John Lionel Golden (June 27, 1874 – June 17, 1955) was an American actor,

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

, author, and theatrical producer. As a songwriter, he is best-known as lyricist for "

Poor Butterfly "Poor Butterfly" is a popular song. It was inspired by Giacomo Puccini's opera ''Madame Butterfly'' and contains a brief musical quote from the Act two duet ''Tutti i fior'' in the verse. The music was written by Raymond Hubbell, the lyrics by ...

" (1916). He produced many

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

shows and four films.

Life

Early years

John L. Golden was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on June 27, 1874. He grew up in

Wauseon, Ohio Wauseon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County, Ohio, Fulton County, Ohio, approximately 31 mi (51 km) west of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The population was 7,332 at the time of the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. Histo ...

and returned to New York when he was fourteen. Golden briefly attended the law school at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. He joined a chemical manufacturing firm, where he worked for thirteen years.

Composer

Golden began a career as a lyricist. He composed the music for ''Miss Prinnt'', a musical farce in which his friend

Marie Dressler Marie Dressler (born Leila Marie Koerber, November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was a Canadian stage and screen actress, comedian, and early silent film and Depression-era film star. In 1914, she was in the first full-length film comedy. She ...

starred, that opened in late 1900 in New York City. It was described by the critic Alan Dale as "a ghastly collection of decayed jokes, taphouse slang, meaningless music and direly trashy story..." He contributed lyrics to ''The Hoyden'', a

Charles Dillingham Charles Bancroft Dillingham (May 30, 1868 – August 30, 1934) was an American theatre manager and producer of over 200 Broadway shows. Biography Charles Bancroft Dillingham was born on May 30, 1868 in Hartford, Connecticut to Edmund Bancroft ...

production that ran from October 19, 1907, to February 1, 1908. He wrote the music and lyrics for

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

's ''Over the River'' (1912). This otherwise mundane show, co-produced by Dillingham, was the first in which ballroom dancing appeared on the legitimate stage.

hired Golden, now well known as a lyricist, to work on his ''Hip-Hip-Hooray''. It opened at the

Hippodrome The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used i ...

on September 30, 1915, and ran for 425 performances. The show received excellent reviews. Between 1909 and 1921,

R. H. Burnside Robert Hubber Thorne Burnside (August 13, 1873 – September 14, 1952) was an American actor, director, producer, composer, and playwright. He was artistic director of the 5,200-seat New York Hippodrome from 1908 to 1923. He wrote and staged h ...

staged many spectacular shows at the Hippodrome. Golden wrote the lyrics for four of these shows in a row. While they were working for the Hippodrome shows in 1916, Golden and

John Raymond Hubbell John Raymond Hubbell (June 1, 1879 – December 13, 1954) was an American writer, composer and lyricist. He is best known for the popular song, "Poor Butterfly". Life and career Hubbell was born in Urbana, Ohio, Urbana, Ohio. He attended sc ...

were asked to create a Japanese-style song. In Golden's autobiography ''Stagestruck'' (1930) he recalls creating ''

'' with Hubbell in the summer of 1916. They went down to the elephant pens in the basement of the Hippodrome to find somewhere cool. Hubbell started to play the melody, and the lyrics quickly came to Golden, despite the presence and smell of the beasts. The song is about the central character in ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther ...

'' and was sung by Haru Onuki in ''The Big Show'', which ran for 425 performances at the Hippodrome from August 13, 1916, to September 1917. ''Poor Butterfly'' became a smash hit. Another popular Golden song was ''Goodbye, Girls, I’m Through''.

Stage producer

With the earnings from his songs Golden moved into producing and staging shows. He always avoided anything risqué. His first show was ''Turn to the Right'' (1916). It was a hit, as were eight of his next eleven shows. His second show, '' Lightnin''', ran for three years. ''Lightnin'' was co-written by Frank Bacon, who became Golden's partner and co-produced ''Turn to the Right!''. The other writer was

Winchell Smith Winchell Smith (5 April 1871 – 10 June 1933) was an American playwright, known for big hit works such as '' Brewster's Millions'' (1906) and '' Lightnin' '' (1918). Many of his plays were made into movies. He spent freely but left a large fort ...

