This study chronicles the life and career of one of the last--and possibly the most successful--independent producers on Broadway. David Merrick, "The Barnum of Broadway," produced eighty-eight plays on Broadway during his professional lifetime. Following a chronology of his career and a biographical sketch, all his plays plus film productions are carefully documented with credits, runs, synopses, and review citations. An annotated bibliography includes his own writings and a chronologically organized listing of books and articles about him. An appendix is devoted to major awards given to Merrick and his productions, and a second appendix lists productions that were made into films.