Charles MacArthur | |
|---|---|
_2.jpg) MacArthur aboardSSBremen, March 1933 | |
| Born | Charles Gordon MacArthur (1895-11-05)November 5, 1895 Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | April 21, 1956(1956-04-21) (aged 60) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, playwright |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Children | 2, includingJames MacArthur |
| Relatives | John D. MacArthur (brother) J. Roderick MacArthur (nephew) |
Charles Gordon MacArthur (November 5, 1895 – April 21, 1956) was an Americanplaywright,screenwriter, and 1935 winner of theAcademy Award for Best Story.
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MacArthur was born inScranton, Pennsylvania, the sixth of seven children of sternevangelist William Telfer MacArthur and Georgiana Welsted MacArthur.[2] Early in life, MacArthur developed a passion for reading. Declining to follow his father into ministry, he moved to theMidwest and soon became a successful reporter inChicago, working for theChicago Tribune andChicago Daily News. MacArthur joined theUnited States Army forWorld War I, and served in France as a private assigned to Battery F, 149th Field Artillery, a unit of the42nd Division, The Rainbow Division.[3] He recounted his wartime experience in 1919'sA Bug's-Eye View of the War.[4] After the war, he wrote several short stories, two of which, "Hang It All" (1921) and "Rope" (1923), were published inH. L. Mencken'sThe Smart Set magazine.[2] Eventually he settled inNew York City, where he turned toplaywriting.
MacArthur is best known for his plays in collaboration withBen Hecht,Ladies and Gentlemen (filmed asPerfect Strangers),Twentieth Century and the frequently filmedThe Front Page, which was based in part on MacArthur's experiences at theCity News Bureau of Chicago. MacArthur also co-wrote, withEdward Sheldon, the playLulu Belle, which was staged in 1926 byDavid Belasco. MacArthur was friends with members of theAlgonquin Round Table, shared an apartment withRobert Benchley and had an affair withDorothy Parker.
His second marriage was to the stage and screen actressHelen Hayes, from 1928 until his death. They lived inNyack,New York. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Mary, who died of polio in 1949 at age 19. The shock of her death hastened MacArthur's own, according to those who knew him. Their adopted son,James MacArthur, was also an actor, best known for playing Danny "Danno" Williams on the Americantelevision seriesHawaii Five-O. His brother,John D. MacArthur, was an insurance-company owner and executive, and founded theJohn D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the benefactor of theMacArthur Fellowships.
Academy Award forBest Writing, Original Story -The Scoundrel (shared withBen Hecht) (1936)
In 1983, MacArthur was posthumously inducted into theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame.[5]
MacArthur was portrayed byMatthew Broderick in the 1994 filmMrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle.[6]
