Clifford Goldsmith

American dramatist

Clifford Goldsmith

In 1943, author Clifford Goldsmith and actresses Mary Rolfe, Ann Lincoln, Mary Shipp, and Charita Bauer posed with a cake in celebration of the fifth anniversary of The Aldrich Family radio program. Goldsmith wrote the show's scripts.

Born| March 29, 1899

East Aurora, New York

Died| July 11, 1971, age 72

Tucson, Arizona

Alma mater| University of Pennsylvania
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupation| Writer
Spouse(s)| Margaret Towell (1921 – ?)
Kathryn Allen (1933 – 1971, his death)
Children| 1 daughter
4 sons
Parent(s)| Charles Goldsmith and Edith Henshaw Goldsmith

Clifford Goldsmith (March 29, 1899 – July 11, 1971) was an American writer, best known for his play What a Life, from which The Aldrich Family radio and television series and the Henry Aldrich film series were derived.[1] In 1943, Time magazine reported that Goldsmith earned "radio's fattest writing fee ($3,000 for one show a week)."[2]

## Early years

[edit]

Goldsmith was born in East Aurora, New York,[1] the son of Charles Goldsmith and Edith Henshaw Goldsmith.[3] His father was the local high school's principal.[4] Goldsmith's mother died in 1907; he and his half-sister were orphaned when their father died in 1909. They spent much time thereafter with an aunt in Centerville, New York, where he spent most of his childhood.[3]

He attended Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, and the University of Pennsylvania. After one year at the latter, he went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[1] For eight years, Goldsmith taught high school students about health topics during the day and wrote plays during the evening.[4]

## Career

[edit]

In the early 1920s, Goldsmith tried acting, with bit parts in stage productions, including Chautauquas,[5] in New York. In 1922, he began working with publicity for the National Dairy Council, a job that he kept until 1938.[6]

### Henry Aldrich

[edit]

In 1943, Time called Henry Aldrich "U.S. radio's favorite juvenile")[2] Decades later, Encyclopedia.com described him as "The quintessential teenager of the 1940s."[7]

Aldrich first was seen in 1938 as the main character of Goldsmith's Broadway play What A Life.[1] The play opened at the Biltmore Theatre[8] on April 13, 1938.[9] It ran for 538 performances[10] and was adapted into a film (also called What a Life) that was released in 1939.

A radio adaptation, The Aldrich Family, was broadcast from 1939 to 1953.[11] Goldsmith was the show's sole writer for approximately seven years; thereafter, he supervised the work of other writers.[12] A television adaptation, also titled The Aldrich Family, was broadcast from 1949 to 1953.[13] Goldsmith was that program's sole writer for its first year, and after that he collaborated with other writers.[12]

Goldsmith based his writings on what he observed in the lives of Peter and Thayer White, his wife's sons from a previous marriage.[5]

### Other television

[edit]

Programs for which Goldsmith "consulted or collaborated in the writing" included The Flying Nun, Leave it to Beaver, The Donna Reed Show, Petticoat Junction, and Dennis the Menace.[3]

## Personal life

[edit]

On July 2, 1921, Goldsmith married Margaret Towell in New York City.[3] In 1933, he married Kathryn Allen.[5] They had been married 38 years at the time of his death.[1]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e "'Aldrich Family' Creator Is Dead". Tucson Daily Citizen. Arizona, Tucson. July 12, 1971. p. 4. Retrieved May 23, 2017 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ a b "Radio: What a Family". Time. April 12, 1943. Archived from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
3. ^ a b c d Kellogg, Richard L. (December 8, 2009). "The Allegany County roots of Clifford Goldsmith". Olean Times Herald. Archived from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
4. ^ a b Othman, Frederick C. (March 30, 1939). "Hollywood Day By Day". The Danville Morning News. Pennsylvania, Danville. United Press. p. 2. Retrieved May 24, 2017 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ a b c "Today's Citizen: Brain Child Is A Radio Favorite". Tucson Daily Citizen. Arizona, Tucson. November 22, 1952. p. 20.
6. ^ "Clifford Goldsmith, 72, Dies; 'Aldrich Family' Originator". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 12, 1971. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
7. ^ Goulart, Ron. "Henry Aldrich". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
8. ^ "Inside the Playbill: What a Life – Opening Night at the Biltmore Theatre". Playbill Vault. Playbill. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
9. ^ "Clifford Goldsmith". Playbill Vault. Playbill. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
10. ^ Erickson, Hal (2014). From Radio to the Big Screen: Hollywood Films Featuring Broadcast Personalities and Programs. McFarland. p. 146\. ISBN 9781476615585. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
11. ^ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
12. ^ a b "Creator of Radio's 'Aldrich Family' Dies". Progress Bulletin. California, Pomona. United Press International. 12 July 1971. p. 2. Retrieved May 23, 2017 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 205\. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.

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