G3901

Literary Arts

Moss Hart - Playwright

Collins Cover Announcement 

MOSS HART

Hatt was born in 1904 to immigrant parents from England. His childhood in the Bronx was one of abject poverty. He suffered from malnutrition and a serious lack of dental care. At 15, Moss quit school and took a job in a garment factory to help support his family.

An eccentric aunt fostered Hart's early love of the theater by taking him to see many plays. He later wrote lovingly about his Aunt Kate in his autobiography Act One. His first show business job was that of an office boy. He went on to become an entertainment director on the "Borscht Belt" resort circuit in the Catskill Mountains. In 1926, he was a supporting cast member on Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones. Life remained a struggle for Hart in the world of show business.

His breakthrough came in 1930 when he wrote Once in a Lifetime. It got rave reviews and ran for 305 performances. He worked with Irving Berlin on Face the Music and As Thousands Cheer. In 1934, Hart had another big hit with the comedy Merrily We Roll Along. In 1935, he worked with Cole Porter on Jubilee, and in 1936, Moss wrote his best comedy You Can't Take it With You.

While best remembered as a playwright, Hart was also an excellent director. His greatest success was directing My Fair Lady. After that, he staged and produced the bit Camelot which ran for 873 performances starting in 1960. My hand painted cachet shows a scene from this famous Broadway play.

I'm pleased to offer this First Day Cover as a tribute to a fine playwright, producer and director — Moss Hart. Collins #G3901 —$12.25.