George Howells Broadhurst

author

George Howells Broadhurst

1866–1952

A major force in popular theater around the turn of the 20th century, he wrote and produced hit plays that kept Broadway audiences laughing and guessing. Born in England and active in the United States, he helped shape commercial theater in its fast-growing years.

1 Audiobook

Bought and Paid For; From the Play of George Broadhurst

Bought and Paid For; From the Play of George Broadhurst

by George Howells Broadhurst, Arthur Hornblow

About the author

George Howells Broadhurst was born on June 3, 1866, in Walsall, England, and later built his career in the United States. He became known as a playwright, producer, director, and theater manager, with his greatest success coming from the late 1890s into the 1920s.

He was especially associated with lively comedies and crowd-pleasing stage hits, including What Happened to Jones, one of the best-known farces of its day. His work reached Broadway at a time when American commercial theater was expanding quickly, and he became one of the recognizable names behind that boom.

Broadhurst died on January 31, 1952. Though he is not as widely remembered now as some of his contemporaries, his career shows how important writer-producers were in building popular theater for mass audiences.