From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jean Kerr (July 10, 1922 [some sources cite 1923]—January 5, 2003) was an American author and playwright.

Born Bridget Jean Collins in Scranton, Pennsylvania, her best-known book was Please Don't Eat The Daisies (1957), a humorous look at suburban life. The book was a national bestseller, later adapted for the screen as a vehicle for Doris Day and David Niven, and subsequently made into a sitcom.

Kerr was born to parents Tom and Kitty Collins, grew up on Electric Street in Scranton, and attended Marywood Seminary, the topic of her humorous short story "When I was Queen of the May." She received a Bachelor's Degree from Marywood College in Scranton and later attended The Catholic University of America, where she received her Masters' Degree and met then-professor Walter Kerr. She later married Kerr, who went on to become a well-known New York drama critic. The Kerrs bought an old house in Larchmont, N.Y. which had belonged to the inventor Charles King. They figure largely in "With Love from Karen," written by their next-door neighor, Marie Killilea.

With her husband, Jean Kerr collaborated on Goldilocks, a short-lived musical comedy about the early days of silent film. She wrote several highly successful plays, including the Tony Award-winning King of Hearts, as well as the comedy Mary, Mary, which ran for over 1,500 performances and held the record for the longest-running non-musical play on Broadway.

Jean Kerr wrote many funny pieces for magazines. Many were later collected in book form.

She died in 2003 in White Plains, New York.

• Please Don't Eat The Daisies
• The Snake Has All The Lines
• Penny Candy
• How I Got To Be Perfect

• The Song of Bernadette (1946)
• Jenny Kissed Me (1948)
• Touch-and-Go (1949)
• John Murray Anderson's Almanac (1953)
• King of Hearts (1954)
• Goldilocks: A Musical (1958)
• Mary, Mary (1961)
• Poor Richard (1964)
• Finishing Touches (1973)
• Lunch Hour (1980)