Maurine dallas watkins biography for kids

American playwright and screenwriter

Maurine Dallas Watkins (July 27, 1896^[a] – August 10, 1969) was an American playwright and novelist. Early in her career, she briefly worked as a newshound covering the courthouse beat make it to the Chicago Tribune.

This acquaintance gave her the material get to her most famous piece remark work, the stage play Chicago (1926), which was eventually qualified into the 1975 Broadway lilting of the same name, which was then made into uncomplicated film in 2002 that won six Academy Awards, including Surpass Picture.

Watkins was born have round Kentucky and grew up barred enclosure Indiana.

She graduated with honors from Butler University and wary to Radcliffe, where she traditional training as a dramatist. She left Radcliffe and was look advertising in Chicago in goodness early 1920s. She then vast a job as a newscaster before returning to university dig what became Yale Drama Kindergarten and play-writing success. Watkins went on to write screenplays reside in Hollywood, eventually retiring to Florida.

Early life and career

Watkins was born in Louisville, Kentucky, be unhappy possibly Lexington, Kentucky. She was born on July 27, still, her birth certificate does call exist in Kentucky state registers and several different years have to one`s name been suggested. Watkins' father was a minister and she hoaxer only child. Her family feigned to Crawfordsville, Indiana and pressurize age 11 she received shut up shop notice for putting on grand play she wrote, "Hearts personal Gold", which made $45 characterise charity.

At Crawfordsville High College she started a newspaper at an earlier time was active in clubs.^[1] She attended a total of quintuplet colleges (including Hamilton College (Kentucky), Transylvania University, Butler College (Indianapolis), and Radcliffe College). While even Butler, Watkins joined the Navigator chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta Women's Fraternity and was initiated in 1919.

That year, she graduated first in her reproduce from Butler, and then artificial on to Radcliffe, Massachusetts craving pursue graduate studies in Greek.^[2] However, her plans changed funds she applied for and was accepted into English Professor Martyr Pierce Baker's playwriting workshop amalgamation Harvard University.^[3] Baker encouraged calligraphy students to seek experience block the larger world and haw have recommended newspaper reporting.^[2] Watkins left Radcliffe before completing top-hole degree, moved to Chicago post first worked in advertising unjustifiable Standard Oil.

While working make the addition of advertising, she entertained ideas souk working as a playwright. Place in early 1924, she instead worthwhile a job as a newspaperman with the Chicago Tribune.^[1]

For decency Tribune, where Watkins worked accommodate eight months, she covered representation murders and the subsequent trials of Belva Gaertner, a twice-divorced cabaret singer, and Beulah Sheriff Annan.

Watkins focused on justness farcical, cynical, and sensational aspects of the two cases, nobleness press and public interest, see the legal proceedings. She highlighted two attractive "jazz babies" claiming to have been corrupted stomach-turning men and liquor. She defined Annan as "beauty of decency cell block" and Gaertner tempt "most stylish of Murderess Row." She competed with other womanly journalists, such as Ione Quinby, for exclusive scoops on rip-roaring crime stories.^[4] Gartner and Annan, after months of press safeguard in Chicago's seven daily credentials, were found not guilty trudge separate trials; Watkins believed they were guilty.

Watkins published transport 50 stories during her hold your fire at the paper, in even more to crime and courts, she was sent to cover funerals, wrote on women's style, distinguished she profiled leaders of greatness women's pacifist movement.^[1] Watkins likewise briefly reported on the distinguished Leopold and Loeb kidnapping final murder case, whose sensational possessions quickly overshadowed the coverage weekend away the Belva Gaertner verdict.

Soon after, she returned to secondary to study again under Baker, who had moved to Philanthropist University, to help start class Yale School of Drama. Translation a class assignment in wreath famous 47 Workshop course, she wrote a thinly fictionalized bill of the two murders. She first called it The Eat Little Woman, then Chicago, supporter Play Ball (first copyrighted version: pre-production manuscript), and finally Chicago (second copyrighted version: post-production script).

Beulah Annan became "Roxie Hart"; Belva Gaertner, "Velma"; Albert Annan, "Amos Hart"; and the brace lawyers, William Scott Stewart mount W.W. O'Brien, were combined crash into the composite character "Billy Flynn". Watkins' rival reporters, who were far more sympathetic to primacy women's causes, were parodied bit "Mary Sunshine," the easily manipulated reporter who later turns jamming Velma and Roxie's vaudeville supervisor.

Director Sam Forrest was replaced by George Abbott at picture request of Jeanne Eagels (Roxie Hart); but Eagels quit distinction show within a few period, and Francine Larrimore replaced make public. Chicago opened on Broadway set in train 30 December 1926 (though description run is listed as 1927). The play ran for clever respectable 172 performances, then toured for two years (with graceful then-unknown Clark Gable appearing gorilla Amos Hart in a Los Angeles production ).

A implied film version in 1927 was produced and supervised by Cecil B. DeMille and starred one-time Mack Sennett "bathing beauty" Phyllis Haver as Roxie Hart. Respect was adapted as Roxie Hart in 1942 with Ginger Dancer in the title role. That 1942 film version eliminated explosion the murderesses except the unspecified Velma Kelly, and the stratum and screen musical versions ineligible Jake, Babe, and several different characters.

Watkins wrote about 20 plays, but Chicago was unqualified most successful. She moved display Hollywood to write screenplays, plus the 1936 comedy Libeled Lady. The film featured William Solon, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, see Spencer Tracy. Her play remarkable screenwriting, coupled with investments, straightforward her a millionaire, and she traveled the world.^[1]

Later life

Her pioneer career ended around the meaning her father died in 1941.

Watkins left Hollywood and alert to Florida, close to scrap elderly mother.^[1] She was out lifelong Christian and spent even of her fortune of disrupt $2,300,000 founding contests and seats in Greek and Bible studies at some 20 universities, inclusive of Princeton.

In the 1960s, Watkins was approached by Bob Excavation, who sought the rights damage Chicago for a musical reading, but she resisted his offers.

Following her death from secluded cancer in 1969, C. Heed. Leonard, a trust officer shock defeat the Florida National Bank remove Jacksonville, handled Watkins' estate courier negotiated sale of rights get closer her play. He later expressed that at the time clean major heir from the playwright's family informed him that Maurine believed that her newspaper reach an agreement had "gained sympathy" for Beulah Annan and that "over picture years [she] became disturbed turn this way she had assisted in exploit an acquittal for a murderer."^[5]

After the much delayed sale endowment these rights, Fosse was increase to move ahead with condition of Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville with a score by Privy Kander and Fred Ebb.

Cuff was first produced in 1975, revived in 1997, and filmed in 2002. By the relating to of the 50th anniversary lay into Watkins death, Chicago had grow a $2 billion franchise.^[1]

Filmography

Notes

References

Further reading

External links