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Otto Frank and the play 'The Diary of Anne Frank'

The American stage version of the Diary of Anne Frank premiered in 1955.

Subject

In the contract with publisher Contact (1946), Otto Frank had explicitly arranged that he would retain the translation and film rights to the diary.[1] After Meyer Levin's stage adaptation was rejected, writer couple Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett were commissioned to write it in late 1953. Their play The Diary of Anne Frank premiered on Broadway on 5 October 1955, after try-outs in Philadelphia. The play, produced by Kermit Bloomgarden and directed by Carson Kanin, received the Pulitzer Prize, among other awards, and was translated into many languages and performed in many countries.

Meyer Levin

Meyer Levin read the French edition of the diary and sought contact with Otto Frank through the publisher (Calman-Lévy).[2] He was moved by the diary and saw it as his task to translate it into English. He helped Otto Frank find an English and American publisher and was convinced from the start of the diary's potential for film and stage adaptation.[3] Levin put Otto Frank in touch with the diary's English publisher, Vallentine Mitchell.[4] He approached several people from the theatre and film world and made a passionate appeal to Otto Frank to let him write the play.[5] In early September 1952, Otto Frank agreed, but with the caveat that Meyer Levin's suggested producer, Cheryl Crawford, would judge the quality of the play.[6] Otto Frank felt he could not do this himself because he was too emotionally involved.[7]

By mid-September 1952, Meyer Levin's stage adaptation was ready.[8] But Cheryl Crawford rejected it (October 1952). Meyer Levin did not accept this [9] and asked Kermit Bloomgarden to be producer. But Bloomgarden also rejected the play. Bloomgarden had also turned to Otto Frank in August 1952, asking to produce the play.[10] To get out of the impasse, Otto Frank, Cheryl Crawford and Meyer Levin struck a deal. Levin was given one month (until 21 December 1952) to submit his play to 14 producers. If there was no interest, he would withdraw the play.[11] When subsequently all fourteen producers rejected the play, Meyer Levin did not keep his end of the bargain and made every effort to still get his stage adaptation performed. The Otto Frank Archive holds extensive correspondence and documentation on the conflict between Meyer Levin and Otto Frank, in which Meyer Levin repeatedly tried to mobilise public opinion and the Jewish community in favour of his stage adaptation of the diary by engaging the press. [12]

When Cheryl Crawford stepped down as producer in April 1953, Otto Frank signed a contract with Kermit Bloomgarden on 2 October 1953. Crawford resigned because she had had enough of the difficulties with Meyer Levin and because she had run into financial difficulties producing another play.[13] For a new stage adaptation, the choice fell on married couple Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. They signed the contract on 23 February 1954. Carson McCullers, who had already been approached by Cheryl Crawford in November 1952, had initially agreed to write the play, but she had to withdraw in April 1953 due to health reasons.[14]

From January 1955, Meyer Levin filed lawsuits against Otto Frank, Cheryl Crawford and Kermit Bloomgarden accusing them of fraud, breach of contract and plagiarism.[15] The charges were eventually upheld only in terms of plagiarism. The trial was settled on appeal in a settlement: Otto Frank paid Meyer Levin $50,000, and the latter then waived his adaptations of the diary. (26 October 1959).[11] After this ruling, Meyer Levin continued to publicly voice his displeasure. When he did stage his play in Israel in 1966, tensions again ran high.[16] In his 1973 book The Obsession, he gave his own take on the whole affair.[17]

The $50,000 settlement amount awarded to Meyer Levin was seized upon by 'diary deniers' in the 1980s to label the diary of Anne Frank as a forgery, written by Meyer Levin at the behest of Otto Frank.

Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

The Hacketts began their stage adaptation on 15 December 1953.[18] On 27 December 1953, the Hacketts first sought contact with Otto Frank.[19] Thereafter, an intensive correspondence ensued in which Otto Frank gave them comments and advice and answered all their questions. This is how Otto Frank put the Hacketts in touch with Ernst Meyer and his family, who lived in America. These were good friends of his, who could tell the writers a lot about the Frank family, the other people in hiding and Amsterdam.[19] For the Jewish-religious aspects of the diary, the Hacketts were in contact with liberal rabbi Max Nussbaum.[19] Nussbaum was the husband of Ruth Nussbaum-Offenstadt, mother of Hannah Toby and previously married to Fritz Toby. A famous photo of Anne and her friends in the sandpit (1937) was taken in their garden.

