Art Buchwald: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox person |
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|birthname = Arthur Buchwald |
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|image =Art Buchwald.jpg |
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|image_size = 250px |
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|caption = Art Buchwald at the [[Miami Book Fair International]] of 1989 |
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|birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|10|20}} |
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|birth_place = New York City |
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|death_date = {{Death date and age|2007|1|17|1925|10|20}} |
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|death_place = Washington, D.C., US |
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|alma_mater = [[University of Southern California]] |
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|occupation = Writer |
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|spouse = Ann McGarry<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/05/obituaries/ann-buchwald-74-writer-and-ex-agent.html | work=The New York Times | title=Ann Buchwald, 74, Writer and Ex-Agent | date=July 5, 1994}}</ref> |
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|parents = Helen and Joseph Buchwald |
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|children = |
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|religion = Judaism |
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}} |
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'''Arthur "Art" Buchwald''' (October 20, 1925 – January 17, 2007) was an American [[List of humorists|humorist]] best known for his long-running [[columnist|column]] in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', which in turn was carried as a syndicated column in many other newspapers. His column focused on [[political satire]] and commentary. He received the [[Pulitzer Prize]] for Outstanding Commentary in 1982 and in 1986 was elected to the [[American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters]]. |
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==Early life== |
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Art Buchwald was born to an [[Austrians|Austrian]]-[[Hungarian people|Hungarian]] [[Jewish]] immigrant family. He was the son of Joseph Buchwald, a [[curtain]] manufacturer, and Helen Klineberger, who later spent 35 years in a [[psychiatric hospital|mental hospital]]. He was the youngest of four, with three older sisters—Alice, Edith, and Doris. Buchwald's father put him in the [[Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York|Hebrew Orphan Asylum]] in New York City when the family business failed during the [[Great Depression]]. Buchwald was moved about between several foster homes, including a [[Queens]] boarding house for sick children (he had [[rickets]]) operated by [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]]. He stayed in the foster home until he was 5. Buchwald, his father and sisters were eventually reunited and lived in [[Hollis, Queens|Hollis]], a residential community in Queens. Buchwald did not graduate from [[Forest Hills High School (New York)|Forest Hills High School]], and ran away from home at age 17. |
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He wanted to join the [[United States Marine Corps]] during [[World War II]] but was too young to join without parental or legal guardian consent, so he [[bribery|bribed]] a drunk with half a pint of whiskey to sign as his legal guardian. From October 1942 to October 1945, he served with the Marines as part of the [[4th Marine Aircraft Wing]]. He spent two years in the [[Pacific Theater of Operations|Pacific Theater]] and was discharged from the service as a [[Sergeant#United States|Sergeant]]. He said of his time in the Marines, "In the Marines, they don't have much use for humorists,they beat my brains in."<ref>http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/erarchive/1999/September/erseptember.27/9_27_99buchwald.html</ref> |
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==Career== |
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===Journalism=== |
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On his return, Buchwald enrolled at the [[University of Southern California]] in Los Angeles on the [[G.I. Bill]], despite not having his [[high school diploma]]. At USC he was managing editor of the campus magazine ''Wampus''; he also wrote a column for the college newspaper, the ''[[Daily Trojan]]''. The university permitted him to continue his studies after learning he had not graduated high school, but deemed him ineligible for a degree; he received an [[honorary degree|honorary doctorate]] from the school in 1993.<ref name="severo">Severo, Richard; Brozan, Nadine (January 19, 2007). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/19/obituaries/19buchwald.html Art Buchwald, Whose Humor Poked the Powerful, Dies at 81]," ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> |
