the Spewacks completed the project together. It yielded each of them two Tony Award
s, one for Best Musical, the other for Best Author of a Musical. Kiss Me, Kate proved to be their most successful work.
In 1965, Sam collaborated with Frank Loesser
on a musical adaptation of the 1961 Spewack play Once There Was a Russian. Entitled Pleasures and Palaces
, it closed following its Detroit run and never opened on Broadway.
Bella was a successful publicist
for the Camp Fire Girls and Girl Scouts of the USA
, and claimed to have introduced the idea of selling cookies for the latter as a means of raising revenue for the organization http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Girl-Scouts-of-the-USA-Company-History.html.
A Letter to Sam from Bella, a one-act play by Broadway director Aaron Frankel, is based on the Spewacks' personal papers from the Theater Arts Collection of Columbia University
's Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Their best known straight play was My Three Angels
, which is still sometimes performed, and was adapted as the film We're No Angels.
Samuel, who also directed many of their plays, was born in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. He attended Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and then received his degree from Columbia College
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
.
His wife, the oldest of three children of a single mother, was born Bella Cohen in Bucharest, Romania and with her family emigrated to the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of 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...
when she was a child. After graduation from Washington Irving High School
Washington Irving High School (New York City)
Washington Irving High School is located at 40 Irving Place between East 16th and 17th Streets the lower part of the New York City borough of Manhattan...
, she worked as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for socialist and pacifist newspapers such as The New York Call. Her work drew attention from Samuel, working as a reporter for The World, and the couple married in 1922. Shortly afterwards, they departed for Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where they worked as news correspondents for the next four years.
After returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, they settled in New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, formerly known as Coryell's Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,528 at the 2010 census. The borough lies on the west bank of the Delaware River at its confluence with Aquetong Creek. A two-lane bridge carries automobile and foot traffic across the...
. In the latter part of the decade, Samuel wrote several novels, including Mon Paul, The Skyscraper Murder, and The Murder in the Gilded Cage, on his own, while the pair collaborated on plays. The two wrote several plays and screenplays for mostly B-movies throughout the 1930s, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Story for My Favorite Wife
My Favorite Wife
My Favorite Wife is a 1940 screwball comedy produced and co-written by Leo McCarey and directed by Garson Kanin. The movie stars Irene Dunne as a woman who returns to her husband and children after being shipwrecked on a tropical island for several years, and Cary Grant as her husband...
in 1940. They also penned a remake of Grand Hotel
Grand Hotel (film)
Grand Hotel is a 1932 American drama film directed by Edmund Goulding. The screenplay by William A. Drake and Béla Balázs is based on the 1930 play of the same title by Drake, who had adapted it from the 1929 novel Menschen im Hotel by Vicki Baum...
, entitled Week-End at the Waldorf
Week-End at the Waldorf
Week-End at the Waldorf is a 1945 American comedy drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. The screenplay by Samuel and Bella Spewack is based on Guy Bolton's adaptation of the Vicki Baum novel Menschen im Hotel, which was filmed as Grand Hotel in 1932.-Plot:The film focuses on various guests...
(1945), which starred Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
.
Always known as a turbulent couple, the Spewaks were in the midst of their own marital woes in 1948 when they were approached to write the book for Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang.Kiss...
, which centered on a once-married couple of thespians who use the stage on which they're performing as a battling ground. Bella initially began working with composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
on her own, but theatrical necessity overcame marital sparks, and the Spewacks completed the project together. It yielded each of them two 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...
s, one for Best Musical, the other for Best Author of a Musical. Kiss Me, Kate proved to be their most successful work.
In 1965, Sam collaborated with Frank Loesser
Frank Loesser
Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...
on a musical adaptation of the 1961 Spewack play Once There Was a Russian. Entitled Pleasures and Palaces
Pleasures and Palaces
Pleasures and Palaces is a musical with a book by Frank Loesser and Sam Spewack and music and lyrics by Loesser. It is based on Spewack's flop 1961 play Once There Was a Russian and takes its title from the opening lyrics of the 1823 song "Home, Sweet Home": "Mid pleasures and palaces though we...
, it closed following its Detroit run and never opened on Broadway.
Bella was a successful publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
for the Camp Fire Girls and Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
, and claimed to have introduced the idea of selling cookies for the latter as a means of raising revenue for the organization http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Girl-Scouts-of-the-USA-Company-History.html.
A Letter to Sam from Bella, a one-act play by Broadway director Aaron Frankel, is based on the Spewacks' personal papers from the Theater Arts Collection of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Their best known straight play was My Three Angels
My Three Angels
My Three Angels is a comedy play by Samuel and Bella Spewack. The show is based on the French play La Cuisine Des Anges by Albert Husson, and is their only play that is regularly performed in repertory theater...
, which is still sometimes performed, and was adapted as the film We're No Angels.
Additional Broadway credits
- The War Song, 1928
- Poppa, 1928
- Clear All Wires, 1932
- Spring Song, 1934
- Boy Meets Girl, 1935
- Leave It to Me!Leave It to Me!Leave It to Me! is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The "book" was a collaborative effort by Samuel and Bella Spewack, who also directed the Broadway production. The musical was based on the play Clear All Wires by the Spewacks...
, 1938 - Miss Swan Expects, 1939
- Woman Bits Dog, 1946
- Two Blind MiceTwo Blind MiceTwo Blind Mice was a 1949 comedy play by Samuel and Bella Spewack. The play ran on Broadway at the Cort Theatre for 157 performances, from March 2, 1949 to July 16, 1949, and thereafter had a lengthy provincial tour...
, 1949 - The Golden State, 1950
- My Three AngelsMy Three AngelsMy Three Angels is a comedy play by Samuel and Bella Spewack. The show is based on the French play La Cuisine Des Anges by Albert Husson, and is their only play that is regularly performed in repertory theater...
, 1953 - Festival, 1955
- Once There Was a Russian, 1961