John William Van Druten
Encyclopedia
John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director, known professionally as John Van Druten. He began his career in London, and later moved to America becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observations of contemporary life and society.
and read Law at the University of London
. Before commencing his career as a writer he practised law for a while as a solicitor and university lecturer in Wales
.
He first came to prominence with Young Woodley
, a slight but charming study of adolescence, which was produced in New York in 1925, but was banned in London by the Lord Chamberlain
's office. In England, it was first produced privately (by Phyllis Whitworth's Three Hundred Club) and then at the Arts Theatre
in 1928. When the ban was lifted, it had a successful run at the Savoy Theatre
in the West End
with a cast including Frank Lawton
, Derrick De Marney
and Jack Hawkins
. The play was filmed twice. It was revived at the Finborough Theatre
, London
, in 2006.
He was one of the most successful playwrights of the early 1930s in London
with star-studded West End productions of his work including Diversion (1928), After All (1929), London Wall (1931) with Frank Lawton
and John Mills
, There's Always Juliet (1931), Somebody Knows (1932), Behold, We Live (1932) with Gertrude Lawrence
and Gerald du Maurier
, The Distaff Side (1933) and Flowers of the Forest (1934).
He later emigrated to America where he wrote Leave Her to Heaven (February 1940), a drama set in London and Westcliff-on-Sea
in Essex, which was shortly followed by major successes with Old Acquaintance
(NY December 1940-May 1941) and The Voice of the Turtle
(1943), which ran for three seasons in New York and was filmed with Ronald Reagan
. In 1944, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
His 1951 play I Am a Camera
, together with Christopher Isherwood
's short stories, Goodbye to Berlin
(1939), formed the basis of Joe Masteroff
's book for the Kander and Ebb
musical, Cabaret
(1966).
He died at Indio, California, on 19 December 1957.
At the St. James Theatre
, New York in March 1951 he directed the first production of The King and I
(1,246 performances). He also restaged this production at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, in London, October 1953 (946 performances).
At the Theatre Royal, Brighton
in November 1954 he staged a production of The Duchess and the Smugs.
Van Druten wrote two autobiographies:
He also published two novels: a version of Young Woodley (1928), and The Vicarious Years in 1955.
He also published a book on his work Playwright at Work just after World War II
.
Biography
Van Druten was born in London in 1901, son of a Dutch father, Wilhelmus van Druten and his English wife Eva. He was educated at University College SchoolUniversity College School
University College School, generally known as UCS, is an Independent school charity situated in Hampstead, north west London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views...
and read Law at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. Before commencing his career as a writer he practised law for a while as a solicitor and university lecturer in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
He first came to prominence with Young Woodley
Young Woodley (play)
Young Woodley is a 1925 play by the British writer John Van Druten. It concerns a schoolboy at a top British public school who falls in love with his headmaster's wife and is eventually expelled. Because of its negative depiction of public school life and its controversial subject matter the play...
, a slight but charming study of adolescence, which was produced in New York in 1925, but was banned in London by the Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
's office. In England, it was first produced privately (by Phyllis Whitworth's Three Hundred Club) and then at the Arts Theatre
Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It now operates as the West End's smallest commercial receiving house.-History:...
in 1928. When the ban was lifted, it had a successful run at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
with a cast including Frank Lawton
Frank Lawton
Frank Lawton was an English actor, born Frank Lawton Mokeley. He was married to Evelyn Laye, with whom he acted several times including in My Husband and I .His parents were stage players Daisy May Collier and Frank Mokeley...
, Derrick De Marney
Derrick De Marney
Derrick De Marney was an English stage and film actor and producer, of French and Irish ancestry.-Actor:On the London stage from 1922 and films from 1928...
and Jack Hawkins
Jack Hawkins
Colonel John Edward "Jack" Hawkins CBE was an English actor of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.-Career:Hawkins was born at Lyndhurst Road, Wood Green, Middlesex, the son of master builder Thomas George Hawkins and his wife, Phoebe née Goodman. The youngest of four children in a close-knit family,...
