Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1889, Nov. 16 | Born, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 1908 | Moved with family to Paterson, New Jersey Submitted items to humor columnist Franklin Pierce Adams, who published them in the Evening Mail Adams became Kaufman's mentor in New York |
| 1912 | Humor columnist for the Washington Times |
| 1913 | Fired from the Washington Times for being Jewish Humor columnist for the Evening Mail in New York |
| circa 1914 | Reporter and drama editor for the Tribune |
| 1917, Mar. 15 | Married Beatrice Bakrow (died 1945) |
| 1917-1930 | Drama editor for the New York Times |
| 1918, Sept. 4 | Made Broadway debut as a playwright with the opening of Someone in the House, co-authored with Larry Evans and Walter C. Percival |
| 1919 | Member of the Algonquin Round Table luncheons |
| 1921 | Second play, Dulcy, opened on Broadway (written with Marc Connelly) Began a streak of 38 Broadway seasons that contained at least one play written or directed by Kaufman |
| 1924 | Minick opened on Broadway, the first of six collaborations between Kaufman and Edna Ferber |
| 1925 | Daughter Anne adopted |
| 1925, Sept. 23 | The Butter and Egg Man opened, the only straight play Kaufman wrote without a collaborator |
| 1925, Dec. 8 | The Cocoanuts opened, Kaufman’s first play with the Marx Brothers, and a collaboration with Irving Berlin |
| 1928 | The Front Page opened, the first play for which Kaufman received credit as sole director |
| 1930 | Collaborated with Moss Hart for the first time on Once in a Lifetime |
| 1931 | Of Thee I Sing opened, written with Morrie Ryskind, music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin |
| 1932 | Of Thee I Sing became first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama |
| 1936 | You Can’t Take It with You opened, a collaboration with Hart (ran for 838 performances) In the midst of a child custody dispute, actress Mary Astor's ex-husband disclosed entries from her diary detailing her affair with Kaufman |
| 1937 | You Can’t Take It with You won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama Collaborated with John Steinbeck on stage adaptation of Of Mice and Men Directed Of Mice and Men which ran on Broadway for 207 performances |
| 1938 | Of Mice and Men won Drama Critics' Circle award as Best Play of the Year |
| 1939 | The Man Who Came to Dinner, written with Hart, began its run of 739 performances on Broadway |
| 1940 | Directed My Sister Eileen, which ran on Broadway for 864 performances |
| 1949, May 26 | Married Leueen MacGrath (divorced 1957) |
| 1950 | Directed Frank Loesser musical Guys & Dolls |
| 1951 | Won Tony Awards for Best Director and Best Musical for Guys & Dolls |
| 1961, June 2 | Died, New York City |