Dazzler: The Life And Times Of Moss Hart [Paperback]

Steven Bach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2002

From the Algonquin Round Table to the Gershwins and the Hollywood moguls, Moss Hart knew and delighted everybody. Vanity Fair has called him "one of American theater's greatest geniuses," the man responsible for such indelible successes as A Star Is Born, Camelot, and My Fair Lady. His rags-to-riches autobiography, Act One, became one of the most successful and beloved books ever published about the lure of the theater. But it ended at the beginning—when Hart was only twenty-five. Now, at last, we have the whole and far richer story in this first full-scale biography of "the Prince of Broadway." Here Steven Bach explores the private Moss Hart, revealing his struggles with self-doubt, depression, and sexual identity, and the public one, recounting his creativity and charisma, his wit and grace. With thorough research and graceful prose, Steven Bach takes us on a journey to another time and place, where one man created a dazzling world for himself and for all American theatergoers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

theater critic Brooks Atkinson wrote in his obituary of this flamboyant figure's "unconquerable enthusiasm for life." Bach's lively, stylishly written chronicle perfectly captures this enthusiasm, along with the wit, the prodigious talent and above all the "unabashed love for the Broadway he came to personify" and that Hart lavished on an astonishing array of theatrical endeavors. Born in 1904 in a New York City tenement, Moss wrote and directed his first Broadway play at age 17. In 1930, he began collaborating with writer/raconteur George S. Kaufman forming one of the most famous partnerships in theater history and creating two enduring classics, The Man Who Came to Dinner and the Pulitzer Prize-winning You Can't Take It with You. Hart's subsequent achievements included musical comedy collaborations (with Cole Porter, Kurt Weill and Irving Berlin) and a number of screenplays (among them, Gentleman's Agreement, which earned him an Oscar nomination, and the Judy Garland version of A Star Is Born). In 1956, he directed Broadway's My Fair Lady "not only the biggest hit of Hart's life, but also the biggest hit in the life of everyone connected with it." Throughout his many triumphs and the occasional failure Hart was given to severe bouts of depression, which Bach presents in an admirably evenhanded tone; nor does the author shy away from suggestions of Hart's homosexuality. Despite being surrounded by a luminous, vividly depicted "supporting cast," Hart and his indelible contributions to the theater shine through this fascinating portrait, in a work that truly merits its title. 16-page photo insert. (Apr. 29) Forecast: That Hart's widow, Kitty Carlisle Hart, "chose not to cooperate" with Bach has already brought Dazzler some off-the-book-page attention and may well garner more. An excerpt in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair will certainly boost word-of-mouth, and Knopf's 100,000 printing (as well as selection by QPB and for a BOMC alternate) will ensure that copies are everywhere.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Hart overcame his impoverished background with enormous talent and the will to succeed. By the end of his short life (he was only 57 when he suffered a fatal heart attack), he had successful careers in the theater and Hollywood and won numerous awards. He had the golden touch. Hart co-wrote the oft-revived The Man Who Came to Dinner and You Can't Take It with You; wrote the screenplays for A Star Is Born and Gentleman's Agreement; directed My Fair Lady; and directed and helped rewrite Camelot, which would have bombed without his show biz skills. Yet battles with manic depression and issues with his sexuality took much of his energy and time away from his family and career. Bach (Final Cut, Marlene Dietrich: Life and Legend), who has a deep appreciation for Hart's talent and the entertainment industry, has done the needed research to give the reader a fascinating and detailed look into this world and Hart's contributions to it. An essential purchase for all academic and public libraries. (Index not seen..
- Susan L. Peters, Univ. of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (April 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306811359
• ISBN-13: 978-0306811357
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #469,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Act Two, May 1, 2001

By 

Gary Britson (Des Moines, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart (Hardcover)

This book covers the material we enjoyed in Act One, then picks up where Act One left off, at which point things get very interesting indeed. His youth wasn't nearly as grim as he would have us believe, and his later years weren't as much fun as we would have imagined. Bach has certainly done his research. The more interested you are in theater history and the small details of each production, the more you'll enjoy Dazzler. Even if you're not crazy about theater, you might enjoy watching the rise of a genius. It's smooth and insightful and never boring. Keep it with your biographies of Kaufmann. You'll want to come back to it the next time you view The Man Who Came to Dinner and You Can't Take It With You.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars UN-PUT-DOWNABLE, November 24, 2001

By 

MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart (Hardcover)

Moss Hart was not only a brilliant talent who wrote and/or directed some of the finest plays and musicals of the twentieth century, he also wrote, to my mind, the finest non-fiction book written about life in the theatre: ACT ONE. Unfortunately, he died before he could write the second and third acts. Stephen Bach has taken up the task of writing that book for Hart and he does it wonderfully--if, perhaps, a little more openly and honestly than Hart might have liked.

A successful, leading playwright on Broadway when still in his twenties, Hart could never really reconcile himself to his humble origins nor to his family members, including his parents, who never quite "got" what their son needed or wanted or deserved and who never really found out how to live comfortably in his own skin with decades of huge successes.

Mood swings of manic depression plagued him his entire life as did his confusion over his own sexual identity. He was also a man who could quite easily and conveniently "forget" some of those friends who had helped him when he was struggling, professionally and personally. Bach does not write a gossipy tell-all, but lets his readers know that Hart's life was not as sublime as it must have seemed by outsiders.

The book is filled with myriad examples of what Broadway and Hollywood was like in the first half of the last century: why plays like ONCE IN A LIFETIME were hits and why others like LIGHT UP THE SKY were not. Why Hart's sense of timing most always seemed to serve him well: i.e. YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU coming at just the right time for a celebration of the individuality and originality of the American spirit. Celebrity after celebrity worked with Hart: George S. Kaufman, of course, and Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Lerner & Loewe, Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, George M. Cohan and Richard Rodgers, Judy Garland and Richard Burton. The list is endless.

Bach writes imaginatively and with such great wit and force and strength that the reader is swept up in Hart's life, living it as fast and furiously as he must have. It is un-put-downable.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially for anyone with an interest in legitimate theatre as an art.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Charming Mr. Hart, June 25, 2001

By 

sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart (Hardcover)

He was a thoroughly delightful man. Most of us met him in “Act One” his best-selling autobiography published in the late ‘50’s. Apparently, he tidied up his life a mite in that story. But that’s what playwrights do; give us the best story possible.

“Dazzler” is a well-done biography that is a treasure trove of show business history as well as a deep and compelling study of Moss Hart. I would call this a “definitive” biography except for some reason Mr. Hart’s widow, the charming Kitty Carlisle, did not cooperative with the author. Therefore, there are probably many papers that still can be brought to light.

I was a little put off by Mr. Bach’s tone at the beginning of the book, it seemed lightly touched with superiority toward his subject. Yes, Moss Hart was extravagant, a bit of a dandy..., and sometimes—very rarely—forgot to credit the people who helped him on the way up. When the author hits his stride, this tone disappears, and we see Moss Hart clearly as the energetic, generous, brilliant man that he was. He left whatever he touched more colorful and replaced the humdrum with magic.

The description of the complete, astounding success of “My Fair Lady’s” opening night, which Hart directed, is the stuff of which movies are made. This was a pinnacle of life experience for everyone who participated. Reading about the making of “My Fair Lady” alone is worth the price of the book.

When the book was over, I wished there were more triumphs to reveal, and that Mr. Hart lived to write “Act II.” A highly readable book with a dazzling subject.