. The play was filmed twice. It was revived at the Finborough Theatre
Finborough Theatre
The Finborough Theatre is a fifty seat theatre in the Earls Court area of London, United Kingdom , which presents new British writing, UK and premieres of new plays, primarily from the English speaking world including North America, Canada, Scotland and Ireland, music theatre, and rarely seen...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in 2006.
He was one of the most successful playwrights of the early 1930s in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with star-studded West End productions of his work including Diversion (1928), After All (1929), London Wall (1931) with Frank Lawton
Frank Lawton
Frank Lawton was an English actor, born Frank Lawton Mokeley. He was married to Evelyn Laye, with whom he acted several times including in My Husband and I .His parents were stage players Daisy May Collier and Frank Mokeley...
and John Mills
John Mills
Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
, There's Always Juliet (1931), Somebody Knows (1932), Behold, We Live (1932) with Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence was an English actress, singer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End theatre district of London and on Broadway.-Early life:...
and Gerald du Maurier
Gerald du Maurier
Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier was an English actor and manager. He was the son of the writer George du Maurier and brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. In 1902, he married the actress Muriel Beaumont with whom he had three daughters: Angela du Maurier , Daphne du Maurier and Jeanne...
, The Distaff Side (1933) and Flowers of the Forest (1934).
He later emigrated to America where he wrote Leave Her to Heaven (February 1940), a drama set in London and Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea is a suburb of Southend-on-Sea, a seaside resort in the East of England and unitary authority in Essex. It is situated on the northern bank of the Thames Estuary and about 34 miles east of London.-Geography:...
in Essex, which was shortly followed by major successes with Old Acquaintance
Old Acquaintance
Old Acquaintance is a 1943 film drama made by Warner Bros. It was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by Henry Blanke with Jack L. Warner as executive producer from a screenplay by John Van Druten, Lenore Coffee and Edmund Goulding based on Van Druten's play.The film starred Bette Davis and...
(NY December 1940-May 1941) and The Voice of the Turtle
The Voice of the Turtle (play)
The Voice of the Turtle is a comedic Broadway play by John William Van Druten dealing with the challenges of the single life in New York City during World War II...
(1943), which ran for three seasons in New York and was filmed with 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....
. In 1944, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
His 1951 play I Am a Camera
I Am a Camera
I Am a Camera is a 1951 Broadway play inspired by Christopher Isherwood's novel Goodbye to Berlin which is part of The Berlin Stories...
, together with Christopher Isherwood
Christopher Isherwood
Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood was an English-American novelist.-Early life and work:Born at Wyberslegh Hall, High Lane, Cheshire in North West England, Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed...
's short stories, Goodbye to Berlin
Goodbye to Berlin
Goodbye to Berlin is a 1939 short novel by Christopher Isherwood set in pre-Nazi Germany. It is often published together with Mr Norris Changes Trains in a collection called The Berlin Stories.-Details:...
(1939), formed the basis of Joe Masteroff
Joe Masteroff
-Career:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Masteroff graduated from Temple University and served with the United States Air Force during World War II...
's book for the Kander and Ebb
Kander and Ebb
Kander and Ebb were a highly successful songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb . Known primarily for their stage musicals, Kander and Ebb also scored several movies including their most famous song, the theme song from Martin Scorsese's New York, New York...
musical, Cabaret
Cabaret (musical)
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
(1966).
He died at Indio, California, on 19 December 1957.
Plays
- The Return Half (1924)
- Chance Acquaintance (1927)
- Young Woodley (NY 1925, London 1928)
- Diversion (1928)
- The Return of the Soldier (from Rebecca WestRebecca WestCicely Isabel Fairfield , known by her pen name Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, DBE was an English author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. A prolific, protean author who wrote in many genres, West was committed to feminist and liberal principles and was one of the foremost public...
's novel, 1928) - After All (1929, NY 1931)
- London Wall (1931)
- Sea Fever (with Auriol LeeAuriol LeeAuriol Lee was a popular British stage actress who became a successful West End and Broadway theatrical producer and director.-Biography:...
