Art Buchwald

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Art Buchwald
Buchwald in 1995
Born(1925-10-20)October 20, 1925
DiedJanuary 17, 2007(2007-01-17) (aged 81)
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
OccupationWriter
SpouseAnn McGarry[1]
Children3
Parent(s)Helen and Joseph Buchwald

Arthur Buchwald (BUK-wahld; October 20, 1925 – January 17, 2007) was an American humorist best known for his column in The Washington Post. At the height of his popularity, it was published nationwide as a syndicated column in more than 500 newspapers. His column focused on political satire and commentary.

Buchwald had first started writing as a paid journalist in Paris after

American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters
, in addition to other awards.

Early life

Buchwald was born in New York City in 1925, to an Austrian-

Hungarian Jewish immigrant family. He was the son of Joseph Buchwald, a curtain manufacturer, and Helen (Klineberger). His mother suffered from depression and was later committed to a mental hospital, where she lived for 35 years. Buchwald was the youngest of four children, with three older sisters: Alice, Edith, and Doris. When the family business failed at the start of the Great Depression, Buchwald's father put the boy in the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in New York City, as he could not care for him. Buchwald was soon placed in foster homes, and lived in several, including a Queens boarding house for sick children (he had rickets because of poor nutrition). It was operated by Seventh-day Adventists
. He stayed in the foster home until he was 5.

Buchwald was eventually reunited with his father and sisters; the family settled in Hollis, a residential community in Queens. Buchwald did not graduate from Forest Hills High School, and ran away from home at age 17.

He wanted to join the

Pacific Theater and was discharged from the service as a sergeant. He said of his time in the Marines, "In the Marines, they don't have much use for humorists, they beat my brains in."[2]

Journalism

Buchwald in 1953

On his return, Buchwald enrolled at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on the G.I. Bill, despite not having graduated from high school. At USC he became managing editor of the campus magazine Wampus; he also wrote a column for the college newspaper, the Daily Trojan. The university permitted him to continue his studies after learning he had not graduated from high school, but deemed him ineligible for a degree. After establishing his national reputation and winning the Pulitzer Prize, he was invited as a commencement speaker in 1993 and received an honorary doctorate from the university.[3]

In 1949, Buchwald left USC and bought a one-way ticket to Paris. He got a job as a correspondent for

nightlife. Buchwald was hired and joined the editorial staff as a restaurant and nightclub reviewer. His column caught on quickly, and in 1951 Buchwald started another column, "Mostly About People". They were fused into one under the title "Europe's Lighter Side". Buchwald's columns soon began to attract readers on both sides of the Atlantic
.

In postwar Paris, Buchwald met many American expatriate writers, going about with

E.B. White, Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and Thornton Wilder. He also had brief encounters with the artist Pablo Picasso, writer Ernest Hemingway, directors Orson Welles and Mike Todd, actress Audrey Hepburn, and attorney Roy Cohn
.

In November 1952, Buchwald wrote a column in which he attempted to explain the Thanksgiving holiday to the French, using garbled French translations such as "Kilometres Deboutish" for Myles Standish; Buchwald considered it his favorite column.[3] He published it every Thanksgiving during his lifetime.[4]

Buchwald enjoyed the notoriety he received when U.S. President

Dwight Eisenhower's press secretary, James Hagerty, took seriously a spoof press conference report claiming that reporters asked questions about the president's breakfast habits. After Hagerty called his own conference to denounce the article as "unadulterated rot", Buchwald famously retorted, "Hagerty is wrong. I write adulterated rot."[5] On August 24, 1959, Time
magazine, in reviewing the history of the European edition of The Herald Tribune, reported that Buchwald's column had achieved an "institutional quality".

While in Paris, Buchwald became the only correspondent to substantively interview famous American singer Elvis Presley, who had entered the US Army. They met at the Prince de Galles Hotel, where the soon-to-be Sergeant Presley was staying during a week-end off from his army stint in Germany. Presley's impromptu performances at the piano at Le Lido nightclub, as well as his singing for the showgirls after most of the customers had left, became legendary after Buchwald included it in his memoir, I'll Always Have Paris (1995).

Buchwald returned to the United States in 1962. He wrote as a columnist for

Tribune Media Services. His column appeared in more than 550 newspapers at its height. He also wrote memoirs and other books, a total of more than 30 in his lifetime. He also contributed fumetti to Marvel Comics' Crazy Magazine
, which tore apart statistics regarding 1970s campus life.