. It was first staged in February 1918. President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

attended a show with his wife and called Golden to his box, telling him the play was the most entertaining they had ever seen. ''Lightnin'' played for 1,291 performances on Broadway, a record at the time. After ''Lightnin'' closed the cast paraded down Broadway to

Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station (often abbreviated Penn Station) is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to several of its grand passenger terminals. Several are still in active use by Amtrak and other transportation services; others have been ...

, where they boarded a train for a tour of the nation. The parade was headed by Mayor

John Francis Hylan John Francis Hylan (April 20, 1868January 12, 1936) was the 96th Mayor of New York City (the seventh since the consolidation of the five boroughs), from 1918 to 1925. From rural beginnings in the Catskills, Hylan eventually obtained work in Brook ...

and Commissioner

Grover Whalen Grover Aloysius Whalen (1886–1962) was a prominent politician, businessman, and public relations guru in New York City during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Whalen was born on July 2, 1886, in New York City, the son of an Irish immigrant fath ...

. Other hits were ''Three Wise Fools'', '' Seventh Heaven'', ''

The First Year ''The First Year'' is a 1932 American pre-Code film based on a 1920 play of the same name that originally ran on Broadway at the Little Theatre. The play was written by Frank Craven and produced by John Golden. It closed in 1922 after 760 perfo ...

'' and '' Claudia''. Golden staged

Guy Bolton Guy Reginald Bolton (23 November 1884 – 4 September 1979) was an Anglo-American playwright and writer of musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the US, he trained as an architect but turned to writing. Bolton preferred w ...

's ''Chicken Feed'' at the Little Theatre in 1923, playing to good audiences. In 1924 he presented ''Pigs'' at the Little, another hit. Golden produced Phoebe and

Henry Ephron Henry Ephron (May 26, 1911 – September 6, 1992) was an American playwright, screenwriter and film producer who often worked with his wife, Phoebe (née Wolkind). He was active as a writer from the early 1940s through the early 1960s. Ea ...

's ''Three's a Family'' in 1943 at the

Longacre Theatre The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 220 West 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. Opened in 1913, it was desi ...

, the last play staged there until 1953. ''Three's a Family'' (1943–44) was Golden's last hit. The Saphead FilmPoster

Films

The Saphead ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1920), a film starring

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

, was presented by John L. Golden and Winchell Smith in conjunction with Marcus Loew. It was based on ''The New Henrietta'', a 1913 stage hit for which Golden and Smith had been responsible. In 1925 Golden produced the film ''

Thank You "''Thank you''" (often expanded to ''thank you very much'' or ''thanks a lot'', or informally abbreviated to ''thanks'' or alternately as ''many thanks''Geoffrey Leech, ''The Pragmatics of Politeness'' (2014), p. 200.) is a common expression of ...

'', adapted from a play by Winchell Smith and Tom Cushing, directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

and starring George O'Brien. The film of Lightnin', adapted from Golden's stage success, appeared on October 31, 1930. In 1932 Golden co-produced the film version of ''

Those We Love ''Those We Love'' is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Robert Florey. It was adapted by F. Hugh Herbert from the play by George Abbott and S.K. Lauren. The film was independently produced and distributed. Plot Kenneth MacKenna plays a y ...

'', starring

Mary Astor Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Although her career spanned several decades, she may be best remembered for her performance as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in '' The Maltese ...

Kenneth MacKenna Kenneth MacKenna (born Leo Mielziner Jr.; August 19, 1899 – January 15, 1962) was an American actor and film director. Family MacKenna was born as Leo Mielziner Jr. in Canterbury, New Hampshire, to portrait artist Leo Mielziner (Decembe ...

and

Lilyan Tashman Lilyan Tashman (October 23, 1896 – March 21, 1934) was an American actress. Tashman was best known for her supporting roles as tongue-in-cheek villainesses or playing the vindictive "other woman". She made 66 films over the course of her ...