The fourth version of the play script was the first version Otto Frank got to read in June 1954.[20] Otto Frank found the result disappointing:

'(…) I am not moved. (…) Whereas with the Levin play I felt that the psychological development and the characters were good, but that I could not judge the dramatic value, my first impression of the Hackett version is to be excellent routine work, but not giving the spirit of the book. (…) Perhaps it is anyhow a base which, with many changes could be worked out to a higher standard. (…) I cannot say that the script is against the spirit of Anne but it is not working up to the high spirit of Anne and in its present form would never convey the message which the book contains. You can imagine that I feel very miserable about the situation.'[21]

Concerned, he wrote a letter to the Hacketts criticising that the play did not reflect the depth of Anne's character nor the message of the book.[22] For the development of Anne's character, he recommended an article by remedial educationalist Jean Schick-Grossmann for which she had spoken extensively with Otto Frank, Johannes Kleiman and Miep Gies.[23]

In New York, the Hacketts worked on the fourth, fifth and sixth versions of the play.[24] These versions pleased Otto much better: 'I admire the way you caught the spirit of the book.'[25] He thought the inserted scenes fitted in superbly. He also had sympathy for the 'bread stealing' scene (Hermann van Pels steals a loaf of bread). Although he wondered whether there would be any legal consequences, as a brother of Hermann van Pels was still alive in the United States. He attached to the letter a list of 'observations and suggestions'.

After the seventh version of the script, the Hacketts came to Amsterdam where, on 6 December 1954, they met Otto Frank for the first time. They visited the Secret Annex, the 6th Montessori school, Merwedeplein 37-II and an ice cream parlour where 'Jews were allowed' the following day. [26] There was a meeting with Lou de Jong, who checked the script, and an extensive photo-reportage of and in the Secret Annex was made by photographer Maria Austria. Based on this visit, the play was revised again: the eighth version.

Around this time, the Secret Annex was photographed extensively and in detail by Maria Austria for two days.[27] Otto Frank noted in his diary on 8 December 1954: Photos. - Austria. On 11 December 1954: Photos with Haket [sic] + Kanin.[28]

As it was now too late in the season, the producer postponed the play until autumn 1955.

Otto Frank answered an extensive list of questions from Joseph Schildkraut, who was to play the role of Otto Frank in the play.[29] Furthermore, he was kept closely informed about the casting, sets, invitations to the premiere, etc.[30]

The first rehearsal was on 22 August 1955. Try-outs began in Philadelphia on 15 September 1955.[31] There were rave reviews, and film companies also showed interest.[32] During the try-outs, the 'bread stealing' scene was moved from morning to night for dramatic effect.[33]