Marriage and family

During his time in Paris, Buchwald met Ann McGarry, and they married. She was an Irish-American apprentice

Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard. After 40 years of marriage, the couple separated, and then decided to get a divorce.[6] However before the divorce proceedings could start, Ann was diagnosed with lung cancer, and passed away in 1994.[7]

Film

Buchwald had a cameo in

Paris Herald Tribune is shown in close-up to highlight a column, bylined by Buchwald, about jewel thefts on the French Riviera, which sets up the plot.[8]

He contributed to the English dialogue of Jacques Tati's Playtime.[9] Buchwald also had a cameo role in a 1972 episode, "Moving Target", of the TV series Mannix. He is shown in Frederick Wiseman's 1983 film The Store delivering a tribute to Stanley Marcus, the store's owner.

In 1988, Buchwald and partner Alain Bernheim filed suit against Paramount Pictures in a controversy over the Eddie Murphy film Coming to America. In the Buchwald v. Paramount lawsuit, Buchwald claimed Paramount had stolen his script treatment. He won, was awarded damages, and accepted a settlement from Paramount. The case was the subject of a 1992 book, Fatal Subtraction: The Inside Story of Buchwald v. Paramount.[10]

Criticism

Buchwald editing his work, 1994

In Buchwald's later years, his detractors characterized the column as hackneyed, tiresome and not funny. Political analyst Norman Ornstein in 1991 said he thought Buchwald's column was more popular "outside the Beltway"; others disagreed.[11]

Roy Bode, editor of the Dallas Times Herald, said that when his paper canceled Buchwald's column in 1989, the editors did not receive a single letter of protest. By contrast, when the paper cancelled the comic strip Zippy the Pinhead, so many readers complained that the editors were compelled to bring it back.[11]

In September 2005, Timothy Noah wrote in Slate, "Yes, Buchwald still writes his column. No, it hasn't been funny for some time."[12]

Illness and death

Buchwald underwent hospitalization twice for mental disorders: once in 1963 for severe depression. In 1987, he was hospitalized for what was then diagnosed as an extreme episode of bipolar disorder, which he had probably had for years. He publicly recounted these experiences in 1999.[2]

In 2000, at age 74, Buchwald suffered a stroke. He was hospitalized for more than two months. On February 16, 2006, the Associated Press reported that Buchwald had had a leg amputated below the knee and was staying at Washington Home and Hospice.[13] The amputation was reportedly necessary because of poor circulation in the leg, resulting from diabetes.

Buchwald invited radio talk show presenter

diabetes mellitus. He described his decision as his "last hurrah", stating that, "If you have to go, the way you go is a big deal." He reported that he was "very happy with his choices" and was eating at McDonald's on a regular basis.[14]

Buchwald was later interviewed by

living will
, which documented his wishes not to be revived if he fell into a coma. As of the date of that interview, Buchwald was still writing a periodic column. In the interview, he described a dream in which he was waiting to take his "final plane ride".

Buchwald was interviewed by

Chris Wallace for a segment on May 14, 2006's edition of Fox News Sunday
.

In June 2006, Buchwald left the hospice. He was again interviewed by Rehm and reported that his kidney was working. He said that he "blesses him every morning. Some people bless their hearts, I bless my kidney." He reported that he was looking forward to getting a new leg and visiting Martha's Vineyard. In July 2006, Buchwald returned to his summer home in Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard. While there, he completed a book titled Too Soon to Say Goodbye, about the five months he spent in the hospice. Eulogies that were prepared by his friends, colleagues, and family members and were never delivered (or not delivered until later) are included in the book.[15]

On November 3, 2006, television news reporter Kyra Phillips interviewed Buchwald for CNN.[16] Phillips had known Buchwald since 1989, when she had first interviewed him. On November 22, 2006, Buchwald was again featured on Rehm's show. He described himself as a "poster boy for hospices – because I lived."

External videos
video icon Art Buchwald memorial service, March 5, 2007, C-SPAN

In December 2006, in his final interview, he told nurse/writer Terry Ratner that he was also a poster boy for nurses. The article, "The 'Art' of Saying Goodbye", appeared in the January 2007 issues of

NurseWeek, national nursing publications.[17]

Buchwald died of kidney failure on January 17, 2007, at his son Joel's home in Washington, D.C.[18] The next day the website of The New York Times posted a video obituary in which Buchwald said: "Hi. I'm Art Buchwald, and I just died."[19]

Awards

Books

Buchwald published numerous anthologies and collections of his columns, as well as memoirs.

