Hubert Benjamin Osborne (1881–1958) was a Canadian-born

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

who worked in the US. Although he created many adaptations of Shakespeare's works, he was best known for his light comedies. He was born in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

, and attended Queen's University for two years before progressing to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He later worked as professor of drama at the

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

until 1925, and then at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

until 1928.Hubert Benjamin Osborne and the Shakespeare Play
/ref> Osborne also worked at several American theaters and scripted films as well as Broadway and off-Broadway shows. In 1928 his play ''Eve's Complaint'' was produced in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. This was the first so-called "American play" to have a Paris premiere. Osborne also worked on Broadway during this period. He wrote ''The Good Men Do'' (1917), ''April'' (1918), ''Shore Leave'' (1922), ''Rita Coventry'' (1923) and ''The Blue Bandanna'' (1924). His most successful works were light comedies. Osborne also created a pioneering synthetic stage lighting system, which was used in productions of Shakespeare, with whose work he had a particular fascination. His play ''The Good Men Do'' was about a meeting between

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Awar ...

and

Anne Whateley Anne Whateley is the name given to a woman who is sometimes supposed to have been the intended wife of William Shakespeare before he married Anne Hathaway. Most scholars believe that Whateley never existed, and that her name in a document concer ...

, an earlier fiancée of the playwright's. He also co-wrote ''The Shakespeare Play: A Drama in Rhythmic Prose'' (c.1911), about Shakespeare's life, but this was never produced on Broadway. In addition he created many adaptations of Shakespeare's works. Osborne was also credited in a number of film adaptations of his plays, including ''Don't Call It Love'' (1923) (based on the play ''Rita Coventry''); '' Hit the Deck'' (1930) (play ''Shore Leave''); ''

Follow the Fleet ''Follow the Fleet'' is a 1936 American RKO musical comedy film with a nautical theme starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, fifth collaboration as dance partners. It also features Randolph Scott, Harriet ...

'' (1936) (also based on ''Shore Leave''); ''Strange Experiment'' (1937) (play ''Two Worlds'').IMDb data
/ref>

Filmography

*''

Don't Call It Love "Don't Call It Love" is a song first released by American singer Kim Carnes on her 1981 album ''Mistaken Identity''. The following year it was covered by Captain and Tennille and Dusty Springfield from their albums '' More Than Dancing'' and ''Whi ...

'', directed by

William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

(1923, based on the play ''Rita Coventry'') *''

Shore Leave Shore leave is the Leave (military), leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is also known as "liberty" within the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps. During the Age of ...

'', directed by John S. Robertson (1925, based on the play ''Shore Leave'') *'' Hit the Deck'', directed by

Luther Reed Luther A. Reed (July 14, 1888 – November 16, 1961) was an American screenwriter and film director. Biography Reed was born in 1888 in Berlin, Wisconsin, and graduated from Columbia University. He worked as a journalist and the music and the ...

(1930, based on the musical '' Hit the Deck'') *''

'', directed by

Mark Sandrich Mark Sandrich (born Mark Rex Goldstein; October 26, 1900 – March 4, 1945) was an American film director, writer, and producer. Early life Sandrich was born in New York City on October 26, 1900 into a American Jews, Jewish family. His siste ...

(1936, based on the play ''Shore Leave'') *''

Strange Experiment ''Strange Experiment'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Albert Parker and starring Donald Gray, Ann Wemyss and Mary Newcomb. It was an adaptation of the play ''Two Worlds'' by John Golden and Hubert Osborne. It was made at Wembley St ...

'', directed by Albert Parker (UK, 1937, based on the play ''Two Worlds'') *'' Hit the Deck'', directed by Roy Rowland (1955, based on the musical '' Hit the Deck'')

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, Hubert 1881 births 1958 deaths Writers from Ontario Harvard University alumni Queen's University at Kingston alumni Yale University faculty Carnegie Mellon University faculty Canadian emigrants to the United States