Theater operator

The first John Golden Theater was designed by Harrison G. Wiseman and opened at 202 W. 58th Street, Manhattan, on November 1, 1926. The first show was ''Two Girls Wanted'', which had been playing at the Little Theatre. It was renamed the 58th Street Theater on September 17, 1935. When Golden lost the 54th Street theater he leased the Royale Theater at 242 W. 45th Street and renamed it the Golden Theater. He operated it from 1934-36. The first production was Norma Krasna's ''Small Miracle'' in 1934. The theater struggled during the Depression. In 1936 the

Shubert brothers The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th cen ...

took it and changed the name back to the Royale. They leased it to CBS for use as a radio theater. In 1937 Golden bought the Masque Theatre, which had been designed in 1927 by Herbert J. Krapp for

Irwin Chanin Irwin Salmon Chanin (October 29, 1891 – February 24, 1988) was an American architect and real estate developer, best known for designing several Art Deco towers and Broadway theaters. Biography Irwin Chanin was born to a Jewish family, the son ...

and his brother Henry I. Chanin. He renamed it the

John Golden Theatre The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the Golden Theatre was de ...

, the third theater in New York named after him. The 800-seat venue at 252 W. 45th Street had its first success under the new name with ''Shadow and Substance'' (1938) starring

Julie Haydon Julie Haydon (born Donella Donaldson, June 10, 1910 – December 24, 1994) was an American Broadway, film and television actress who received second billing as the female lead in the Ben Hecht–Charles MacArthur 1935 film vehicle for Noël ...

and Sir

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and ...

. After mixed success, in mid-1946 the theater became a cinema. It returned to stage performances on February 29, 1948, with a one-man show by

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", "Louise", " Mimi", and "Thank Hea ...

and continued to stage a variety of plays and other shows into the 2000s.

Other activities

During his long career Golden made a fortune from the theater, and gave much in return as a philanthropist. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and again in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he organized a service to provide free tickets to servicemen. He was a founder of the Stage Door Canteen and the Stage Relief Fund. Golden was a charter member of the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

(ASCAP), the first treasurer of this organization and director from 1914 to 1915. Golden was one of the first board members of the City Center of Music and Drama. In 1919 John Golden arranged a meeting with fellow producers Fred Zimmerman,

Archibald Selwyn Archibald Selwyn (also Arch or Archie Selwyn; 3 November 1877 – 21 June 1959) was an American play broker, theater owner and stage producer who had many Broadway successes. He and his brother Edgar Selwyn were partners. They were among the foun ...

Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

, and

L. Lawrence Weber L. Lawrence Weber (c. 1872 – 22 February 1940) was an American sports promoter, stage show producer and theater manager. He was active in arranging Vaudville, vaudeville shows, legitimate theater and films. He once tried to bypass laws against im ...

with the goal of cooperating on common issues such as censorship and ticket speculation. He wanted to set up a forum so the producers could share ideas, and wanted to stop the rival organizations from poaching each other's stars. This led to formation of the

Producing Managers' Association The Producing Managers' Association (PMA) was a coalition of theatrical managers established on April 23, 1919. Formed in an effort to reduce conflicts between producers and theater managers and share common interests, it became the main vehicle ...

, which may have inadvertently shown actors the value of organizing into the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

. Soon after, Equity launched a strike. Golden found himself called a traitor or enemy by actor friends such as

Ralph Morgan Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan. Early life Morgan was born in New York City, the eig ...

and

DeWolf Hopper William DeWolf Hopper (March 30, 1858September 23, 1935) was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. A star of vaudeville and musical theater, he became best known for performing the popular baseball poem "Casey at the Bat". ...

. After a month and 37 closed productions and 16 stopped openings, the strike was settled on September 6, 1919. Golden was among the managers at the meeting in the St. Regis Hotel in which the strike was ended. The managers signed a five-year contract in which they recognized Equity and promised better conditions. Golden was "Shepherd" of

the Lambs The Lambs, Inc. (also known as The Lambs Club) is a social club in New York City for actors, songwriters, and others involved in the theatre. It is America's oldest theatrical organization. "The Lambs" is a registered trademark of The Lambs, Inc ...

