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Andrew Delaplaine

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Andrew Delaplaine (November 16, 1949 – May 1, 2023) was an American novelist, screenwriter, director, and producer.

Biography

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In 1987 Delaplaine moved to South Beach Miami and, with his sister Renee, opened Scratch, one of a handful of white tablecloth restaurants in what was then a slum area of Miami. Behind Scratch, he launched an Equity theater as well as a black box nightclub called Backscratch.[1]

In 1989 Delaplaine (along with his sister Renee) opened the Warsaw Ballroom, which quickly became one of the most outlandish gay nightclubs in the United States.[1][2]

In 1991 he launched Wire, a weekly newspaper modeled on Andy Warhol's Interview. He edited and published Wire for 10 years before selling the magazine to focus on his other writing. It is still the longest-running weekly editorial published on South Beach.[1]

In 1994, since no one else had filed to run against incumbent Mayor Seymour Gelber, thus insuring a situation where issues would never be debated, Delaplaine ran for mayor, but lost.[1] Delaplaine was involved with the early development of A Wonderful World, a new musical based on the life of Louis Armstrong. The show will premiere on Broadway in 2024.[3]

Delaplaine died from stomach cancer on May 1, 2023, at the age of 73.[4]

Films

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Delaplaine produced, wrote and or directed several shorts and feature films. Among these pictures is the Malcolm Mowbray directed film Meeting Spencer[5] for which he and his co-writers won "Best Screenwriting" award at the 2014 Milan International Film Festival.[6][7] Meeting Spencer stars Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Jeffrey Tambor.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Attitude Dancing". Miami New Times. 2 November 1995. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  2. ^ ""Leaving Unfriendly South Beach"". Miami New Times. MNT. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  3. ^ https://www.thepressroomnyc.com/wonderful-world [bare URL]
  4. ^ Andrew Delaplaine, a ‘walking cocktail party’ in South Beach’s wild club scene, dies at 73
  5. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (8 April 2011). "NY TIMES ARTICLE". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  6. ^ "A.Deplaine, A.Kole, S.Kasdin". Nominees 2014. MIFF Film Festival. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Meeting Spencer". 2014 Nominees. MIFF Film Festival. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
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