In his book, Act One: An Autobiography, Moss Hart says, “The theater is an inevitable refuge of the unhappy child.” (Hart, p 10, 1959) This theory, coming from a man who created some of Broadway’s brightest and most memorable musical comedies, represents a duality that is crucial to understanding his life and its works. While he was notorious for his extravagant belongings and spending indulgences, reaping the spoils from his place at the pinnacle of the world he’d always obsessed over, Hart also suffered from massive bouts of depression and self-doubt. (Wolcott) If his lifetime worth of work that brought people such joy really was a result of experiencing the lowest of personal lows, it may shed light into why he was such a tireless worker throughout his thirty year career on Broadway. Moss Hart was born October 24, 1904 in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York. His parents, immigrants of England, worked as cigar makers and had their dreams of a better life in a new country dashed not long after moving to America with the introduction of the machine manufactured cigar. (Teachout, p 90, 2010) Hart would frequently joke that he was, “Born on Fifth Avenue… on the wrong end.” While some might look back on a hard upbringing with gratitude and appreciation, even as he grew very rich Hart always viewed his impoverished childhood with contempt and disgust. (Aronson, p 170, 1995) He described it in his autobiography as growing up with, “the dark brown taste of being poor forever in my mouth and the grim smell of actual want always at the end of my nose.” (Hart, p 12, 1959) Despite his sad childhood, he had a love for the theater from an early age that he developed from a close relationship with his mother’s sister, his Aunt Kate. She frequented the local small-time theatres, often coming home and relaying every detail to him until he was old enough for her to bring him along. (Teachout, p 91, 2010) At the age of 12, Hart was forced to drop out of school in order to work full time to support the family. From this point, through the rest of his life, Hart became the main earner of income for his family. Even as a young boy who could only work menial jobs, his eyes were always set on his dream of working on Broadway. He went from an office boy of a small time road show producer, writing plays and musical reviews in his spare time, to an entertainment director for summer resorts in the Catskills Mountains of upstate New York. During this time, he worked as a small-time actor, writer and director, honing his skills and waiting for his chance on the big stage. (“Moss Hart”) That time would finally come in 1930, when at just the age of twenty-five, Hart wrote his first major hit with a musical comedy called, “Once in a Lifetime.” The subject of the play was about the ongoing trend at the time of stage actor making the move to Hollywood for work in sound films. Hart presented the play to producer Sam Harris who found his work very promising, but ultimately raw, and would only choose to produce it if Hart agreed to collaborate with renowned playwright George Kaufman. Kaufman was the biggest name on Broadway for musical comedies after his work in the 1920’s and Hart jumped at the opportunity. (Wolcott) Although the play was initially not well received by critics, and Kaufman actually planned to abandon it before it premiered, it was a major success when it opened to the public. (“The Playwrights”) Kaufman would go on to credit the then unknown Hart with “80 percent of this play,” transforming him into a Broadway star overnight. (Teachout, p 91, 2010) However, Hart would later credit Kaufman in return as being responsible for launching his career, saying in his autobiography, “I do not think it is far-fetched to say that such success as I have had in the theatre is due in large part to George Kaufman.” (Hart, p 240, 1959) Moss Hart followed up his debut success immediately with a tireless string of work throughout the 1930’s, possibly influenced by the work ethic he instilled in himself as the bread winner of his family from an early age. He collaborated on musicals with some of the greatest composers of the time such as Irving Berlin in “Face the Music” in 1932 and “As Thousands Cheer” in 1933, as well as Cole Porter’s “Jubilee” in 1935. (“Moss Hart”) However, Hart’s greatest work and impact to the world of theatre came through his continued collaboration with George Kaufman. They combined their wit and knack for story-telling to create seven comedies throughout the decade. All of their plays together were major hits, many of them standing the tests of time with remakes and being transformed into films. This is likely due to their penchant for using easily relatable American