Traube, Shepard, 1907-1983

Dates:

Birth 1907-02-27

Death 1983-07-23

Birth 1907

Active 1937

Active 1977

Biographical notes:

Shepard Traube (1907-1983) was a theatrical producer and writer.

Mr. Traube's theatrical career included producing and directing "Angel Street," one of Broadway's longest running plays, in the early 1940's. In 1931 he directed and produced "No More Frontiers" for Broadway. But his first productions to win crtical acclaim were "Precedent" at the Provincetown Theater in 1932 and a Broadway entry, "A Thousand Summers," the same year, which was co-produced with Arch Selwyn and starred Jane Cowl, Franchot Tone, Osgood Perkins and Josephine Hull. In the years that followed, he brought to Broadway "Winter Soldiers;" Sidney Kingsley's "The Patriots," which won the New York Drama Critics award; "The Gioconda Smile," with Basil Rathbone and Valerie Taylor; a 1951 revival of "The Green Bay Tree," with Joseph Schildkraut, Denholm Elliott and Anne Crawford; "Time Out for Ginger," with Melvyn Douglas; "The Girl in Pink Tights," with Jeanmaire; and "Holiday for Lovers" with Don Ameche.

His most successful Broadway play was the mystery "Angel Street," which opened Dec. 5, 1941, and ran for 1,295 performances despite the fact that tickets had originally been printed for only three performances. The New York Drama Critics gave Mr. Traube their ''best director'' prize for the season. A revival of "Angel Street" in 1975 was far less successful and turned out to be Mr. Traube's last Broadway production before he retired. He also directed a number of films, including ''The Bride Wore Crutches'' and ''Goose Step,'' which he described as hardly memorable. In 1938, he wrote a novel, "Glory Road," based on observations in Hollywood. He was also the author of "So You Want to Go Into the Theater," published by Little Brown.

During World War II, Mr. Traube was an officer in the Army Signal Corps. Mr. Traube became managing director of the Equity Library Theater in 1956, and taught and lectured on theatercraft at Yale, New York University, the College of the City of New York and Carnegie-Mellon University. In 1959, he was elected first president of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, which he helped found.

He was married to the former Mildred Gilbert. They had two daughters, Victoria Gilbert Traube, a lawyer, and Betsy Gilbert Traube, a professor of social anthropology at the University of Chicago. His brother, Leonard Traube, was in public relations and a writer.