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In 1949 he left USC and bought a one-way ticket to Paris. Eventually, he got a job as a correspondent for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' in Paris. In January 1950, he took a sample column to the offices of the European edition of ''[[The New York Herald Tribune]]''. Titled "Paris After Dark", it was filled with scraps of offbeat information about Parisian [[nightlife (activity)|nightlife]]. Buchwald was hired and joined the editorial staff. His column caught on quickly, and Buchwald followed it in 1951 with another column, "Mostly About People". They were fused into one under the title "Europe's Lighter Side". Buchwald's columns soon began to recruit readers on both sides of the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]]. |
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In November 1952, Buchwald wrote a column in which he attempted to explain the [[Thanksgiving]] holiday to the French, using garbled French translations such as "Kilometres Deboutish" for [[Miles Standish]]; Buchwald considered it his favorite column,<ref name="severo" /> and it was later re-run every Thanksgiving during Buchwald's lifetime.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/23/AR2005112302056.html Le Grande Thanksgiving], Art Buchwald, ''The Washington Post'', November 24, 2005</ref> |
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Buchwald also enjoyed the notoriety he received when U.S. President [[Dwight Eisenhower]]'s press secretary, Jim Hagerty, took seriously a [[Parody|spoof]] press conference report claiming that reporters asked questions about the president's breakfast habits. After Hagerty called his own conference to denounce the article as "unadulterated rot," Buchwald famously retorted, "Hagerty is wrong. I write ''adulterated'' rot."<ref name="ihtobit">[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/19/db1901.xml&DCMP=EMC-new_19012007 "Art Buchwald"] (obituary), ''[[Daily Telegraph]]'', January 19, 2007.</ref> On August 24, 1959, ''[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]'' magazine, in reviewing the history of the European edition of ''The Herald Tribune'', reported that Buchwald's column had achieved an "institutional quality." |
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While in Paris, Buchwald became the only correspondent to substantively interview [[Elvis Presley]], both at the Prince de Galles Hotel, where the soon-to-be Sgt. Presley was staying during a week-end off from his Army stint in Germany. Presley's impromptu performances at the [[Le Lido]] piano, as well as his singing for the showgirls after most of the customers had left the nightclub, became legendary following its inclusion in Buchwald's bestselling book, ''I'll Always Have Paris''. |
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Buchwald returned to the United States in 1962 and was [[print syndication|syndicated]] by [[Tribune Media Services]]. His column appeared in more than 550 newspapers at its height, and he published more than 30 books in his lifetime. He also contributed [[Photonovel|fumetti]] to [[Marvel Comics]]' ''[[Crazy Magazine]]'' which tore apart statistics regarding 1970s campus life. |
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In 1982, Buchwald's syndicated newspaper column won the [[Pulitzer Prize]] for commentary. Critics, however, called the column hackneyed, tiresome and not humorous; when the ''[[Dallas Times Herald]]'' canceled it in 1989, the editors did not receive a single letter of protest.<ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=dbQdefSNyCUC&pg=PA82&dq=zippy+%22art+buchwald%22+spy&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DPFRUc6GFJHorQersYDIBw&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=zippy%20%22art%20buchwald%22%20spy&f=false</ref> |
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===Film=== |
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Besides some literary cameos in renowned movies (an example of which is Hitchcock's ''[[To Catch a Thief]]'', at the start of which an issue of Paris Herald-Tribune is shown in close-up to highlight a column bylined by Buchwald about jewel thefts on the French Riviera setting up the plot)<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/05/29/DI2008052902999.html Dirda on Books] "If you've seen To Catch a Thief ... you'll remember that the return of The Cat is covered in the Paris Herald Tribune. If you look at the author of the article, it's Art Buchwald."</ref> Buchwald also participated to the English dialogues of [[Jacques Tati]]'s ''[[Play Time]]''. Buchwald also had a cameo role in an 1972 episode of TV's ''[[Mannix]]'', "Moving Target". |
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==Personal life== |
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Buchwald and his wife Ann, whom he met in Paris, adopted three children and lived in Washington, D.C.. He spent most summers in his house in [[Vineyard Haven]] on Martha's Vineyard. |
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===''Coming to America'' lawsuit=== |
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Buchwald was also known for the ''[[Buchwald v. Paramount]]'' lawsuit, which he and partner Alain Bernheim filed against [[Paramount Pictures]] in 1988 in a controversy over the [[Eddie Murphy]] film ''[[Coming to America]]''; Buchwald claimed Paramount had stolen his script treatment. He won, was awarded damages, and then accepted a settlement from Paramount. The case was the subject of a 1992 book, ''Fatal Subtraction: The Inside Story of Buchwald v. Paramount'' by Pierce O'Donnell and [[Dennis McDougal]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Donnell |first1=Pierce |last2=McDougal |first2=Dennis |authorlink2=Dennis McDougal |title=Fatal Subtraction: How Hollywood Really Does Business. The Inside Story of Buchwald v. Paramount |year=1992 |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |location=New York City|isbn=0-385-41686-5 }}</ref> |
