George Ade Biography

American humourist, journalist, librettist, and dramatist, born in Kentland, Indiana. Ade was a master of the contemporary vernacular language, especially the slang of the youth of his time; his Fables in Slang (1899) were seen as informed examples of the language of the common American. His first play, The Night of the Fourth (1901), was a failure but he achieved success with the libretto for The Sultan of Sulu (1902), and his libretto for Peggy from Paris (1903) confirmed his acceptance in the popular theatre. Success continued with the comedies The Country Chairman (1903) and The College Widow (1904), which was made into the highly successful musical comedy Leave It to Jane (1917), with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by P. G. Wodehouse. Ade had further success with genial satires on student life, notably Just Out of College (1905) and Father and the Boys (1908), and with his librettos for the Fair Co-ed (1909) and The Old Town (1910).