Edward Brewster Sheldon (

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, February 4, 1886 – April 1, 1946,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

) was an American dramatist. His plays include ''Salvation Nell'' (1908) and ''

Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

'' (1913), which was made into a motion picture with

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

. After becoming ill at age 29 with crippling

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are invol ...

, which eventually claimed his sight (around 1930), Sheldon became a source of emotional and creative support for his many friends, notably

Minnie Maddern Fiske Minnie Maddern Fiske (born Marie Augusta Davey; December 19, 1865 – February 15, 1932), but often billed simply as Mrs. Fiske, was one of the leading American actresses of the late 19th and early 20th century. She also spearheaded the fig ...

(he wrote ''Salvation Nell'' for her),

Julia Marlowe Julia Marlowe (born Sarah Frances Frost; August 17, 1865 – November 12, 1950) was an English-born American actress, known for her interpretations of William Shakespeare's plays. Life and career Marlowe was born as Sarah Frances Frost at Cald ...

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

(his closest friend and confidante),

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' — ...

Alexander Woollcott Alexander Humphreys Woollcott (January 19, 1887 – January 23, 1943) was an American drama critic and commentator for ''The New Yorker'' magazine, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, an occasional actor and playwright, and a prominent radio ...

Anne Morrow Lindbergh Anne Spencer Morrow Lindbergh (June 22, 1906 – February 7, 2001) was an American writer and aviator. She was the wife of decorated pioneer aviator Charles Lindbergh, with whom she made many exploratory flights. Raised in Englewood, New Jerse ...

Ruth Gordon Ruth Gordon Jones (October 30, 1896 – August 28, 1985) was an American actress, screenwriter, and playwright. She began her career performing on Broadway at age 19. Known for her nasal voice and distinctive personality, Gordon gained internati ...

, Helen Hayes. While in hospital his advice was received by those in the theatrical profession as gospel. Actress and librettist

Dorothy Donnelly Dorothy Agnes Donnelly (January 28, 1876 - January 3, 1928) was an actress, playwright, librettist, producer, and director. After a decade-long acting career that included several notable roles on Broadway, she turned to writing plays, musicals ...

formed a close friendship with Sheldon, and after he became bedridden often assisted with transcribing, editing, and supporting his work. In May 1915 Sheldon narrowly missed sailing on the '' Lusitanias infamous last voyage. He had been asked by theater impresario

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...

to accompany him to England. A Harvard classmate of Sheldon's was getting married on May 11 and asked Sheldon to be best man. Sheldon then declined Frohman's offer. A 1936 lawsuit against

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

for copyright infringement claimed that the script MGM used for the 1932 motion picture ''

Letty Lynton ''Letty Lynton'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery and Nils Asther. The film was directed by Clarence Brown and based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes; the novel ...

'' plagiarized material from the play ''Dishonored Lady'' by Sheldon and Margaret Ayer Barnes. After being heard before various courts, the case ended up before the Supreme Court of the United States as '' Sheldon v. Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corp.''; in 1940 the Supreme Court awarded a fifth of the profits. The film is still unavailable today because of this lawsuit. His life is detailed in ''The Man Who Lived Twice'' by Eric Wollencott Barnes. In this biography Barnes states that Sheldon was in love all his adult life with Doris Keane, the actress who starred in ''Romance'' in 1913.

Works

* ''Salvation Nell'' (1908), made into the 1915, 1921, and

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

motion pictures of the same name * '' The Nigger'' (1909), made into the 1915 motion picture of the same name (aka ''The New Governor'' or ''The Mystery of Morrow's Rest'') produced by William Fox * ''The Boss'' (1911), made into the 1915 motion picture of the same name * ''The High Road'' (1912), made into the 1915 motion picture of the same name * ''

'' (1913), notable for its London run of 1,049 performances. Made into a 1920 silent film by

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

starring Doris Keane, the actress who appeared in the role on stage. Also made into a 1930 motion picture starring

