- His oldest son Quentin (with wife Margaret; b. 1914 in Minnewauken, ND; d. 2003) was a professor at Columbia Uniiversity from 1939-81. A noted literary critic and cultural historian, he was an expert on 19th-century American literature. Among his books are "The American Henry James" (1957), "The Imperial Self" (1971) and "Making Americans" (1992).
- Won the 1933 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the play "Both Your Houses".
- One of the few 20th-century American playwrights to write many of his plays in blank verse ("Elizabeth the Queen", "Mary of Scotland", "Anne of the Thousand Days", etc.).
- Twenty years after the original Broadway production of his play "High Tor", he adapted the stage play into a television musical play with stage and film composer Arthur Schwartz providing the score. Presented on CBS' Ford Star Jubilee (1955) in a 90-minute color film television special, transmitted electronically as a broadcast presentation starring Bing Crosby. This 35mm production was the only television special NOT performed as a normally scheduled 90-minute, live, color electronic-broadcast transmission in front of a live studio audience in a CBS video studio facility. The play is named for a summit overlooking the Tappan Zee portion of New York's Hudson River, near where Anderson lived in Rockland County. The story was inspired by a real-life controversy over quarrying the palisades along the lower Hudson (the play also shares the plot element of a ghostly crew of Dutch sailors on the Hudson with Washington Irving's short story "Rip Van Winkle"). Anderson (at age 58) began writing the play in May 1936. It was first presented on stage in Cleveland, OH, in December 1936. Burgess Meredith--Anderson's neighbor in Rockland County--and Peggy Ashcroft appeared in the stage play's lead roles. The Cleveland production moved to Broadway ten days later on January 9, and performed through June 1937, where it played 171 performances at the Martin Beck Theatre. Anderson won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for the best American play of the 1936-37 season. The award included this citation: "In its decision the circle celebrates the advent of the first distinguished fantasy by an American in many years. Imaginative and as comic as it is poetic in both spirit and expression, 'High Tor' is a singular accomplishment, giving rare grace to this theatrical season in New York". In 1942 Anderson helped organize and served as the chairman of the Rockland County Committee To Save High Tor, which helped raise money to purchase the property in 1943 for the creation of a public park.
- He first considered a musical adaptation of "High Tor" for television in 1949. In mid-1954 CBS President William Paley first approached him with the intent to produce the play for his newly planned anthology series Ford Star Jubilee (1955). During production development, Anderson and John Monks Jr. adapted the play specifically as a made-for-television musical fantasy in early 1955, with music composed by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Anderson. Another factor to consider in the relationship and history between Bing Crosby and William Paley should be noted: In the mid'930s, Bill Paley signed and contracted Bing Crosby (at age 32) to be a regular radio performer on his daily and weekly CBS radio network schedule. Bing Crosby (at age 51 in 1955) became the leading drive for the "High Tor" project which brought indirectly creative film talents at Paramount Studios where Crosby's Production office was situated. Because Crosby was uncomfortable with the exigencies of live television, performing 90 minutes non-stop in front of a television studio audience, he insisted that it be filmed. Bing Crosby did not want to use the CBS Hollywood Television City studio facility nor the New York Studio 72 stage. Situated adjacent to Paramount Studios is the former RKO-Pathé Film studio/stages. renamed Desilu Studios when husband and wife comedy team Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball acquired the studio to film their CBS television series "I Love Lucy." The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz television "filmed" production unit had pioneered a number of methods, still in use in television production - filming before a live studio audience with a number of cameras; this established the multiple camera filming procedure to produce, edit, and deliver their filmed show to the CBS network. Paramount