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===Illness and death=== |
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In 2000, at age 74, Buchwald suffered a stroke that left him hospitalized for more than two months. |
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On February 16, 2006, the [[Associated Press]] reported that Buchwald had had a leg [[amputation|amputated]] below the knee and was staying at Washington Home and Hospice.<ref>[http://www.thewashingtonhome.org/index.html Washington Home and Hospice]; Retrieved on 2007-01-18</ref> The amputation was reportedly necessary because of poor circulation in the leg. |
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Buchwald invited radio talk show presenter [[Diane Rehm]] to interview him. During the show, which aired on February 24, 2006, he revealed his decision to discontinue [[hemodialysis]], which had previously been initiated to treat [[renal failure]] secondary to [[diabetes mellitus]]. He described his decision as his "last hurrah," stating that, "If you have to go, the way you go is a big deal." He reported that he was "very happy with his choices" and was eating at [[McDonald's]] on a regular basis. |
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Buchwald was later interviewed with [[Miles O'Brien (journalist)|Miles O'Brien]] of [[CNN]] in a segment aired on March 31, 2006. Buchwald discussed his [[living will]], which documents his wishes for his doctors not to revive him if he fell into a coma. As of the date of that interview, Buchwald was still writing a periodic column. In the interview, he described a dream in which he was waiting to take his "final plane ride." |
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Buchwald was interviewed by [[Fox News]]' [[Chris Wallace (journalist)|Chris Wallace]] for a segment on May 14, 2006's edition of ''[[Fox News Sunday]]''. |
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In June 2006, Buchwald was again interviewed by [[Diane Rehm]] after leaving the hospice. He reported that his kidney was working and that he "blesses him every morning. Some people bless their hearts, I bless my kidney." He reported that he was looking forward to getting a new leg and visiting [[Martha's Vineyard]]. |
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In July 2006, Buchwald returned to his summer home in [[Tisbury, Massachusetts|Tisbury]] on Martha's Vineyard. While there, he completed a book titled ''Too Soon to Say Goodbye'', about the five months he spent in the hospice. [[Eulogy|Eulogies]] that were prepared by his friends, colleagues, and family members that were never delivered (or not delivered until later) are included in the book. |
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On November 3, 2006, television news reporter [[Kyra Phillips]] interviewed Buchwald for [[CNN]].<ref>[http://insidecable.blogsome.com/2006/11/03/phillips-and-buchwald/ Buchwald interview]; Retrieved on 2007-01-18</ref> Phillips had known Buchwald since 1989, when she had first interviewed him. On November 22, 2006 Buchwald again appeared on Rehm's show, describing himself as a "poster boy for hospices – because I lived." |
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Buchwald died of kidney failure on January 17, 2007, at his son Joel's home in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/01/18/buchwald.obit/index.html|title= Columnist Art Buchwald dead at 81|accessdate=2007-01-18 |date=January 18, 2007|publisher=[[CNN]] |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070120160324/http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/01/18/buchwald.obit/index.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = January 20, 2007}}</ref> The next day the website of ''[[The New York Times]]'' posted a video [[obituary]] in which Buchwald himself declared: "Hi. I'm Art Buchwald, and I just died."<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/obituaries/BUCHWALD_FEATURE/blocker.html The Last Word: Art Buchwald]; Retrieved on 2007-03-11</ref> |
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==Awards== |
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In 1977, Buchwald received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, an award given out annually by [[Jefferson Awards for Public Service|Jefferson Awards]].<ref>http://www.jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national</ref> |
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==Books== |
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* ''Paris After Dark'' (Imprimerie du Centre 1950. Also Published by Herald Tribune, European Ed., S. A., 1953) |
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* ''Art Buchwald's Paris'' (Lion Library 1956) |
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* ''I Chose Caviar'' (Victor Gollancz 1957) |
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* ''The Brave Coward'' (Harper, 1957) |
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* ''More Caviar'' (Victor Gollancz, 1958) |