  • Paris After Dark (Imprimerie du Centre 1950. Also published by Herald Tribune, European Ed., S. A., 1953)
  • Art Buchwald's Paris (Lion Library, 1956)
  • I Chose Caviar (Victor Gollancz, 1957)
  • The Brave Coward (Harper, 1957)
  • More Caviar (Victor Gollancz, 1958)
  • A Gift from the Boys (Harper, 1958)
  • Don't Forget to Write (World Pub. Co., 1960)
  • How Much is that in Dollars? (World Pub. Co., 1961)
  • Is it Safe to Drink the Water? (PBK Crest Books, 1963)
  • I Chose Capitol Punishment (World Pub. Co., 1963)
  • ... and Then I Told the President: The Secret Papers of Art Buchwald (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1965)
  • Son of the Great Society (Putnam, 1966)
  • Have I Ever Lied to You?. New York: Putnam's Sons. 1968 – via Internet Archive.
  • The Establishment is Alive and Well in Washington (Putnam, 1969)
  • Counting Sheep; The Log and the Complete Play: Sheep on the Runway (Putnam, 1970)
  • Oh, to be a Swinger (Vintage, 1970)
  • Getting High in Government Circles (Putnam, 1971)
  • I Never Danced at the White House (Putnam, 1973)
  • "I Am Not a Crook" (Putnam, 1974)
  • The Bollo Caper: A Fable for Children of All Ages (Doubleday, 1974)
  • Irving's Delight: At Last! a Cat Story for the Whole Family! (McKay, 1975)
  • Washington Is Leaking (Putnam, 1976)
  • Down the Seine and Up the Potomac. New York: Putnam's Sons. 1977 – via Internet Archive.
  • Best Cartoons of the World Miller Collection (Brown University) (Atlas World Press Review, 1978)
  • Art Buchwald by Leonard Probst, transcript of an interview conducted by Leonard Probst, March 31 and April 1, 1978. (American Jewish Committee, Oral History Library, 1978)
  • The Buchwald Stops Here (Putnam, 1979)
  • Seems Like Yesterday Ann Buchwald interrupted by Art Buchwald (Putnam, 1980)
  • Laid Back in Washington (Putnam, 1981)
  • While Reagan Slept (Putnam, 1983)
  • You Ask, Buchwald Answers (Listen & Learn U.S.A.!, 1983)
  • The Official Bank-Haters' Handbook also by Joel D. Joseph (Natl Pr Books, 1984)
  • "You Can Fool All of the People All the Time" (Putnam, 1985)
  • I Think I Don't Remember (Putnam, 1987)
  • Whose Rose Garden Is It Anyway? (Putnam, 1989)
  • Lighten Up, George (Putnam, 1991)
  • Leaving Home: A Memoir (Putnam, 1994)
  • I'll Always Have Paris: A Memoir (Putnam, 1995)
  • Stella in Heaven: Almost a Novel (Putnam, 2000)
  • We'll Laugh Again. New York: Putnam's Sons. 2002. .
  • Beating Around the Bush (Seven Stories, 2005)

Autobiography

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ann Buchwald, 74, Writer and Ex-Agent". The New York Times. July 5, 1994.
  2. ^ a b "Humorist Art Buchwald talks openly about depression". Emory Report.
  3. ^ a b Severo, Richard; Brozan, Nadine (January 19, 2007). "Art Buchwald, Whose Humor Poked the Powerful, Dies at 81". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Le Grande Thanksgiving", Art Buchwald, The Washington Post, November 24, 2005
  5. ^ "Art Buchwald" (obituary), The Daily Telegraph, January 19, 2007.
  6. .
  7. . Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  8. ^ "Dirda on Books". "If you've seen To Catch a Thief ... you'll remember that the return of The Cat is covered in the Paris Herald Tribune. If you look at the author of the article, it's Art Buchwald."
  9. ^ "Playtime (1967) - IMDb". IMDb.
  10. .
  11. ^ a b c Tom McNichol (May 1991). "The Press: Who's Laughing Now". Spy.
  12. ^ Noah, Timothy (September 2, 2005). "Summer-house lit, part 2". Slate.
  13. ^ Washington Home and Hospice Archived June 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine; Retrieved on 2007-01-18
  14. ^ "Art Buchwald". Diane Rehm. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  15. ^ "A Conversation with Art Buchwald". Diane Rehm. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  16. ^ Buchwald interview Archived December 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine; Retrieved January 18, 2007.
  17. ^ "Terry Ratner - nurse, writer, educator - healing with writing".
  18. ^ "Columnist Art Buchwald dead at 81". CNN. January 18, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
  19. ^ "The Last Word: Art Buchwald"; Retrieved March 11, 2007.
  20. ^ "National – Jefferson Awards". Jefferson Awards. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  21. ^ Patricia Sullivan, "Art Buchwald, 1925-2007", The Washington Post, January 18, 2007
  22. American Academy of Achievement
    .

Further reading

External links