TS Eliot & 'Cats'

Out of respect?

Are you blind when you’re born?

Pretty sure he is credited somewhere. Also, I fucking love Edward Gorey (illustrator of OP's pic).

Answer: Because he doesn’t have to be credited as a cowriter.

“Poems and other works works by T.S. Eliot are in the public domain in the United States if they were published before January 1, 1923. T.S. Eliot died in 1965, so all of his works are in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 50 years or less.”

Shakespeare and John Milton were both poets, and both are quoted commonly in literature and especially in everyday language—so commonly that most people who quote them don’t know they’re quoting them.

Can you see in the dark?

R4 So how it is that the TS Eliot Estate made supposedly $100m from the Cats musical?

The TS Eliot had to give approval I believe.

Can you look at a king?

R6 Well if that’s the case then that means the material is copyrighted. The Writers Guild of America has specific guidelines and also informal conventions for what constitutes writing credit. For example, actors who improvise all their lines on Curb Your Enthusiasm don’t get writing credit, but the people who write the show’s narrative outline do. The guild likely has some guidelines for differentiating inspirational source material from the written script that results from it.

Faber have also made a fortune from being Eliot’s publishers.

Would you sit on his throne?

Could you squat on his cock?

Can you say of your bite, that it’s worse than your bark?

LOL, r1....perfect!...

Eliot’s widow, Valerie, was the prime beneficiary of his estate and controlled the copywright. She approved the fair usage if her husbands work and the estate benefitted.

[quote]“Poems and other works works by T.S. Eliot are in the public domain in the United States if they were published before January 1, 1923. T.S. Eliot died in 1965, so all of his works are in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 50 years or less.”

Except for the fact that Cats originally premiered in 1980, opened in London in 1981, and Broadway in 1982.

Now, the real slap in the face is that by virtue of Andrew Lloyd Weber's copyrights on Cats the musical, HE and not TS Eliot would be owed whatever royalties might arise from someone else using those poems for commercial purposes.

I would assume Cats counts as an adapted work, so any credit would go to the original author as the source, but he wouldn’t get a writing credit.

Um... Eliot was nominated for a Tony and I think he won.

OK I had to look it up. Eliot was nominated for best lyrics and best book of a musical and actually won best book. Posthumously of course.

At first, I didn't believe that Eliot won a Tony.

I love you people - only place on the planet where something like this would even be discussed.

..and here he was thinking the mermaids wouldn’t sing to him...

Are you cock of the walk?

R4, Old Possums Book of Practical Cats was published in 1939.

It is still under copyright---but nice try!

When googling lyrics and song writing credits for the songs from Cats, even though the lyrics and pretty much word-for-word from the source poems, TS Eliot still doesn't get a co-writing credit.

Maybe the Estate forewent co-writing royalties for some other form of payment.

The credit is given.

The credit is given

R23, lyric sites never get credits right. The lyrics to memory are credited to Elaine Paige on one site, for cripes sake.

Were you there when the Pharoah commissioned the Sphynx?

And he was nominated for two Tonys people! Won one. I remember when it happened and people snickered because of the weirdness of it all.