Of Course it isn’t a Flop George.
It’s the birthday of the playwright George S. Kaufman, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1889). He was known as “the hitmaker” in his lifetime, he co-wrote more hit plays than almost anyone else in the history of Broadway, including Animal Crackers (1928), Strike Up the Band (1930) and You Can’t Take It With You (1938).
…collaboration is marriage without sex…
Of the dozens of plays Kaufman wrote in his lifetime, he only wrote one by himself. He said, “Collaboration is marriage without sex, and subject to many vexations. But pay no attention to them, because in one respect at least it is wonderful. The total result is frequently far more than the combined abilities of two people might give you.” His various partners through the years all said that he was a meticulous rewriter and polisher, that he was never satisfied with a script even up till the last minute. Even on the most triumphant of opening nights, he could always be found backstage, pale and terrified that the play would be a flop.
From the Writer’s Almanac by Garrison Keillor
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