, a social club for workers in the theatrical professions, from 1942 to 1944. In 1954 he was appointed New York City Chairman for United Nations Day. He was the author of the ''United Nations All Faith Prayer For Peace''.

Family and legacy

Golden married Margaret Hesterich in 1909. They moved to

Bayside, Queens Bayside is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Whitestone to the northwest, the Long Island Sound and Little Neck Bay to the northeast, Douglaston to the east, Oakland Gardens to the south, and Fresh Meadows ...

in 1920. They bought a 15-room house on a 20-acre estate and gave 9 acres for use as baseball diamonds and a children's play center. Golden died at home of a heart attack on June 17, 1955. Golden left the Bayside estate to the City of New York as a park "for the use and enjoyment by the young people of the community of all races and creeds in a manner similar to that in which I made this property available for recreation and community acts during my lifetime." The John Golden Park was dedicated on October 18, 1965. Speakers at the ceremony included Mayor

Robert F. Wagner, Jr. The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

Robert Moses Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid 20th century. Despite never being elected to any office, Moses is regarded ...

, Parks Commissioner

Newbold Morris Augustus Newbold Morris or Newbold Morris (February 2, 1902 – March 30, 1966) was an American politician, lawyer, president of the New York City Council, and two-time candidate for mayor of New York City. Early life Morris, who never used ...

, Bernard F. Gimbel (of

Gimbels Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the compa ...

Frederick O'Neal Frederick O'Neal (August 27, 1905 – August 25, 1992) was an American actor, theater producer and television director. He founded the American Negro Theater, the British Negro Theatre, and was the first African-American president of the Actors ...

Rube Goldberg Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg (July 4, 1883 – December 7, 1970), known best as Rube Goldberg, was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated gadge ...

Harry Hershfield Harry Hershfield (October 13, 1885 – December 15, 1974) was an American cartoonist, humor writer and radio personality. He was known as "the Jewish Will Rogers". Hershfield also was a columnist for the ''New York Daily Mirror''. His boo ...

, and

Vincent Sardi Jr. Vincent Sardi Jr. (July 23, 1915 – January 4, 2007) was an American restaurateur who owned and operated Sardi's restaurant, which was founded by his father Vincent Sardi Sr., for more than 50 years. He was dubbed as the "unofficial mayor of Broa ...

Sardi's Sardi's is a Continental food, continental restaurant located at 234 West 44th Street, between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eighth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Manhattan, New Yo ...

. The John Golden award provides grants to students at the

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...

Master of Arts in Theatre in New York.

Work

Lyrics

Golden wrote lyrics for many

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

productions, including: * ''Miss Prinnt'' (Musical, Comedy) December 25, 1900 – November 19, 1901 * ''The Hoyden'' (Musical, Comedy) October 19, 1907 – February 1, 1908 * ''The Candy Shop'' (Musical, Comedy) April 27, 1909 – June 12, 1909 * ''Tillie's Nightmare'' (Musical, Comedy) May 5, 1910 – December 1911 * ''Girlies'' (Musical, Comedy) June 13, 1910 – August 27, 1910 * ''The Echo'' (Musical) August 17, 1910 – October 1, 1910 * ''Judy Forgot'' (Musical, Comedy) October 6, 1910 – November 12, 1910 * ''Over the River'' (Musical, Extravaganza, Farce) January 8, 1912 – April 20, 1912 * ''The Girl from Montmartre'' (Play, Farce) August 5, 1912 – April 1913 * ''

A Winsome Widow ''A Winsome Widow'' is a 1912 musical produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., which was a revised version of Charles Hale Hoyt's 1891 hit, ''A Trip to Chinatown'', with a score by Raymond Hubbell. History The show debuted at the Moulin Rouge on April ...