Studios negotiated with the Desilu studio facilities to utilize the Desilu "I Love Lucy" production unit facility system, their feature-film production crew in staging, filming, editing and delivering the color film musical special to CBS. Network executives considered the use of film an unnecessary extravaganza. Bing Crosby convinced CBS to allow him to cover all additional costs with filming "High Tor". The total cost of the CBS production was $450,000.00, the most expensive television production up to that time, and the first special filmed for broadcast by CBS. Bing Crosby was reportedly paid $375,000.00. The production was filmed during the month of November 1955 on the Desilu Studios' lot-stages with 35mm cameras. Director of photographer Lester Shorr (at age 48,1907-1992, 85) experienced in filming filmed productions for network clients was part of the Hollywood Paramount-Desilu production package. Two Hollywood directors James Neilson (at age 46, 1909-1979, 70) and Franklin J. Schaffner (at age 35, 1920-1989, 69), both had television-film experience with network filmed productions, shared directorial reigns. Discovered in 1948 on stage at UCLA, Paramount signed Nancy Olson (b. 1929) to a studio contract. Nancy Olson as a relatively inexperienced starlet was given the role of a lifetime as script girl Betty Schaefer, who attracts never-do-well writer William Holden and irks reclusive diva Gloria Swanson in the towering classic "Sunset Blvd. (1950). Her pairing with Holden, in fact, went over so well, they were teamed in a succession of Paramount standard features. With these film credentials Nancy Olson (at age 26) was cast in the musical project. Nancy married to renowned lyricist Alan Jay Lerner knew that Julie Andrews (age 20; b. 1935) had been discovered by her husband lyricist Alan Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe having seen Andrews' Broadway debut in the British hit musical "The Boy Friend" (1954-1955, 485 performances). Julie Andrews had been signed to perform the Eliza Doolittle role in their Broadway-bound musical "My Fair Lady". Bing Crosby (at age 52; b.1903-1977, 74) had also seen Julie Andrews in her Broadway debut in "The Boy Friend" and invited her to appear in his television-musical "High Tor". It was Andrews' first work in a Hollywood color film-production, and her American television debut. Hollywood film and Broadway stage performers Hans Corned (age 38; b.1917-1982, 65), Keenan Wynn (age 39; b.1916-1986-70), Everett Sloane (age 46; b. 1909-1965, 55), John Pickard (age 42; b. 1913-1993, 80), Lloyd Corrigan (age 54; b. 1900-1969, 69) completed the illustrious cast; James Neilson (age 46; 1919-1979, 70) was an established Hollywood film director. Arthur Schwartz, who had also produced films for Columbia Pictures, was a highly successful stage/film composer. The songs Arthur Scwartz composed in collaboration with Maxwell Anderson as lyricist for "High Tor" follow: "Living One Day at a Time"/"When You're in Love" - Bing Crosby; "Sad Is the Life of the Sailor's Wife - Julie Andrews; "When You're in Love - Everett Sloane and Julie Andrews; "A Little Love, a Little While"- Bing Crosby; "When you're in Love" (reprise) - Everett Sloane; "John Barleycorn"- Bing Crosby; "Once Upon a Long Ago"- Julie Andrews; "Once Upon a long Ago"- Bing Crosby; "John Barleycorn"- Bing Crosby & chorus; "A Little love, A Little While (reprise) - Bing Crosby. "High Tor" is considered the first television film musical. "High Tor" was broadcast Saturday night, March 10, 1956 as a 90 minute color production on the CBS television network's short one season series "The Ford Star Jubilee". The following week on a Thursday night, Julie Andrews and Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical-play "My Fair Lady" premiered on Broadway on March 15, 1956. Maxwell Anderson had little interest in television, and considered his adaptation a "potboiling job". Julie Andrews later wrote that she thought her performance was "very stilted," and, "Alas, High Tor was not a memorable piece, and received only lukewarm reviews." The song score of the show, with story narration by Bing Crosby, was released by Decca Records in 1956.
- His papers are housed in the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections at the University of North Dakota's Chester Fritz Library in Grand Forks, ND.
- Grandfather of John Levenstein.
- Father of Hesper Anderson.
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