Barry, Philip, 1896-1949

American playwright Philip Jerome Quinn Barry was born on June 18, 1896 in Rochester, N.Y. He was the youngest of the four children of James Corbett Barry and Mary Agnes Quinn. James Barry was a successful marble and tile contracter whose family had emigrated from Ireland when he was ten. His wife, also of Irish descent, was a Philadelphian, daughter of the proprietor of a lumber business. Barry matriculated at Yale University in 1913, but, war service intervening, did not receive his B.A. until 1919. In 1922 he married Ellen Semple and the following year achieved his first major success, "You and I", which ran for 170 performances on Broadway. The ensuing years saw both hits such as "Tomorrow and tomorrow" (1931) and flops such as "Spring dance" (1934). However, on March 28, 1939, the play which would assure his lasting fame, "The Philadelphia story", debuted at the Schubert Theater in New York. Its 417 performances would not be equaled by another Barry play, though "Without love" of 1942 achieved a more than respectable run of 113. Philip and Ellen S. Barry had two sons, Philip S. and Jonathan Peter, and a daughter who died in infancy. Philip Barry suffered a fatal heart attack on Dec. 3, 1949.

From the description of The Philip Barry papers, 1930-1984 (bulk 1930-1949) (Georgetown University). WorldCat record id: 71229518

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