It was followed by its New York premiere on 5 October 1955. Otto Frank never wanted to attend a stage or film screening of the diary. Just before the premiere, he wished the actors well and let them know: 'You will all realize that for me his play is a part of my life, and the idea that my wife and children as well as I will be presented on the stage is a painful one to me. Therefore it is impossible for me to come and see it.'  Otto Frank had already wished success to the Hacketts on 9 September 1954, leaving it up to them whether to show the letter to the players in Philadelphia or in New York. [34]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), Otto Frank Archief (OFA), reg. code OFA_090: Contract Uitgeverij Contact en Otto Frank aan Contact, 1 augustus 1946.
  2. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_159: Correspondentie van Meyer Levin met Otto Frank, 19 september 1950 e.v.
  3. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_159: Meyer Levin aan Otto Frank, 10 maart 1951 ('I hope that if you receive any film or stage enquiries, you may direct them to me as I would very much want the opportunity to work on such an adaptation, for I am sure that it will come, and it must be done tenderly, and with utmost fidelity'.).
  4. ^ Zie AFS, AFC. reg. code OFA_132.
  5. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_159: Meyer Levin aan Otto Frank, 16 juni 1952.
  6. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_172: Correspondentie van Otto Frank met Cheryl Crawford, 9 juli 1952 en 6 september 1952.
  7. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_159: Otto Frank aan Meyer Levin, 6 november 1952.
  8. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_159: Otto Frank aan Meyer Levin, 18 september 1952.
  9. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_159: Meyer Levin aan Otto Frank, 30 oktober 1952.
  10. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_172: Telegram Kermit Bloomgarten aan Otto Frank, augustus 1952; AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_172: Otto Frank aan Edwin Eytan, 13 april 1960; AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_172: Otto Frank aan Bernard Heller, zonder datum.
  11. a, b AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_171: Meyer Mermin aan Otto Frank, 6 december 1952; AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_171: Meyer Levin aan Otto Frank, 23 december 1952.
  12. ^ Zie: AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_159: Correspondentie van Otto Frank met Meyer Levin en AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_171: Correspondentie van Otto Frank met zijn Amerikaanse advocaat Meyer Mermin.
  13. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_171: Correspondentie van Meyer Mermin met Otto Frank.
  14. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_172; AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_171: Contract Otto Frank met de Hacketts, 23 februari 1954.
  15. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code 164: Aanklacht Meyer Levin vs. Otto Frank en Cheryl Crawford, 5 januari 1955; AFS, AFC, reg. code 164: Aanklacht Meyer Levin vs Otto Frank en Kermit Bloomgarden, 26 februari 1956.
  16. ^ Telegram van advocaat Edward Costikiyan aan Otto Frank met voorstel Levin en het theater te wijzen op de rechtenschending, d.d. 1 december 1966. Otto Frank laat op 3 december weten dat hij daarmee akkoord gaat. AFS, Anne Frank Collectie, reg. code OFA_171, telegrammen tussen Costiyakin en Otto Frank, december 1966.
  17. ^ Meyer Levin, The Obsession, New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1973. Zie verder: Lawrence Graver, An obesssion with Anne Frank: Meyer Levin and the Diary, Berkeley, CA: Universoty of California Press, 1995; Ralph Melnick, The stolen legacy of Anne Frank: Meyer Levin, Lillian Hellmann, and the staging of the Diary, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997.
  18. ^ Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), Madison, WI, Goodrich/Hackett papers 1927-1961, Box no 7, Miscellaneous: A Diary of the Diary.
  19. a, b, c WHS, Goodrich/Hackett papers 1927-1961, Box no. 2, correspondence 1952-1956: Otto Frank aan Frances Goodrich en Albert Hackett, 2 februari 1954.
  20. ^ De eerste ruwe versie is klaar op 21 januari 1954, de tweede versie op 26 februari, de derde versie op 22 april en de vierde versie op 21 mei 1954 en wordt uitgetypt en toegestuurd aan de producent, de agente van de Hacketts en aan Otto Frank. WHS, Goodrich/Hackett papers 1927-1961, Box no 2, correspondence 1952-1956.
  21. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_171: Otto Frank aan Meyer Mermin, 2 juni 1954.
  22. ^ WHS, Goodrich/Hackett papers 1927-1961, Box no. 2, correspondence 1952-1956: Otto Frank aan Frances Goodrich en Albert Hackett, 14 juni 1954.
  23. ^ WHS, Goodrich/Hackett papers: Otto Frank aan Frances Goodrich en Albert Hackett, 6 juli 1954; WHS, Goodrich/Hackett papers 1927-1961: Jean Schick Grossmann, Anne Frank. The Story within her story (ongepubliceerd, 1954).
  24. ^ De zesde versie is de tweede versie die Otto Frank onder ogen krijgt (oktober 1954). De vijfde versie is af op 19 augustus. Op 11 september 1954 wordt begonnen aan de aanpassingen voor zesde versie die op 4 oktober klaar is en kan worden uitgetypt, Zie noot 23.
  25. ^ WHS, Goodrich/Hackett papers 1927-1961, Box no. 2, correspondence 1952-195: Otto Frank aan Frances Goodrich en Albert Hackett, 5 november 1954.
  26. ^ Wisconsin Center for Theatre Research (WCTR), Madison,WI, Goodrich and Hackett papers, box 7: A Diary of the Diary. Met de ijssalon is zeer waarschijnlijk Oase bedoeld.
  27. ^ WCTR, Goodrich and Hackett papers, box 7: A diary of the Diary, notitie 10 december 1954.
  28. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_011: Agenda Otto Frank 1954.
  29. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_202: Otto Frank aan Joseph Schildkraut, 4 mei 1955.
  30. ^ WHS, Goodrich/Hackett papers 1927-1961, Box no 2, correspondence 1952-1956.
  31. ^ Anne Frank-Fonds (AFF), Bazel, Hackett Korrespondenz 1954-1960, ongeïnventariseerd archief, doos 51.
  32. ^ Zie bijvoorbeeld brief 3 oktober 1955: WHS, Goodrich/Hackett papers 1927-1961, Box no 2, correspondence 1952-1956: Brief Otto Frank aan Frances Goodrich en Albert Hacketts, 3 oktober..
  33. ^ AFF, Hackett Korrespondenz, doos 51: Meyer Levin Div. (S. Mermin).
  34. ^ WHS, Goodric/Hackett papers 1927-1961, Box no. 2, corresepondence 1952-1956: Otto Frank aan de Hacketts, 9 september 1955.