'' (Musical, Comedy, Farce) April 11, 1912 – September 7, 1912 * ''

The Sunshine Girl ''The Sunshine Girl'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with a book by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul A. Rubens and Cecil Raleigh, lyrics and music by Rubens and additional lyrics by Arthur Wimperis. The story involves a working girl w ...

'' (Musical) February 3, 1913 – September 20, 1913 * ''A World of Pleasure'' (Musical, Revue) October 14, 1915 – January 22, 1916 * ''Sybil'' (Musical, Comedy) January 10, 1916 – June 3, 1916 * ''Hip! Hip! Hooray!'' (1915) (Musical, Revue) September 30, 1915 – June 3, 1916 * ''Go to It'' (Musical – music) October 24, 1916 – November 1916 * ''The Big Show'' (Musical, Revue, Spectacle) August 31, 1916 – May 5, 1917 * ''Cheer Up'' (Musical, Revue) August 23, 1917 – May 11, 1918 * ''Everything'' (Musical, Revue, Spectacle) August 22, 1918 – May 17, 1919 * ''The Midnight Rounders of 1921'' (Musical, Revue) February 7, 1921 – April 2, 1921

Songs

Popular songs included: * "Goodbye Girls, I'm Through" * "Willie Off the Yacht" * "I'm Growing Fond of You" * "Your Heart Looked Into Mine" * "I Can Dance With Everybody but My Wife" * "You Can't Play Every Instrument in the Band"

Theater productions

Golden produced many

productions, including: * ''Turn To The Right'' (1916) * '' Lightnin''' (Play, Comedy) August 26, 1918 – August 27, 1921 * '' Three Wise Fools'' (Play, Comedy) October 31, 1918 – August 1919 * ''Thunder'' (Play, Comedy) September 22, 1919 – October 1919 * ''

'' (Play, Comedy) October 20, 1920 – August 1922 * ''Dear Me'' (Play, Comedy) January 17, 1921 – May 1921 * ''The Wheel'' (Play, Drama) August 29, 1921 – September 1921 * ''Thank You'' (Play, Comedy) October 3, 1921 – May 1922 * ''A Serpent's Tooth'' (Play) August 24, 1922 – September 1922 * ''Spite Corner'' (Play, Comedy) September 25, 1922 – January 1923 * '' Seventh Heaven'' (Play, Comedy) October 30, 1922 – July 1924 * ''Chicken Feed'' (Play, Comedy) September 24, 1923 – January 1924 * ''Pigs'' (Play, Comedy) September 1, 1924 – June 1925 * ''A Holy Terror'' (Play) September 28, 1925 – October 1925 * ''The Wisdom Tooth'' (Play, Comedy) February 15, 1926 – July 1926 * ''Two Girls Wanted'' (Play, Comedy) September 9, 1926 – June 1927 * ''The Gossipy Sex'' (Play, Farce) April 19, 1927 – May 1927 * ''Four Walls'' (Play) September 19, 1927 – January 1928 * ''Eva the Fifth'' (Play, writer) August 28, 1928 – October 1928 * ''

Night Hostess ''Night Hostess'' is a play written by Philip Dunning that premiered on Broadway on September 12, 1928, at the Martin Beck Theatre. The play, starring Gail De Hart, John L. Kearney, and Averell Harris, centered on the lounge of the "Little Ca ...

'' (Play, Comedy, Drama) September 12, 1928 – December 1928 * ''

Let Us Be Gay ''Let Us Be Gay'' is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic comedy-drama film produced and distributed by MGM. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard and stars Norma Shearer. It was filmed concurrently with and based upon the 1929 play by Rachel Croth ...

'' (Play, Comedy) February 19, 1929 – December 1929 * ''Salt Water'' (Play, Comedy) November 26, 1929 – February 1930 * ''Joseph'' (Play, Comedy) February 12, 1930 – February 1930 * ''Ada Beats the Drum'' (Play, Comedy) May 8, 1930 – June 1930 * ''That's Gratitude'' (Play, Comedy) September 11, 1930 – March 1931 * ''

London Calling ''London Calling'' is the third studio album by English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records. The C ...

