Ed Graczyk

Edward Graczyk[1] (born 1941/1942)[2]: 28 is a playwright originally from Ohio.[3] He wrote several children's plays early in his career, but became better known as the author of 1976's Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. In 1982, Graczyk won the Best Screenplay Award at the Belgium International Film Festival for Robert Altman's motion picture adaptation.[4]

Edward Graczyk
Born1941 or 1942 (age 81–82)
Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesEd Graczyk
OccupationPlaywright
Years active1969–present
Known forCome Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

Career

Graczyk was born in Pennsylvania.[3] Between 1968 and 1973, he lived in Midland, Texas[5][3] and wrote children's plays such as Aesop's Falables[6] and Livin' de Life.[7] He began to develop his stage drama Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, after driving to the small town of Marfa and researching the customs of the area. The legend of actor James Dean, and the closure of five-and-dime stores in this place, lent their influences to the play's development.[3] Graczyk went on to say:

Jimmy Dean can only be described as the result of my own observations and frustrations with progress that ignores a past; the lack of personalization and pride and the recurring need of people to build facades to conceal the truths of their lives. It is the facade that makes abnormal people seem normal and the sad people seem happy. A personal observation which I feel makes the people I write about, colorful, theatrical, but most of all, honest.[8]

After his brief stay in Texas, he moved back to Ohio and served as the artistic director of the Players Theatre in Columbus, Ohio;[2]: 28  his tenure there lasted from 1973 to 1993.[9] The first version of Jimmy Dean premiered in September 1976 at Players Theatre;[10] in early 1980, it moved to New York City for a brief run[11] before filmmaker Robert Altman acquired the rights.[12]: 89  The resulting Broadway version, which premiered in February 1982, was not a critical success.[12]: 89  Nonetheless, Altman soon managed to make a low-budget film adaptation financed by Viacom Enterprises and Mark Goodson Productions.[13]: 129  The film won numerous awards at film festivals,[13]: 131  including Best Film at Chicago;[4] Ed Graczyk won for Best Screenplay at the Belgium International event.[4]

The playwright followed up Jimmy Dean with A Murder of Crows, which opened at New York's South Side Theater in September 1988.[14] In the early 1990s, he wrote a one-man show with Keith Carradine entitled My Time Ain't Long.[8] By 2003, he was living in Ohio's Miami Valley area and was still writing plays, although in his words, "There are currently several scripts running around in my computer looking for an exit."[9] His most recent work, The Blue Moon Dancing, premiered in Dallas on August 20, 2010.[15]

Throughout his career, Graczyk has also served as a theater designer and administrator. He has worked with various institutions such as the Hartford Stage Company and the Erie Playhouse.[8]

Selected works
Year Title Source
1969Aesop's Falables[6]
1970Livin' de Life: A Play for Young People[7]
1971Appleseed: A Play of Peace[16]
1971Due to a Lack of Interest, Tomorrow Has Been Canceled[nb 1][1]
1971Electric Folderol[18]
1973Courage! A Play of War[19]
1974Weeds[8]
1976Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
(original play)		[10]
1982Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
(film version)		[10]
1988A Murder of Crows[14]
1992Love Janis[8]
1995Hometown Heroes[9]
1995My Time Ain't Long[8]
2010Blue Moon Dancing[15]

See also

Notes
  1. Also known as Due to a Lack of Interest, Tomorrow Has Been Postponed.[17]

[20]

References
  1. Graczyk, Ed (1971). Due to a Lack of Interest—Tomorrow Has Been Canceled! An Original Musical for Young People. Midland, Texas: Pickwick Press. OCLC 7815895.
  2. Allen, Jennifer (February 1, 1982). "Cher and Altman On Broadway". New York. New York Media LLC. 15 (5). Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  3. Leffler, Mark R. (2009). "Midland Theatre Guild Looks Back At James Dean's Cult of Personality". Review Magazine. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  4. Graczyk, Ed (1989). A Murder of Crows: A Play in Two Acts. Samuel French, Inc. ISBN 0-573-69111-8.
  5. Jones, Arnold Wayne (2010). "Come back to West Texas, Ed Graczyk, Ed Graczyk". Dallas Voice. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  6. Graczyk, Ed (1969). Aesop's Falables: A Modern Rock Musical for Young People. Anchorage Press. ISBN 0-87602-100-3.
  7. Graczyk, Ed (1970). Livin' de Life: A Play for Young People. Anchorage Press. ISBN 0-87602-151-8.
  8. "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: The Playwright". Saint Louis University (slu.edu). Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  9. Morris, Terry (November 6, 2003). "'Five and Dime' author provides guidance on Troy Production". Dayton Daily News. p. E7. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  10. Erskine, Thomas L.; Welsh, James Michael; Tibbetts, John C. (2000). "Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1976)". Video Versions: Film Adaptations of Plays on Video. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0-313-30185-9. Retrieved May 15, 2010. Come Back to the Five and Dime.
  11. Hirschhorn, Joel (October 18, 2004). "Stage review of Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  12. O'Brien, Daniel (1995). Robert Altman: Hollywood Survivor. New York: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-0791-9.
  13. Plecki, Gerard (1985). Robert Altman. Boston: Twayne Publishers (G.K. Hall & Company/ITT). ISBN 0-8057-9303-8.
  14. Gussow, Mel (September 18, 1988). "Review/Theater; Metaphor and Whimsy in 'A Murder of Crows'". New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  15. Propst, Andy (August 7, 2009). "Ed Graczyk's Blue Moon Dancing Has World Premiere in Dallas". TheaterMania.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  16. Graczyk, Ed (1971). Appleseed: A Play of Peace. Anchorage Press. ISBN 0-87602-106-2.
  17. Roberts, Jerry (2003). The Great American Playwrights on the Screen: A Critical Guide to Film, Video, and DVD. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 194. ISBN 1-55783-512-8. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  18. Graczyk, Ed (1971). Electric Folderol: A Nonsensical Musical for Young People. Midland, Texas: Pickwick Press. OCLC 9208585.
  19. Graczyk, Ed (1973). Courage! A Play of War. Midland, Texas: Pickwick Press. OCLC 4383434.
  20. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10204202710221725&set=oa.782130708489453&type=1&theater
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