- John Patrick
John Patrick (
May 17 ,1905 –November 7 ,1995 ) was an Americanplaywright andscreenwriter .Born John Patrick Goggan in
Louisville, Kentucky , his parents soon abandoned him and he spent a delinquent youth in foster homes and boarding schools. At age 19, he secured a job as an announcer atKPO Radio inSan Francisco, California , marrying Mildred Legaye in 1925. He wrote over one thousand scripts for the "Cecil and Sally Show " broadcast byNBC between 1929 and 1933. In 1937, Patrick wrote adaptations for NBC's "Streamlined Shakespeare" series, guest-starringHelen Hayes .Produced on a tight budget, his first play "Hell Freezes Over", directed by
Joshua Logan , had a brief run on Broadway in 1935. However, the credit opened the door for him as aHollywood scriptwriter.In 1942, a second play "The Willow and I" was produced with
Martha Scott andGregory Peck in the starring roles. Before its first night, Patrick had volunteered for theAmerican Field Service providing medical services in support of theBritish Army fightingWorld War II . He served with Montgomery's Eighth Army inEgypt and subsequently saw action inIndia andBurma where the ideas for his next play "The Hasty Heart " were germinated. Patrick completed the play on the ship that returned him to the US after the war and it proved a great commercial success, being adapted for the screen in 1949, starringRonald Reagan , and forTV in 1983.His next two plays, "
The Curious Savage " (1950) and "Lo and Behold" (1951) fared less well but it was his 1953 stage adaptation ofVern J. Sneider 's novel "The Teahouse of the August Moon " that marked the height of his fame, winning both the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for drama. He adapted the play for the screen in 1956 and for the musical stage, under the title "Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen ", in 1970.His next play, "Good as Gold" (1957), was less well received and most of the rest of his career was dedicated to a series of successful screenwriting assignments including:
*"Three Coins in the Fountain" (1954)
*"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" (1955)
*"High Society " (1956)
*"Les Girls " (1957), earning him an award from theWriters Guild of America
*"Some Came Running " (1958)
*"The World of Suzie Wong " (1960)
*"Lo and Behold! "
*"The Shoes of the Fisherman " (1968).
*"Everybody Loves Opal " (1962)Following his success with "The Hasty Heart", Patrick bought a 65 acre (260,000 m²) estate called "Hasty Hill" at
Suffern, New York , later moving toSaint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands .On November 7, 1995, the 90-year-old playwright was found dead in his room with a plastic bag over his head. His death was ruled a
suicide . Patrick is now best remembered for his screen work though his plays remain popular with community theatres.External links
*ibdb name|id=6884|name=John Patrick
* [http://www.teahouseoftheaugustmoon.com "Teahouse of the August Moon" tribute site embracing novel, play and film]
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