Sam Harris was an extremely prolific and successful Broadway theatrical producer and theater owner, with an illustrious career spanning from 1904 until his untimely death in 1941. During his remarkable tenure, he collaborated with the legendary George M. Cohan, but their partnership ultimately came to a bitter end due to disagreements over signing the Actors Equity contract. This notable break is often mischaracterized in the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy, portrayed by Richard Whorf, which inaccurately depicts Harris as being alive at the time of the film's release, when in fact he had passed away the previous year.
Throughout his illustrious career, Harris produced numerous historically significant productions in conjunction with some of the most renowned creative minds of his time, including The Marx Brothers, George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart, and Morrie Ryskind. These original Broadway productions showcased the talents of these innovative artists and left a lasting impact on the world of theater. It is essential to note that Sam Harris should not be confused with his contemporaneous counterpart, Jed Harris, who was notorious for his own reasons.
