John Keats dead at 79

Dorothy Parker's first biographer, John Keats, died on Nov. 3 in Kingston, Ont. He was 79 and lived in Kingston and on Pine Island in Ontario, in the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River.

Thirty years ago, he penned the first biography of Mrs. Parker, You Might as Well Live: The Life and Times of Dorothy Parker (Simon & Schuster, 1970). Keats also wrote Howard Hughes: The Biography of a Texas Billionaire (Random House; revised edition, 1972). His 13 books frequently delved into American obsessions with education, automobiles and suburbia.

From 1974 to 1990 Keats taught magazine writing at Syracuse University. He then retired to Canada.

Of the three Parker biographies, I rate Keats' second-best. What Fresh Hell is This (1987, Penguin Books) by Marion Meade is best, with The Late Mrs. Dorothy Parker (1986, MacMillan) by Leslie Frewin as third-place. The Keats bio lacks the depth of Meade, but he did set the stage for the Parker revival that would follow in the 1980s. The book isn't in print; copies are often found online for about $10 or less.

See the What The Hell Bookshop for these books.

Posted by Kevin Fitzpatrick on Monday, November 27, 2000 at 11:16 PM | Permalink

Talk at the Gonk

There's a 90-minute talk and tour of the Algonquin Hotel on Sunday, Nov. 26. It is sponsored by the 92nd Street "Y" and called The Algonquin Round Table: Tea, Tales and Tour. It's from 3-4:30 p.m. and tickets are $50 each. Moderator Jim Pappas says, "We'll visit the Dorothy Parker (suite) and then have tea in the Rose Room. That's when I'll talk a bit about the Round Table gang, using as a visual the painting over the fireplace... I'll also bring some books by Parker, FPA, Benchley, Woollcott, Sherwood, Lardner ... most out of print, some of them rare." If you really want to go (it may be sold out) call Penny Haymen-Schwartz at "Y" Tours & Travel office (212-415-5628) and ask her about cancellations. There could be another tour in February.

It sounds like a small-scale version of our Parkerfest to me.

Posted by Kevin Fitzpatrick on Monday, November 13, 2000 at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

Beware of Online Sales

It seems like every week, someone on Ebay is selling a "first edition" or "first printing" of a Dorothy Parker book. Watch out. I've been looking at these closely, and very few, if any, are the real article. Some booksellers are tricking buyers into thinking they're getting a "first" simply because there is either (a) no listed second/subsequent printing; or (b) there is only the one copyright page and that's it. I'll work to get online samples of real first editions so you won't be duped. But be wary of online booksellers anyway.

Posted by Kevin Fitzpatrick on Thursday, November 09, 2000 at 7:20 AM | Permalink

Ring Lardner Jr. Dies

Another connection to Mrs. Parker and the Algonquin has passed away. Two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter Ring Lardner Jr., who had been the last surviving member of the blacklisted "Hollywood Ten," died of cancer Oct. 31 at his Manhattan apartment. He was 85.

Lardner won Oscars for best original screenplay with Michael Kanin for the 1942 romantic comedy Woman of the Year and for material based on another medium for the 1970 Korean War satire MASH. He was also the last surviving son of well-known writer and humorist Ring Lardner, a friend of the Algonquin Round Table.

He served nine months in federal prison in 1950 after being convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing three years earlier to tell the House Un-American Activities Committee if he had ever been a member of the Communist Party.

The Chicago native spent most of his childhood in Greenwich, Conn., and Great Neck, Long Island, amid such literary and journalistic notables as Grantland Rice, Heywoud Broun, H.L. Mencken, Dorothy Parker and Alexander Woollcott.

His first work as a screenwriter came in the mid 1930s rewriting scenes for David O. Selznick in A Star Is Born starring Frederic March and Janet Gaynor. Coincidentally, Mrs. Parker and Alan Campbell were nominated for an Academy Award for the film for their screenplay contribution.

How important was Lardner Jr. to the cause of the First Amendment? Very. As D.H. Kerby wrote in the Los Angeles Times upon his death: "The Hollywood 10 were courageous individuals who refused to cooperate with a witch hunt when they could have saved themselves from prison merely by pointing the finger at their associates and identifying them as Communist Party members. The protest at last year's Academy Awards of the recognition of the work of Elia Kazan, who did name names, shows that many of us still regard cooperation with blacklisters as shameful."

Posted by Kevin Fitzpatrick on Wednesday, November 01, 2000 at 9:45 AM | Permalink