Show ERE WI WHERE ARE THEY NOW NOW NOW- Sure-Fire Sure Otto Hal bach Has Formula for Musical Comedy Editors Editor's Note Notel Where are they now UtahnA and Salt Lakers Laken are scattered Mattered to the four corners of ot the world Once prominent locally once In the local news some have ha gone cone forward to more prominent field of endeavor Some may have e dropped from the news new pic plC pic- ture tore The Telegram In a series of ot articles ar at ticie will refresh Its readers' readers mem mem- ones odes ories By MORRIS GUSS One of Americas America's best known musical musical musical mu mu- comedy composers Salt Lake City born Otto Abels Harbach has hasa a simple formula for foundations of plays plays love love hate ambition and fear He was past 30 when he began writing and between 1907 and 1927 he produced more than 60 Broadway Broadway Broad Broad- Broadway way productions Mr Harbach was born in Salt Lake City August 17 1873 one of eight children He received his elementary elementary elementary ele ele- ele- ele schooling here Following his graduation from Knox college in 1895 he began teaching English at Whitman college He won a sabbatical sabbatical sabbatical sab sab- leave in 1901 and went to Columbia university to work for his degree of doctor of philosophy Threatened loss of his sight however however how bow ever changed his plans and he abandoned the idea of higher academic academic academic aca aca- demic study Instead he worked in ina ina ina a New York City advertising agency agency agen agen- agency cy and soon became chief copy writer He also did some newspaper work on several large metropolitan tan dailies Although the Salt Laker is mo more mor famous for his farces and musical comedies it is Mr Harbach's contention contention con con- that music successfully may maybe maybe maybe be used in the development of se serious serious serious se- se rious themes After he had written a score of plays and farces he returned to his native city in 1918 and married Miss Eloise Smith His first play The Three Twins written in 1907 was not a success His subsequent efforts were more successful First of the so-called so bedroom farces farces' was from the pen of this Utahn It was Up In Mabels Mabel's Room Two Harbach successes in 1924 were No No Nanette and Rose RoseMarie RoseMarie RoseMarie Marie The latter proved very profitable for the composer and meant much for Oscar Hammer- Hammer W OTTO A. A HARBACH Writing new plays stein n i-n who produced It Earnings from this run long-run production enabled enabled enabled en en- erection of the Hammerstein theater in New York City His Cat and the Fiddle produced produced produced pro pro- in 1933 supplied many of the country's tuneful songs during that year As a movie Kid Boots continued to draw large box office receipts for more than three years He is living in New York where his efforts are centered on completion completion completion comple comple- tion of two new plays for early 1937 production |