When I was compiling the material for my book, The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide, I was struck by the group’s versatility. I’d originally believed the group, which met from 1919 to about 1927, was the … Read the rest
Category: History
117 Years Ago Today 1st Guests Arrived at the Algonquin Hotel
Today is the anniversary of the opening of the Algonquin Hotel in 1902. Guests 117 years ago checked into the newest hotel on the block, located at No. 59-63 West Forty-fourth Street. When the Vicious Circle launched a century ago … Read the rest
Video From Talk About Vicious Circle Women
For the centennial of the first meeting of the Algonquin Round Table, author Kevin C. Fitzpatrick presented a brief talk at the Algonquin Hotel. He presented the women of the Vicious Circle–the ones not named Dorothy Parker and Edna Ferber. … Read the rest
Round Table Movies in the Library of Congress
The Algonquin Round Table has many ties to film history. With so many writers and actors, it’s no wonder there are links to many classic Hollywood productions. Most of these names are in The Algonquin Round Table New York: A … Read the rest
Listen to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Today is the 74th anniversary of recording The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1944).
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” with Robert Benchley. Recorded for CBS on Dec. 20, 1944. Based on the 1939 short story by James Thurber, this … Read the rest
Heywood Broun on Babe Ruth in 1922
With baseball season around the corner, let’s look at one of the many Algonquin Round Table links to the game. In the world of New York newspaper columnists in the Jazz Age, Heywood Broun stood out from the rest. His … Read the rest
Donald Ogden Stewart in Hot Water
On This Date October 19, 1942: The FBI file on Donald Ogden Stewart is more than 1,000 pages. I conducted a Freedom of Information request several years ago to get it all. The government kept tabs on him for 30 … Read the rest
Crazy for Games, Sports, and Puzzles
Sports and leisure were important to the Round Table. They loved professional sports—with baseball and boxing being the chief attractions. F.P.A. was an amateur tennis star. Their leisure time was taken up with parlor games, mind-benders, word play, and gambling. … Read the rest
Pulitzer Landmarks Tied to the Algonquin Round Table
This guest blog was written for Literary Manhattan.
I love literary landmarks. I seek them out whenever I possibly can. I’m the kind of person who can’t pass a plaque or historical marker and not stop for a look, … Read the rest