'' (Play, Comedy) October 18, 1930 – October 1930 * ''As Husbands Go'' (Play, Comedy) March 5, 1931 – July 1931 * ''After Tomorrow'' (Play, Drama) August 26, 1931 – November 1931 * ''Caught Wet'' (Play) November 4, 1931 – November 1931 * ''Savage Rhythm'' (Play, Drama) December 31, 1931 – January 1932 * ''Riddle Me This'' (Play, Comedy) February 25, 1932 – May 1932 * ''When Ladies Meet'' (Play, Comedy) October 6, 1932 – March 4, 1933 * ''When Ladies Meet'' (Play, Comedy) May 15, 1933 – May 1933 * ''A Divine Drudge'' (Play, Drama – writer) October 26, 1933 – November 1933 * ''No Questions Asked'' (Play, Comedy) February 5, 1934 – February 1934 * '' The Bishop Misbehaves'' (Play, Comedy) February 20, 1935 – June 1935 * ''A Touch of Brimstone'' (Play) September 22, 1935 – December 1935 * ''Tomorrow's a Holiday'' (Play, Drama) December 30, 1935 – January 1936 * '' Three Wise Fools'' (Play, Comedy, Revival) March 1, 1936 – March 1936 * ''And Now Good-bye'' (Play, Drama) February 2, 1937 – February 1937 * ''

Susan and God ''Susan and God'' is a 1940 American comedy-drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer directed by George Cukor and starring Joan Crawford and Fredric March. The screenplay was written by Anita Loos and was based upon a 1937 play by Rachel Crothe ...

'' (Play, Comedy) October 7, 1937 – Closing date unknown * '' Lightnin''' (Play, Comedy, Revival) September 15, 1938 – November 1938 * ''Skylark'' (Play, Comedy) October 11, 1939 – May 25, 1940 * ''The Old Foolishness'' (Play) December 20, 1940 – December 21, 1940 * ''Theatre'' (Play, Comedy) November 12, 1941 – January 10, 1942 * '' Claudia'' (Play, Comedy) February 12, 1941 – January 9, 1943 * '' Counsellor-at-Law'' (Play, Revival) November 24, 1942 – July 10, 1943 * ''The Army Play-by Play'' (producer) June 14, 1943 – September 4, 1943 * ''

'' (Play, Comedy) December 13, 1943 – December 18, 1943 * ''But Not Goodbye'' (Play) April 11, 1944 – April 29, 1944 * ''Three's a Family'' (Play) May 5, 1943 – July 8, 1944 * ''A Place of Our Own'' (Play) April 2, 1945 – April 7, 1945 * ''Made in Heaven'' (Play, Comedy) October 24, 1946 – January 11, 1947 * '' They Knew What They Wanted'' (Play, Comedy, Revival) February 16, 1949 – April 9, 1949 * ''

The Male Animal ''The Male Animal'' is a 1942 American comedy-drama film produced by Warner Bros., starring Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Leslie. The film was based on a hit 1940 Broadway play of the same name written by James Thurber and Elliott N ...

'' (Play, Comedy, Revival) May 15, 1952 – January 31, 1953 * ''Seventh Heaven'' (Musical) May 26, 1955 – July 2, 1955

Films

Golden produced the following films: * ''

'' (1920) * ''

'' (1925) * ''Lightnin'' (1930) * ''

'' (1932)

Awards

In 1937, he received an honorary degree in Doctor of Public Service from

Oglethorpe University Oglethorpe University is a private college in Brookhaven, Georgia. It was chartered in 1835 and named in honor of General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the Colony of Georgia. History Oglethorpe University was chartered in 1834 in Mid ...

References

Notes Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

*
John Golden papers, 1874-1971 (bulk 1925-1954)
Held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

Collection of visual materials documenting the career of John Golden, 1903-1954
Held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

{{DEFAULTSORT:Golden, John L. 1874 births 1955 deaths American theatre managers and producers The Lambs presidents People from Bayside, Queens People from Wauseon, Ohio