(1887-1974)
George Edward Kelly, born in Philadelphia, began his theatrical life as an actor and vaudevillian. His brother, Walter C. Kelly (1873-1939), was a popular variety performer and while following in his footsteps, Kelly wrote and acted his own sketches. He shifted permanently to playwriting with The Torch-Bearers (1922), a satire of amateur theatre, which led to three more satiric comedies, The Show-Off (1924), the Pulitzer PRiZE-winning Craig's Wife (1925), and Daisy Mayme (1926), all among the most popular plays of the era with both audiences and critics, who responded to his solid craftsmanship and keen observation of human foibles. Kelly wrote sketches for a musical revue, A la Carte (1927). His later, and less successful, plays include Behold the Bridegroom (1927), Maggie the Magnificent (1929), Philip Goes Forth (1931), The Deep Mrs. Sykes (1945), and The Fatal Weakness (1946). Reflected Glory* (1936) served as a vehicle for Tallulah Bankhead.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.