Anna Crouse, widow of playwright Russel Crouse and mother of actress Lindsay Crouse, has died at age 99. So far only a couple of paid for obits have turned up in the New York Times. Amazing. Anyway, Anna Crouse was 23 years younger than her husband.
Russel Crouse wrote a bunch of hit plays with Harold Lindsay including “Life with Father.” They wrote the book for “The Sound of Music,” and won a Pulitzer for “State of the Union.” They also wrote the book for Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.” Crouse died in 1966 at age 73.
The Crouses had two children–Lindsay, a formidable actress, and, Timothy, wrote the famous book “The Boys on the Bus” about traveling in an election year with presidential candidates.
Anna Crouse, to a younger generation, is the grandmother of Zosia Mamet, star of the TV show “Girls.” Zosia’s parents are Lindsay Crouse and playwright David Mamet.
But Anna Crouse is even better known for her work in the New York theater. She is considered the engine behind the TKTS half price ticket booth in Times Square. She gave years of service to TDF, the Theater Development Fund, serving as Chairwoman and a Trustee, all between 1968 and 1993. In the TDF’s paid obit, the current execs wrote: “it is fair to say that without her it would not have happened; her influence and support extended beyond TKTS to the entire fabric of the organization.”
No one thinks about the TKTS booth and how it changed New York life. You think it’s always been there; it hasn’t.
There’s a great obit on playbill.com. According to an article in the Times, Zosia Mamet is estranged from her mother. Too bad. Anna Crouse sounds like she was amazing. Rest in peace.
