Mary Chase (playwright)

Mary Chase
BornMary Agnes McDonough Coyle
(1906-02-25)February 25, 1906
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
DiedOctober 20, 1981(1981-10-20) (aged 75)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Colorado, Boulder
University of Denver
Notable worksHarvey
Notable awardsPulitzer Prize for Drama (1945)
SpouseRobert L. Chase
Children3, including Colin

Mary Chase (née Mary Agnes McDonough Coyle; February 25, 1906 – October 20, 1981)[1][2] was an American journalist, playwright and children's novelist, known primarily for writing the 1944 Broadway play Harvey, which was adapted into the 1950 film starring James Stewart.

She wrote fourteen plays, two children's novels, and one screenplay, and worked seven years at the Rocky Mountain News as a journalist. Three of her plays were made into Hollywood films: Sorority House (1939), Harvey (1950), and Bernardine (1957).

  1. ^ Gravestone at Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary, Denver, Colorado
  2. ^ Official Denver County Death Certificate.
    After her marriage, Chase misrepresented her year of birth, declaring it as 1907 when it was actually 1906, hence conflicting birth dates in various sources. Her New York Times obituary makes the same error, along with numerous reference works.