values such as family, politics and social life. For example, “Merrily We Roll Along” was a Kaufman and Hart play from 1934 about a playwright attempting juggle his career aspirations as well as his personal life, all while navigating through the changes of America from World War I through the Great Depression. In 1936, Hart, along with Kaufman, released the biggest hit of his career, “You Can’t Take it With You,” for which he won a Pulitzer Prize, based on two eccentric families and soon to be in-laws coming together for a disastrous dinner party. “I’d Rather Be Right,” released in 1937, was a political comedy about some of the biggest American figures of the time, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1939 came another of Kaufman and Hart’s biggest hits with “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” The play was a comedy about a well-known critic who slips on a patch of ice while staying with an Ohio family during one of his lecture tours, and is forced to stay with the family until it heals, causing havoc within the household. (“The Playwrights”) Hart was actually inspired to write the story by his friend Alexander Woolcott, an actual critic that once spent the night at his Pennsylvania farmhouse and sarcastically lamented about his unpleasant stay there. (Aronson, p 170, 1995) After writing “George Washington Slept Here,” in 1940, Hart and Kaufman separated and never worked again. Unlike many other collaborators who end their relationship due to a falling out, Hart rather felt that he needed to experience success on his own. (“The Playwrights”) It did not take long for Hart to make his impact without the help of Kaufman when he wrote and directed, “Lady in the Dark,” in 1941. The play focused on a female editor of a fashion magazine going through psychoanalysis treatments through the help of her psychiatrist, Dr. Brooks. This was a deeply personal issue for Hart who battled severe bouts of depression for most of his life and practiced psychoanalysis religiously, sometimes seeing his doctor twice a day. It was a remarkably impactful play not just in the world of theatre, but to the world in general where psychoanalysis had to that point never been treated with the seriousness it deserved. While it was still a comedy, the role of Dr. Brooks was presented both seriously and solemnly, giving the issue of mental health the gravity it deserved. (Fagin, p 299, 1950) Hart would continue to write plays during the 1940’s, such as, “Lady in the Dark” and, “Light up the Sky” in 1948. However, he also played the role of director for both of those plays as he made the slight transition to directing the plays of others, as well as a few of his own, for the remainder of his career. He would be credited with directing Broadway plays throughout the next decade such as, “Winged Victory,” in 1943, “Dear Ruth,” in 1944, “The Secret Room,” in 1945, “Miss Liberty,” in 1949 and “Anniversary Waltz,” in 1954. During this time, he also got married to Kitty Carlisle on August 10, 1946, whom he would go on to have two children with and remained married to for the remainder of his life. (“Moss Hart”) Towards the end of the decade, Moss Hart found success in a venue other than Broadway for the first time in his career as a screenwriter for Hollywood. He would receive an Oscar nomination for his work as screenwriter for the film, “Gentleman’s Agreement,” in 1947 and actually won the award for writing the movie, “A Star is Born,” in 1954 starring Judy Garland. (“Moss Hart”) However, he remained dedicated to his passion for theatre and released his greatest hit as a director in the 1956 play, “My Fair Lady.” Working with the collaborative team of Allen Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, they transformed George Bernard Shaw’s 1914 play, “Pygmalion,” into a musical comedy, creating what is now considered one of the greatest musicals ever on Broadway. It ran for six years from March 15, 1956 to September 29, 1962, earning Moss Hart a 1957 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. (Lunden) Hart would direct one more show on Broadway; another Lerner and Loewe hit, “Camelot,” in 1960. It would run for 873 performances and win four Tony Awards. (“Moss Hart”)
Moss Hart died of another heart attack one year later on December 20, 1961, just over thirty years after his introduction to the world of American theatre. During his time as playwright and director, he created an extensive list of work that would take many others a lifetime to achieve. Perhaps driven by a work ethic instilled in him as a young man, or a constant void created by self-doubt and depression, Moss Hart left his mark as a Broadway legend.

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