Lauri Wylie

Lauri Wylie (born 25 May 1880 in Southport, England – died 1951 in Shoreham-by-Sea) was a British author. He is primarily known as the author of the play "Dinner for One", the 1963 screen adaptation of which went on to become the most frequently repeated TV program ever, according to the Guinness Book of Records, due in large part to its place as a German New Year's viewing tradition.

Wylie was born as Morris Laurence Samuelson, recorded as Maurice Laurence Samuelson Metzenberg. Wylie's older brother, Julian Samuelson, was a well-known producer in London, and Lauri Wylie's agent for plays produced as early as 1915. Lauri Wylie is also the brother of early film pioneer G.B. Samuelson and uncle of former British Film Commissioner Sydney Samuelson.

Lauri Wylie began his career in the late 1890s in London as an actor, receiving frequent writeups in the entertainment press of the day. His first work as a playwright was in 1911 with "Early Morning Reflections", which earned him a copyright infringement lawsuit for having plagiarised a similar play, "The Broken Mirror".

He has authored / co-authored several revues and operettas (including Four, Five, Six at the Duke of York's Theatre in London, a parody of Gilbert and Sullivan entitled A "G&S" Cocktail (1925, pub. 1936), and Princess Charming (1930), which was made into a film in 1934 and released under the name Alexandra in the United States in 1935. With his younger brother, G.B. Samuelson, he co-wrote The Game of Life (1922), at the time the longest British feature film ever produced. His other films include "A Warm Corner" (1930) and "Never Trouble Trouble" (1931).

His major success, "Dinner for One", possibly written as early as the 1920s, premiered at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1948, and was later presented on Broadway in 1953 in the revue Almanac by John Murray Anderson. Wylie, however, never profited from the script rights which were – allegedly – sold to English comedian Freddie Frinton (who famously played the role of James the butler in the popular 1963 film adaptation and had performed the sketch numerous times on stage) after Wylie died.

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