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* ''A Gift From the Boys'' (Harper 1958)'' |
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*''Don't Forget to Write'' (World Pub. Co., 1960) |
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*''Come with Me Home: Complete Novel'' Also by Gladys Hasty Carroll and Jerrard Tickell (Nelson Doubleday, Inc, 1960) |
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* ''Son of the Great Society'' (Putnam 1961) |
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* ''How Much is that in Dollars?'' (World Pub. Co., 1961) |
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* ''Is it Safe to Drink the Water?'' (PBK Crest Books 1963) |
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* ''I Chose Capitol Punishment'' (World Pub. Co., 1963) |
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* ''... and Then I Told the President: The Secret Papers of Art Buchwald'' (Weidenfeld & Nicholson 1965) |
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* ''Son of the Great Society'' (Putnam, 1966) |
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* ''Have I Ever Lied To You?'' (Fawcett, 1968) |
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* ''The Establishment is Alive and Well in Washington'' (Putnam, 1969) |
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* '' Counting Sheep; The Log and the Complete Play: Sheep on the Runway.'' (Putnam Pub Group 1970) |
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* ''Oh, to be a Swinger'' (Vintage, 1970) |
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* ''Getting High in Government Circles'' (Putnam 1971) |
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* ''I Never Danced at the White House'' (Putnam, 1973) |
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* ''I Am Not a Crook"''(Putnam, 1974) |
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* ''The Bollo Caper: A Fable for Children of All Ages'' (Doubleday, 1974) |
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* ''Irvings Delight: At Last! a Cat Story for the Whole Family!'' (DAVID MCKAY COMPANY, INC. 1975) |
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* ''Washington Is Leaking'' (Putnam Adult 1976) |
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* ''Irving's Delight'' (Avon Books, 1976) |
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* ''Down the Seine and Up the Potomac'' (Fawcett Crest 1977) |
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* ''Best cartoons of the world'' Miller Collection (Brown University)(Atlas World Press Review, 1978) |
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*' 'Art Buchwald by Leonard Probst'' Transcript of an interview conducted by Leonard Probst, March 31, and April 1, 1978.(American Jewish Committee, Oral History Library, 1978) |
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* ''The Buchwald Stops Here '' (Putnam 1979) |
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* ''Laid Back In Washington With Art Buchwald'' (Putnam 1981) |
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* ''Seems Like Yesterday'' (Berkley Pub Group, 1981) |
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* ''While Reagan Slept'' (Fawcett 1983) |
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* ''You Ask, Buchwald Answers'' (Listen & Learn U.S.A.!, 1983) |
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* ''The Official Bank-Haters' Handbook'' Also By Joel D. Joseph (Natl Pr Books, 1984) |
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* ''You Can Fool All of the People All the Time'' (Ballantine Books, 1986) |
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* ''I Think I Don’t Remember'' (Perigee Trade; 1st Perigee Ed edition 1988)(Putnam, 1987) |
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* ''Whose Rose Garden Is It Anyway?'' (Putnam 1989) |
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* ''Lighten Up, George'' (Putnam, 1991) |
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* ''Leaving Home: A Memoir'' (Putnam, 1994) |
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* ''I'll Always Have Paris: A Memoir'' (Putnam, 1995) |
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* ''Stella in Heaven: Almost a Novel'' (Putnam, 2000) |
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* ''We'll Laugh Again'' (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2002) |
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* ''Beating Around the Bush'' (Seven Stories, 2005) |
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===Autobiography=== |
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* ''Too Soon to Say Goodbye'' (Bantam Books 2006) ISBN 1-58836-574-3, ISBN 978-1-58836-574-3 |
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==See also== |
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{{Portal|Biography|World War II|United States Marine Corps}} |
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* [[Sally Pierone]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist|2}} |
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==Further reading== |
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*''The Official Bank-Haters' Handbook'' Also By Joel D. Joseph (Natl Pr Books, 1984) |
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*''You Ask, Buchwald Answers'' (Listen & Learn U.S.A.) |
