Mary Chase

Short Biography

Mary Coyle Chase (born Mary Agnes McDonough Coyle; 25 February 1907 – 20 October 1981) was an American journalist, playwright and children's novelist, known primarily for writing the Broadway play Harvey, later adapted for film starring James Stewart.She wrote fourteen plays, two children's novels, and one screenplay, and worked seven years at the Rocky Mountain News as a journalist. Three of her plays were made into Hollywood films: Sorority House (1939), Harvey (1950), and Bernardine (1957).Early yearsBorn Mary Agnes McDonough Coyle in Denver, Colorado in 1907, Chase remained in Denver her entire life. She grew up Irish Catholic and poor in the working class Baker neighborhood of Denver, not far from the railroad tracks.She was greatly influenced by the Irish myths related to her by her mother, Mary Coyle, and her four uncles, Timothy, James, John, and Peter. Charlie Coyle, her older brother, had a strong impact on her sense of comedy, as she imitated his natural gifts at mimicry, one-liners, and comic routines. He went on to become a circus clown.In 1921, she graduated from West High School in Denver and spent two years studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Denver without getting a degreePersonal lifeIn 1928, Mary married Robert L. Chase, a fellow reporter at the Rocky Mountain News. Bob was a seasoned, "hard news" reporter, having worked at the Denver Express since 1922, covering the robbery of the US Mint and fighting against the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado state and local politics. The Express eventually merged with the Rocky Mountain News and Bob went on to a 47-year newspaper career at the paper, becoming managing editor and then associate editor. He was a founding member in 1936 (and named vice-president) of the Denver chapter of the American Newspaper Guild, a national labor union representing editors and reporters.In 1932, their first son, Michael, was born, followed by Colin in 1935, and then Barry Jerome (Jerry) in 1937. Michael became the director of public television in New York, Colin was a professor of English Literature at the University of Toronto, and Jerry worked as a college academic counselor in New York City, and wrote the play, Cinderella Wore Combat Boots.While working on the musical adaptation, Say Hello to Harvey, in 1981, Mary Coyle Chase suffered a heart attack suddenly at her home in Denver and died at the age of 75.