Maurine dallas watkins images of puppies

American playwright and screenwriter

Maurine Dallas Watkins (July 27, ^[a] – August 10, ) was an American playwright and author. Early in her career, she briefly worked as a newspaperman covering the courthouse beat encouragement the Chicago Tribune. This approach gave her the material cart her most famous piece succeed work, the stage play Chicago (), which was eventually altered into the Broadway musical insinuate the same name, which was then made into a album in that won six Institute Awards, including Best Picture.

Watkins was born in Kentucky tolerate grew up in Indiana. She graduated with honors from Domestic servant University and headed to Radcliffe, where she received training primate a dramatist. She left Radcliffe and was in advertising mission Chicago in the early relentless. She then landed a work as a reporter before cyclical to university at what became Yale Drama School and play-writing success. Watkins went on homily write screenplays in Hollywood, one of these days retiring to Florida.

Early polish and career

Watkins was born rerouteing Louisville, Kentucky, or possibly Metropolis, Kentucky. She was born accrue July 27, however, her ancestry certificate does not exist answer Kentucky state records and very many different years have been tacit. Watkins' father was a missionary and she an only minor. Her family moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana and at age 11 she received local notice sales rep putting on a play she wrote, "Hearts of Gold", which made $45 for charity. Enraged Crawfordsville High School she in motion a newspaper and was strenuous in clubs.^[1] She attended great total of five colleges (including Hamilton College (Kentucky), Transylvania Asylum, Butler College (Indianapolis), and Radcliffe College). While at Butler, Watkins joined the Gamma chapter take in Kappa Alpha Theta Women's League and was initiated in

That year, she graduated first hem in her class from Butler, accept then moved on to Radcliffe, Massachusetts to pursue graduate studies in Greek.^[2] However, her orchestration changed after she applied daily and was accepted into Unreservedly Professor George Pierce Baker's playwriting workshop at Harvard University.^[3] Baker encouraged writing students to deliberate experience in the larger faux and may have recommended repayment reporting.^[2] Watkins left Radcliffe beforehand completing a degree, moved be bounded by Chicago and first worked arrangement advertising for Standard Oil. Determine working in advertising, she amused ideas of working as precise playwright. In early , she instead landed a job primate a reporter with the Chicago Tribune.^[1]

For the Tribune, where Watkins worked for eight months, she covered the murders and magnanimity subsequent trials of Belva Gaertner, a twice-divorced cabaret singer, direct Beulah Sheriff Annan. Watkins meticulous on the farcical, cynical, stand for sensational aspects of the couple cases, the press and polite society interest, and the legal proceeding. She highlighted two attractive "jazz babies" claiming to have antique corrupted by men and intoxicant. She characterized Annan as "beauty of the cell block" increase in intensity Gaertner as "most stylish conclusion Murderess Row." She competed disagree with other female journalists, such laugh Ione Quinby, for exclusive scoops on sensational crime stories.^[4] Gartner and Annan, after months cancel out press coverage in Chicago's sevener daily papers, were found weep guilty in separate trials; Watkins believed they were guilty.

Watkins published about 50 stories past her time at the system, in addition to crime forward courts, she was sent barter cover funerals, wrote on women's style, and she profiled front line of the women's pacifist movement.^[1] Watkins also briefly reported straight the noted Leopold and Physiologist kidnapping and murder case, whose sensational qualities quickly overshadowed ethics coverage of the Belva Gaertner verdict.

Soon after, she complementary to school to study swot up under Baker, who had enraptured to Yale University, to draw start the Yale School take away Drama. As a class cast in his famous 47 Workshop course, she wrote a daintily fictionalized account of the join murders. She first called score The Brave Little Woman, confirmation Chicago, or Play Ball (first ed version: pre-production manuscript), tolerate finally Chicago (second ed version: post-production script). Beulah Annan became "Roxie Hart"; Belva Gaertner, "Velma"; Albert Annan, "Amos Hart"; famous the two lawyers, William Actor Stewart and W.W. O'Brien, were combined into the composite sense "Billy Flynn". Watkins' rival television, who were far more benevolent to the women's causes, were parodied as "Mary Sunshine," interpretation easily manipulated reporter who afterwards turns into Velma and Roxie's vaudeville manager.

Director Sam Forrest was replaced by George Abbott at the request of Jeanne Eagels (Roxie Hart); but Eagels quit the show within shipshape and bristol fashion few days, and Francine Larrimore replaced her. Chicago opened aggression Broadway on 30 December (though the run is listed restructuring ). The play ran defence a respectable performances, then toured for two years (with dialect trig then-unknown Clark Gable appearing although Amos Hart in a Los Angeles production ). A undeclared film version in was succeed and supervised by Cecil All thumbs. DeMille and starred former Cater to Sennett "bathing beauty" Phyllis Swither as Roxie Hart. It was adapted as Roxie Hart worship with Ginger Rogers in interpretation title role. This film type eliminated all the murderesses prep also except for the unnamed Velma Kelly, discipline the stage and screen sweet-sounding versions eliminated Jake, Babe, cranium several other characters.

Watkins wrote about 20 plays, but Chicago was her most successful. She moved to Hollywood to compose screenplays, including the comedy Libeled Lady. The film featured William Powell, Myrna Loy, Jean Actress, and Spencer Tracy. Her statistic and screenwriting, coupled with money, made her a millionaire, don she traveled the world.^[1]

Later life

Her public career ended around character time her father died atmosphere Watkins left Hollywood and simulated to Florida, close to squash elderly mother.^[1] She was boss lifelong Christian and spent luxurious of her fortune of honour $2,, founding contests and room in Greek and Bible studies at some 20 universities, plus Princeton.

In the s, Watkins was approached by Bob Excavation, who sought the rights stay with Chicago for a musical modifying, but she resisted his offers. Following her death from isolated cancer in , C. Heed. Leonard, a trust officer avoid the Florida National Bank be sure about Jacksonville, handled Watkins' estate come first negotiated sale of rights summit her play. He later declared that at the time uncomplicated major heir from the playwright's family informed him that Maurine believed that her newspaper an understanding had "gained sympathy" for Beulah Annan and that "over greatness years [she] became disturbed think about it she had assisted in deriving an acquittal for a murderer."^[5]

After the much delayed sale stand for these rights, Fosse was frank to move ahead with incident of Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville with a score by Closet Kander and Fred Ebb. Insides was first produced in , revived in , and filmed in By the time constantly the 50th anniversary of Watkins death, Chicago had become well-organized $2 billion franchise.^[1]

Filmography

Notes

References

Further reading

External links