. Produced in New York as a musical, ''My Romance'', with music by

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his musicals and operettas, particularly '' The Student Prince'' (1924), '' The Desert Song'' (1926) and '' The New Moon'' (1928). E ...

and book and lyrics by Rowland Leigh, in 1948. * '' The Song of Songs'' (1914), dramatization of the novel by Hermann Sudermann, made into films in 1918 ('' The Song of Songs''), 1924 ('' Lily of the Dust''), and in 1933 ('' The Song of Songs'', starring

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

Brian Aherne William Brian de Lacy Aherne (2 May 190210 February 1986) was an English actor of stage, screen, radio and television, who enjoyed a long and varied career in Britain and the United States. His first Broadway appearance in '' The Barretts of ...

, and

Lionel Atwill Lionel Alfred William Atwill (1 March 1885 – 22 April 1946) was an English stage and screen actor. He began his acting career at the Garrick Theatre. After coming to the U.S., he subsequently appeared in various Broadway plays and Hollywood f ...

) * ''The Garden of Paradise'' (1914), from "

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

" by Hans Christian Andersen * ''

The Call of Her People ''The Call of Her People'' is a 1917 silent film spectacle directed by John W. Noble and starring Ethel Barrymore. It was produced and distributed by Metro Pictures. The story is based on a play by Edward Sheldon. Cast *Ethel Barrymore - Egypt * ...

'' (1916), a silent film for Ethel Barrymore, from Sheldon's own play ''Egypt''. * ''The Jest'' (1919), adaptation from the Italian of

Sem Benelli Sem Benelli (August 10, 1877 – December 18, 1949) was an Italian playwright, essayist and librettist. He provided the texts for several noted Italian operas, including Italo Montemezzi's ''L'amore dei tre re'' and ''L'incantesimo'', and Umber ...

* ''The Czarina'' (1922), adaptation of the Hungarian play by

Melchior Lengyel Melchior Lengyel (born Menyhért Lebovics; hu, Lengyel Menyhért; 12 January 1880 – 23 October 1974) was a Hungarian writer, dramatist, and film screenwriter. Biography Lengyel was born Menyhért Lebovics in Balmazújváros, Hungary. He st ...

and Lajos Bíró, made into the 1924 silent '' Forbidden Paradise'' with

Pola Negri Pola Negri (; born Apolonia Chalupec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienne and femm ...

. * ''Bewitched'' (1924), with

Sidney Howard Sidney Coe Howard (June 26, 1891 – August 23, 1939) was an American playwright, dramatist and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1925 and a posthumous Academy Award in 1940 for the screenplay for ''Gone with the Wind''. ...

* ''Lulu Belle'' (1926), with

Charles MacArthur Charles Gordon MacArthur (November 5, 1895 – April 21, 1956) was an American playwright, screenwriter and 1935 winner of the Academy Award for Best Story. Life and career MacArthur was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the sixth of seven chil ...

, starring

Lenore Ulric Lenore Ulric (born Lenore Ulrich; July 21, 1892 – December 30, 1970) was a star of the Broadway theatre as well as Hollywood films of the silent-film and early sound era. Discovered in 1913 by theater director David Belasco, who would go on ...

; made into the 1948 motion picture of the same name, starring

Dorothy Lamour Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the '' Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing ...

* ''Jenny'' (1929), with Margaret Ayer Barnes * ''Dishonored Lady'' (1930), with Barnes, made into the 1947 motion picture of the same name, starring

Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor. A film star during Hollywood's golden age, Lamarr has been described as one of the greatest movie actress ...

and directed by Robert Stevenson (alternate title ''Sins of Madeleine'')

References

* Barnes, Eric. ''The Man Who Lived Twice''. New York: Scribner, 1956.

External links

* * * *
''Harvard Magazine'' article, with portrait
*
Correspondence with Edward Sheldon
a
Houghton Library
Harvard University {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheldon, Edward 1886 births 1946 deaths Writers from Chicago 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Harvard College alumni