Abbott, George

Abbott, George (1887-1995), American actor, playwright, producer, and director, born in Forestville, New York State, and educated at the University of Rochester and Harvard University. He became an actor in 1913, and he later was a film director (1927-1930) before embarking on a career as a theatrical director. Abbott directed and produced the comedies Boy Meets Girl (1935) and Kiss and Tell (1943) and the musicals Pal Joey (1940), On the Town (1944), Call Me Madam (1950), Wonderful Town (1953), and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962). He wrote and directed the musicals The Boys from Syracuse (1938; adapted from Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors), Where's Charley? (1948), and New Girl in Town (1957). He was co-author and director of the comedy Three Men on a Horse (1934) and the musicals The Pajama Game (1954), Damn Yankees (1955), and Fiorello! (1959; Pulitzer Prize, 1960).