, from the French, 1931) - There's Always Juliet (1931, NY 1932)
- Hollywood Holiday (with Benn W LevyBenn LevyBenn Wolfe Levy was a Labour Party Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, 1931) - Somebody Knows (1932)
- Behold, We Live (1932)
- The Distaff Side (1933, NY 1934)
- Flowers of the Forest (1934)
- Most of the Game (1935)
- Gertie Maude (1937)
- Leave Her to Heaven (1940)
- Old Acquaintance (1940, NY 1941)
- Solitaire (adaptation, 1942)
- The Damask Cheek (with Lloyd Morris, 1942)
- The Voice of the TurtleThe Voice of the Turtle (play)The Voice of the Turtle is a comedic Broadway play by John William Van Druten dealing with the challenges of the single life in New York City during World War II...
(1943), which ran for three seasons in New York - I Remember MamaI Remember MamaI Remember Mama is a play by John Van Druten. Based on the fictionalized memoir Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes, it focuses on the Hanson family, a loving family of Norwegian immigrants living on Steiner Street in San Francisco in the 1910s.Produced by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein...
(adaptation of Kathryn ForbesKathryn ForbesKathryn McLean née Anderson , best known by her pen name Kathryn Forbes, was an American writer and memoirist. Many of her works were based on the experiences of her family.-Life:...
' family memoir, Mama's Bank Account, 1944) - The Mermaids Singing (1945)
- The Druid Circle (1947)
- Make Way for Lucia (1948)
- Bell, Book and Candle (1950; filmed in 1958 starring James StewartJames Stewart (actor)James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
and Kim NovakKim NovakKim Novak is an American film and television actress. She began her career with her roles in Pushover and Phffft! but achieved greater prominence in the 1955 film Picnic...
) - I Am a CameraI Am a CameraI Am a Camera is a 1951 Broadway play inspired by Christopher Isherwood's novel Goodbye to Berlin which is part of The Berlin Stories...
(1951) from Christopher IsherwoodChristopher IsherwoodChristopher William Bradshaw Isherwood was an English-American novelist.-Early life and work:Born at Wyberslegh Hall, High Lane, Cheshire in North West England, Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed...
's Berlin stories. New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for 1951-52 - I've Got Sixpence (1952)
Other work
Van Druten directed the last nine productions of his own plays (see above).At the St. James Theatre
St. James Theatre
The St. James Theatre is located at 246 W. 44th St. Broadway, New York City, New York. It was built by Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and a founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate, on the site of the original Sardi's restaurant. It opened in 1927 as The Erlanger...
, New York in March 1951 he directed the first production of The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
(1,246 performances). He also restaged this production at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, in London, October 1953 (946 performances).
At the Theatre Royal, Brighton
Theatre Royal, Brighton
The Theatre Royal, Brighton is a theatre in Brighton, England, United Kingdom presenting a range of West End and touring musicals and plays, along with performances of opera and ballet and a Christmas pantomime.-History:...
in November 1954 he staged a production of The Duchess and the Smugs.
Van Druten wrote two autobiographies:
- The Way to the Present (1938)
- The Widening Circle: Personal Search, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York (1957)
He also published two novels: a version of Young Woodley (1928), and The Vicarious Years in 1955.
He also published a book on his work Playwright at Work just after 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...
.
Sources
- Who's Who in the Theatre, Twelfth edition, ed John ParkerJohn ParkerJohn Parker may refer to:*John Parker , English-born merchant, politician and judge*John Parker , senior member of the judiciary during the interregnum, father of the Bishop of Oxford Samuel Parker...
, Pitman, London (1957) - The Oxford Companion to the Theatre, ed Phyllis HartnollPhyllis HartnollPhyllis Hartnoll was a British poet, author and editor.Hartnoll studied at the University of Oxford, where she won the Newdigate Prize for poetry in 1929. Later she worked as an editor on many Oxford University Press publications, including the Oxford Companion to the Theatre...
, Oxford (1985) ISBN 0192115464 - The Oxford Companion to American Theatre, ed Gerald Bordman, Oxford (1992) ISBN 0195072464