Neil Simon

A detailed Summary of Neil Simon

As one of North America's leading playwrights, Neil Simon has definitely been instrumental to the world of theater. He has experienced a somewhat shaky personal life, but he has found that this only adds to the texture of his work. He began his career working on radio and television, and found that writing for stage was significantly different than his previous experiences writing. His first attempts at theater were rough, but it didn't take him long to achieve excellence. He has also achieved great success with his work in the film industry. He is very fastidious when writing his work, and also quite critical of both the final written product, as well as its resulting production. However, no matter how uncertain he is of his work, it is apparent that audiences worldwide appreciate his writings, and he has been awarded numerous times to prove it. It is quite clear Neil Simon holds a place of importance in the world of dramatic arts.

Born and raised in the Bronx NYC, Marvin Neil Simon was the second son of a traveling salesman. His mother Mamie, was largely responsible for the upbringing of the children due to this circumstance. His childhood household was quite unstable due to the absence of his father, and he has not truly

Beginning his career writing scripts for local TV and radio stations with his brother, Neil slowly, but surely achieved success. The two gradually progressed into writing sketches for the likes of Phil Shivers, Gary Moore and Jerry Lewis. The television work began to receive wide acclaim, and it was then, with encouragement from his current wife, Joan, Neil broke off his partnership with his brother to begin writing plays for the New York theater scene. His first play, titled Come Blow Your Horn, took over 3 years and more than 20 complete rewrites to perfect. Looking back at it now Neil says "My first work, under today's microscope with all its advanced technology, is like looking at a yellowed and faded photograph of ourselves in a tattered family album and saying, "My God, did I really look like that when I was a kid?" Although he is proud of his work, he sees it as a definite amateur piece, and is often quite critical of it. It was, however, the piece that made him fall in love with the theater and, he says, the theater fall in love with him. The next of his works are often quoted as being his best works. Barefoot In The Park, Sweet Charity, and, what is deemed as his biggest hit, The Odd Couple, directly followed. Hollywood took a liking to his script for The Odd Couple, and produced a very successful film version, as well as a sequel. Both of these works were his own, unlike the TV series spun off from the original work. Not one, but two series were produced. Simon declined the projects, as he wasn't interested in the long term commitment and pressure of writing for a series. Also, an adaptation for females to replace the male characters was scripted by Simon. It was clear at this point that Simon had fulfilled his dream of being a successful playwright. New York Times writer Jack Kerr once said,

The works of Neil Simon are evident everywhere you look. Having been successful in TV, film, and stage, Simon has recently completed the first in a series of autobiographies, which covers just a fraction of his eventful life. His works, no matter what medium presented in, are appreciated by the masses. He is truly one of North America's most successful playwrights of today, and will surely be remembered similarly in the future. Simon once said, "When writing a play, the whole time I am picturing

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Category: People