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* ''While Reagan Slept'' (Fawcett 1983) |
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*''Laid Back in Washington With Art Buchwald'' (Putnam, 1981) ISBN 0-399-12648-1 ISBN 9780399126482 |
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*''Seems Like Yesterday'' (Berkley Pub Group, 1981) |
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* ''100 years of the Paris trib: From the archives of the International Herald Tribune'' Author: Bruce Singer; introduction By Art Buchwald. Harry N. Abrams: New York 1987. ISBN 0-8109-1410-7 ISBN 978-0810914100 |
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==External links== |
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{{integrate-section|date=August 2012}} |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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*[http://nysoundposse.com/2005/10/event-beating-around-bush-evening-of.html?wikipedia Art Buchwald, Barry Crimmins, Paul Krassner, Kurt Vonnegut – Beating Around the Bush: An Evening of Satire] recorded on October 6, 2005 at The New York Society for Ethical Culture, 63 min., mp3 format |
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*[http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/06/02/24.php#10583 Diane Rehm interviews Art Buchwald in his hospice room (February 24, 2006) RealAudio, Windows Media] |
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*[http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002115616 The Final Days of Art Buchwald: A Visit by Suzette Standring – Editor & Publisher] |
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*{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/03/AR2006030301614.html|title=The Genius of Art Buchwald|date=March 4, 2006|publisher=The Washington Post | first=Ronald G. | last=Shafer | accessdate=April 25, 2010}} |
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*[http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/16/hold_the_eulogies_hes_not_ready_to_sign_off_yet/?page=1 Hold the eulogies, he's not ready to sign off yet] ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' July 16, 2006 |
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*[http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/19/art-buchwald-obituary-cx_ee_0119autofacescan02.html?partner=faces_newsletter "Art Buchwald Dies With Funny Bone Intact"] Forbes.com |
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{{PulitzerPrize Commentary 1976–2000}} |
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{{Authority control|VIAF=12425812}} |
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{{Persondata |
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|NAME= Buchwald, Art |
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Marine |
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|DATE OF BIRTH= October 20, 1925 |
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|PLACE OF BIRTH= New York City |
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|DATE OF DEATH= January 17, 2007 |
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|PLACE OF DEATH= Washington, D.C. |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchwald, Art}} |
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[[Category:1925 births]] |
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[[Category:2007 deaths]] |
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[[Category:American columnists]] |
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[[Category:American humorists]] |
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[[Category:American political writers]] |
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[[Category:Writers from New York]] |
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[[Category:The Washington Post people]] |
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[[Category:Jamaica High School (New York City) alumni]] |
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[[Category:Jewish American writers]] |
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[[Category:Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters]] |
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[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]] |
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[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]] |
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[[Category:United States Marines]] |
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[[Category:American expatriates in France]] |
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[[Category:People from Queens, New York]] |
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[[Category:Deaths from renal failure]] |
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[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Commentary winners]] |
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[[Category:Journalists from Washington, D.C.]] |
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[[Category:American people of Austrian-Jewish descent]] |
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[[Category:American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent]] |
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Revision as of 13:22, 13 January 2015
he died