George V. Hobart

George Vere Hobart (1867 – 1926) was a Canadian-American humorist who authored more than 50 musical comedy librettos and plays as well as novels and songs.[1] At the time of his death, Hobart was "one of America's most popular humorists and playwrights".[2] Hobart gained initial national fame for the "Dinkelspiel" letters, a weekly satirical column written in a German-American dialect.[3][1] The Library of Congress includes several of his songs in the National Jukebox.[4]

George V. Hobart
Portrait of George V. Hobart from the 1915 playbill for Experience: A Morality Play of Today
BornGeorge Vere Hobart
(1867-01-16)January 16, 1867
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
DiedJanuary 31, 1926(1926-01-31) (aged 59)
Cumberland, Maryland, USA
OccupationPlaywright, humorist
Period1890-1926
GenreComedy, farce, satire
Notable worksDinkelspiel
Spouse
Sara De Vries
​
​
(m. 1897; died 1923)​
Children2

Hobart also wrote under the pseudonym Hugh McHugh.[5] Many of his works were adapted into films.

Early life

Hobart was born 16 January 1867 in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada.[1] He immigrated to the Cumberland, Maryland to work as a telegraph operator for the United Press.[1]

Career

Hobart wrote humorous sketches and columns for the Sunday Scimitar and Baltimore News-American newspapers.[1] He then worked for a short time at the New York Journal, before turning his attention to writing musicals, librettos, novels and children's books.[1] Hobart is noted as an "exceptionally prolific" and versatile writer.[3]

His better-known stage plays include the morality tale Experience; Our Mrs. McChesney cowritten with Edna Ferber and starring Ethel Barrymore; Miss Prinnt with Marie Dressler; Sonny ; Hitchy-Koo with music by Cole Porter ; Buddies and Sweet Sixteen.[1]

Among Hobart's notable books are John Henry, Down the Line, Back to the Woods, You Can Search Me and the 1904 novel Jim Hickey, A Story of the One-Night Stands.[2][6][7]

He wrote the lyrics to numerous songs.[8]

Hobart was also a member of the Lambs Club in New York City.[1]

Personal life

Hobart was married to the short story writer Sarah Humbird De Vries,[9] with whom he had two children.[10] She died in 1923. He died in Cumberland, Maryland on 31 January 1926 following a "general break down" at age 59.[1]

Work

Songs
  • "A Love-Lorn Lily" (1900)
  • "By The Sycamore Tree" (1903)[11]
  • "By The Old Oak Tree" (1904)
  • "The Irish Girl I Love" (1905)

Plays
  • Nell-Go-In (1900)
  • Miss Prinnt (1900)
  • Mrs. Black Is Back (1904)
  • Wildfire (1908)
  • The Yankee Girl (1910)
  • Welcome to Our City (1910)
  • Experience (1914)
  • Stop That Man (1915)
  • Our Mrs. McChesney (1915)
  • What's Your Husband Doing? (1917)
  • Come-On, Charlie (1919)
  • Buddies (1919)
  • The Blue Flame (1920)
  • Sonny (1921)
  • Hitchy-Koo, series of reviews
  • Kissing Time, Broadway rendition

Bibliography
  • Boobs
  • John Henry (1901)
  • Skiddoo
  • You Should Worry
  • Jim Hickey, A Story of the One-Night Stands (1904)
  • Hitchy-Koo
  • Get Next! (1905)
  • Down the Line With John Henry (1901)
  • Back to the Woods : the Story of a Fall From Grace (1903)
  • I'm from Missouri: (They Had to Show Me) (1904)
  • The Silly Syclopedia (1905)
  • Go to It (1908)
  • D. Dinkelspiel: his gonversationings (1900)
  • Out For the Coin

Films

Screenwriter

References
  1. "G.V. Hobart, Humorist and Author Dies: Playwright and Author of Children's Books Has Break Down". The Fresno Morning Republican. 69 (32). Cumberland, MD. February 1, 1926. p. 1.
  2. "George V. Hobart, Playwright and humorist, Is Dead". San Francisco Examiner. February 1, 1926. p. 5.
  3. Kersten, Holger (1999). ""Nonsense, Satire, and Language Art: George V. Hobart's German-American Dialect Writing"". Thalia. 19 (1): 43–51 – via www.academia.edu.
  4. "George V. Hobart". www.loc.gov.
  5. Smith, Geoffrey D. (13 August 1997). American Fiction, 1901-1925: A Bibliography. Cambridge University Press. p. 320. ISBN 978-0-521-43469-0.
  6. "Hobart, George V. 1867-1926 (George Vere) [WorldCat Identities]".
  7. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011715892
  8. https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/19991811_George_V_Hobart_lyricist
  9. "The Creator of "Dinkenspiel"". The Texas Magazine. 1 (4): 47. February 1910.
  10. "George V. Hobart, Playwright, Dies: Prolific Writer of Musical Comedy Librettos Succumbs After a Breakdown". New York Times. 1 February 1926. p. 19.
  11. Hoffmann, Max; Hobart, George V. (January 1, 1903). "By the Sycamore Tree". The Rogers Bros. Music Publishing Co – via digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu.
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