Abbott, George Francis

▪ 1996

      U.S. theatrical director, producer, playwright, actor, and motion-picture director (b. June 25, 1887, Forestville, N.Y.—d. Jan. 31, 1995, Miami Beach, Fla.), as the dean of Broadway showmen, brought a no-nonsense approach, a flair for establishing pacing and humour, and an exceptional ability to maintain action effectively to the staging of some of the most popular Broadway musicals and farces that appeared from the 1920s to the '60s. His more than 120 productions over an eight-decade career bore his unmistakable touch, often as a play doctor. From 1948 through 1962 Abbott's shows garnered a remarkable 40 Tony awards, including five for him. (He received a special lifetime achievement Tony award in 1976.) After graduating (1911) from the University of Rochester, N.Y., Abbott studied drama at Harvard University before making his acting debut in The Misleading Lady (1913). He performed until the 1920s, when he turned to playwriting. Abbott scored a huge success with Broadway (1926) and followed that with such plaudit-gathering melodramas as Chicago (1926), Four Walls (1927), and Coquette (1927). He established a reputation as a master of farce with Twentieth Century (1932), Three Men on a Horse (1935), and Boy Meets Girl (1935). Among his directorial efforts were Jumbo (1935), On Your Toes (1936), The Boys from Syracuse (1938), Pal Joey (1940), On the Town (1944), Where's Charley? (1948), Call Me Madam (1950), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1951), The Pajama Game (1954), Damn Yankees (1955), Fiorello! (1959), and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962). He also collaborated on the screenplay for All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and directed the film versions of The Pajama Game (1957) and Damn Yankees (1958). Abbott's autobiography, Mister Abbott, appeared in 1963. At 100 years of age he directed a revival of Broadway, and he collaborated on a Broadway revival of Damn Yankees shortly before his death at the age of 107.

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