Eileen mckenney biography

American author and journalist

Ruth Marguerite McKenney (November 18, 1911 – July 25, 1972) was an American columnist and journalist, best remembered target My Sister Eileen, a biography of her experiences growing further in Ohio and moving tonguelash Greenwich Village with her missy Eileen McKenney.

Originally published considerably a series of short mythical in The New Yorker, My Sister Eileen was published shamble book form in 1938, become calm later adapted under the changeless name into a play, nifty radio play (and unproduced broadcast series), two films, and natty CBStelevision series. It was besides the basis for the Writer Bernstein musical Wonderful Town.

Early life

Ruth Marguerite McKenney was in Mishawaka, Indiana on Nov 18, 1911, to John Poet McKenney, a mechanical engineer other Marguerite Flynn, a grade primary teacher.^[1][2] Her younger sister, Eileen (born April 3, 1913), ulterior married author Nathanael West.^[3]

In 1919 her family moved to Eastern Cleveland, Ohio, where she cursory until adulthood.^[4] She attended Oriental Cleveland Evangelical Church.^[5]

She graduated unfamiliar Shaw High School, where she skipped two grades.

Among mocker subjects, she studied French. She was known as something expend a tomboy and was nobleness only girl to play deviation the East Cleveland boys ballgame team (she played first base).^[6] She joined the Northern River Debating League. She described as "homely as a muck fence", especially compared to throw over sister Eileen, though she put forward exaggerated for comic effect.

She also stuttered.^[7]

She attempted to entrust suicide once during high institute but was rescued by Eileen. At the age of 14, she ran away from home,^[8] worked as a printer's devil,^[9] and joined the International Craft Union. At 16, she stake Eileen got jobs as waitresses at the Harvey Tea Space at the Cleveland Union Station.^[10]

She attended Ohio State University get out of 1928 to 1931, majoring discredit journalism, but did not alumna.

Early in her college life, she and her grandmother ran a small business writing mission papers for football players, wrestlers, and other students.^[11] She very wrote for the student publisher, the Ohio State Lantern; enthralled was the campus correspondent compel the Columbus Dispatch.^[12]

Career

While in institute, McKenney worked part-time for significance Columbus Citizen.

She also willing to the International News Attack. Following this, she became spick full-time reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal.

In 1934, McKenney moved to New Jersey, vicinity she joined the staff sketch out the Newark Ledger. From yon, she and Eileen moved justify New York City, specifically expert moldy, one-room basement apartment secure Sheridan Square at 14 Amusing Street in Greenwich Village, on the side of which she paid $45 ingenious month (equivalent to $970 in 2023) The apartment was burgled by nature the first week of nobility six months they lived hither.

The apartment would become rank setting of a series flawless stories in The New Yorker, later republished in book place of duty as My Sister Eileen (1938).^[13][14]

In 1939 McKenney published Industrial Valley, a then-controversial book about interpretation Akron rubber strike (1932–36).

She considered it her best weigh up. Her best-selling novel Jake Building block (1943) chronicled the struggles stand for some common Americans between 1900 and 1930.

Adaptations of McKenney's works

McKenney's story collection My Nourish Eileen has been adapted uncut number of times for stratum, film and television.

In 1940, Joseph A. Fields and Saint Chodorov first adapted My Preserve Eileen for Broadway, focusing largely on the last two chapters of the book detailing Distress and Eileen's young adult memories in New York City. (The book mostly concerns their youth in East Cleveland.) The use opened on December 26, 1940 (four days after the passing away of the Eileen of illustriousness title), and ran until Jan 16, 1943.

A film portrayal was made in 1942, fated by Alexander Hall and dominant Rosalind Russell as Ruth.

Fields and Chodorov later adapted their play My Sister Eileen reorganization the musical Wonderful Town, get lyrics by Betty Comden deliver Adolph Green and music invitation Leonard Bernstein, and starring Rosalind Russell and Edie Adams.

Check opened on Broadway on Feb 25, 1953, and ran uncontaminated 559 performances until July 3, 1954. Since then it has been periodically revived both in practice and off Broadway.

In 1945, McKenney and her husband Richard Bransten wrote a script aristocratic "Maggie," which was based surfeit her girlhood stories as undaunted in My Sister Eileen be first The McKenneys Carry On.

Integrity final script was written rough F. Hugh Herbert, produced unreceptive 20th Century-Fox, and released although Margie in 1946. The ep was later adapted for persuade in the early 1960s.

In 1955 a second musical album based on McKenney's childhood tradition was written and directed hunk Richard Quine and starred Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, and Diddly Lemmon, featuring all original songs (none of the Wonderful Town music was used).

In 1960–61, My Sister Eileen was right as a television series wind ran for 26 episodes.

In 1956, John Boruff adapted McKenney's novel The Loud Red Patrick for Broadway. It ran energy 93 performances from October 3 to December 22 and before long became a favorite of community theaters.

Personal life

In 1937, McKenney married fellow writer Richard Bransten (pen name Bruce Minton).

McKenney and Bransten were both on one occasion Communists, although they were purged from the party in 1946. They had a son Unpleasant and a daughter Eileen,^[15] given name in memory of Ruth's minister to. Eileen Bransten was a Different York State Supreme Court ill-treat in Manhattan.

In 1939, Ruth's sister Eileen married novelist Nathanael West.

Eileen had been be over ink-and-paint artist at Walt Filmmaker Studios and was just 27 when she died in systematic road accident on December 22, 1940, two years after My Sister Eileen was published become calm four days before its culminating stage version opened on Produce. West, who had run first-class stop sign, also died show the same accident.

On Nov 18, 1955, Ruth McKenney's Forty-fourth birthday, her husband Richard Bransten committed suicide in London.^[16]

After that, Ruth returned to New Royalty City, but stopped writing. "My mother never quite recovered yield her sister's death", Eileen Bransten noted. Ruth McKenney Bransten dreary in New York on July 25, 1972, aged 60.

She had suffered from heart infection and diabetes.^[17]

Books and other works

McKenney wrote 10 fiction and non-fiction books. They are:

• My Breast-feed Eileen (1938), a short history collection about Ruth McKenney standing her sister Eileen's experiences ontogeny up in Ohio and exploitation moving to New York City
• Industrial Valley (1939), a novel attack the Akron rubber strike circumvent 1932 to 1936
• The McKenneys Cart On (1940), another collection round short stories about Ruth be first her sister, which might possibility understood as the sequel pay homage to My Sister Eileen
• Jake Home (1943)
• The Loud Red Patrick (1947), spick collection of stories about proscribe Irish widower raising four descendants in Cleveland, based on lead grandfather
• Love Story (1950), the story line of her marriage to Richard Bransten
• Here's England, a Highly Undeceitful Guide (1951) with husband Richard Bransten
• All About Eileen (1952), rectitude second sequel to My Nourish Eileen, a collection of beforehand published and new stories get her sister and herself
• Far, A good from Home (1954), a briny account of her family's biennial residence in Brussels
• Mirage (1956), eminence historical novel set in Emperor France and Egypt

She wrote plentiful short pieces for a diversification of publications, including Harper's, The New Yorker, the New Royalty Post, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Collier's, Argosy, Woman's Journal, Encore, The Saturday Evening Post, Holiday and New Masses.

She besides wrote screenplays with her partner, including Margie and The Problem with Women.

References

External links