Joseph Kesselring

Short Biography

Joseph Otto Kesselring (July 21, 1902 – November 5, 1967) was an American playwright known best for Arsenic and Old Lace, a hit on Broadway from 1939 to 1944 and other countries as well. He was born in New York City to Henry and Frances Kesselring. His father's parents were immigrants from Germany. His mother was an English Canadian. Kesselring spent much of his life in and around the theater. In 1922 he began teaching vocal music and directed stage productions at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas a Mennonite school. After two years, Kesselring left teaching and returned to the stage, working for two years with an amateur theatrical group in Niagara, New York. He began working as a freelance playwright in 1933, completing 12 original plays, of which four were produced on Broadway: There's Wisdom in Women (1935), Arsenic and Old Lace (1939), Four Twelves are 48 (1951), and Mother of that Wisdom (1963). "Arsenic and Old Lace" was his masterpiece. It ran for 1444 performances on Broadway and 1337 performances in London, and became a staple on the high school and dinner theater circuits. The movie version released in 1944 was also a comedy hit.