Lindsay, Howard

Lindsay, Howard

(born March 29, 1889, Waterford, N.Y., U.S.—died Feb. 11, 1968, New York, N.Y.) U.S. playwright, actor, and producer known for his collaboration with Russel Crouse (1893–1966). Lindsay began his career as an actor, director, and playwright, and Crouse was a journalist before they were paired by producer Vinton Freedley to write librettos for the successful Cole Porter musicals Anything Goes (1934) and Red, Hot and Blue (1936). Their most popular play, Life with Father (1939), ran for over seven years and starred Lindsay as Father. They produced Arsenic and Old Lace (1940) and later wrote librettos for musicals such as State of the Union (1945, Pulitzer Prize) and The Sound of Music (1959).