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Philip Hart Dunning (December 11, 1889 – July 20, 1968) was a playwright and theatrical producer.
Dunning began his career at age 12 as an extra and a carnival magician, and enlisted in the Navy during World War I. President Woodrow Wilson having made up his mind to visit Europe, Dunning was assigned to the SS ''George Washington'' to keep the President's party and the officers and crew in a happy frame of mind. One of his shipboard hits was a farce called ''Uncle Tom's Stateroom''. The President enjoyed it and wrote his appreciation and signature on his program as a memento for Dunning. One of the acts, ''Every Sailor'', ran for 65 consecutive weeks in vaudeville after the war.
Dunning collaborated with George Abbott to create '' Broadway'', one of the most successful plays of the 1920s. Dunning and Abbott produced '' Twentieth Century'', the Ben Hecht-Charles MacArthur satire on the theater. Dunning served in the Navy during World War II and produced the all-Navy show ''Biff! Bang!'' He worked in Hollywood for Darryl Zanuck as a screenwriter.
''Bridgeport Post'' obituary
Philip Dunning papers, 1912-1968
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunning, Philip H. 1889 births 1968 deaths American theatre managers and producers American entertainment industry businesspeople People from Meriden, Connecticut 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Burials in Connecticut
Philip Hart Dunning (December 11, 1889 – July 20, 1968) was a playwright and theatrical producer.
Early years and education
Dunning, one of six children, was the son of John M. Dunn, an electrochemist, and Mary Dunn.Theater and films
Dunning began his career at age 12 as an extra and a carnival magician, and enlisted in the Navy during World War I. President Woodrow Wilson having made up his mind to visit Europe, Dunning was assigned to the SS ''George Washington'' to keep the President's party and the officers and crew in a happy frame of mind. One of his shipboard hits was a farce called ''Uncle Tom's Stateroom''. The President enjoyed it and wrote his appreciation and signature on his program as a memento for Dunning. One of the acts, ''Every Sailor'', ran for 65 consecutive weeks in vaudeville after the war.
Dunning collaborated with George Abbott to create '' Broadway'', one of the most successful plays of the 1920s. Dunning and Abbott produced '' Twentieth Century'', the Ben Hecht-Charles MacArthur satire on the theater. Dunning served in the Navy during World War II and produced the all-Navy show ''Biff! Bang!'' He worked in Hollywood for Darryl Zanuck as a screenwriter.
Death
Dunning and his wife had been swimming at Westport'sCompo Beach
Compo may refer to:
* Demoscene compo, a competition involving multimedia "demo" programs
* Compo Simmonite, a character from the British TV series ''Last of the Summer Wine'', played by Bill Owen
* Slang for British army field rations
* Short fo ...
. Upon their return home, Dunning complained of shortness of breath. He died of a myocardial infarction on the way to Norwalk Hospital and is interred in Assumption Cemetery, Westport, Connecticut.References
External links
* *Philip Dunning papers, 1912-1968
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunning, Philip H. 1889 births 1968 deaths American theatre managers and producers American entertainment industry businesspeople People from Meriden, Connecticut 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Burials in Connecticut