''Smilin' Through'' is a 1919 play by

Jane Cowl Jane Cowl (December 14, 1883 – June 22, 1950) was an American film and stage actress and playwright "notorious for playing lachrymose parts". Actress Jane Russell was named in Cowl's honor. Biography Cowl was born Jane Bailey in Boston, Mas ...

and

Jane Murfin Jane Murfin (October 27, 1884 – August 10, 1955) was an American playwright and screenwriter. The author of several successful plays, she wrote some of them with actress Jane Cowl—most notably '' Smilin' Through'' (1919), which was adapted ...

, written under a pseudonym, Allan Langdon Martin. Cowl also starred in the play in a double role and co-directed it with Priestly Morrison. ''Smilin' Through'' was produced by The Selwyns and opened at the

Broadhurst Theatre The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for the Shubert brothers. The Bro ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

on December 30, 1919. It included in the cast

Orme Caldara Orme Caldara (born Frank Slocum; February 9, 1875 – October 21, 1925) was an American stage actor. He was married to actress Julia Dean from 1906 to 1913. Caldara appeared in one movie, '' The Spreading Dawn'' with Jane Cowl. He often appeared ...

as Kenneth and Jeremiah Wayne,

Henry Stephenson Henry Stephenson (born Harry Stephenson Garraway; 16 April 1871 – 24 April 1956) was a British actor. He portrayed friendly and wise gentlemen in many films of the 1930s and 1940s. Among his roles were Sir Joseph Banks in ''Mutiny on the Bou ...

as John Carteret and Ethelbert D. Hales as Dr. Owen Harding. Scenic design was by

Joseph Urban Joseph Urban (May 26, 1872 – July 10, 1933) was an Austrian-American architect, illustrator, and scenic designer. Life and career Joseph Urban was born on May 26, 1872, in Vienna. He received his first architectural commission at age 19 wh ...

. The play was a popular hit and ran for 175 performances. It also played for a long run on the road, and was one of Jane Cowl's greatest commercial successes. The story is a sentimental romantic tale of a young Irish woman, Kathleen Dungannon. Her romantic attachment to Kenneth Wayne is opposed by her adopted father John Carteret, who bears the painful memory of his thwarted love for her aunt, Moonyean Clare. Moonyean visits John as a ghost, and the roles of Kathleen and Moonyean were both played by Jane Cowl. The popular story was first filmed in 1922 by First National Pictures, and was later remade twice by

MGM 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 a ...

, in 1932 and 1941. In 1932, it was also made into an unsuccessful Broadway operetta, ''Through the Years'', with music by

Vincent Youmans Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer. A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, ...

. The title song of the operetta, however, became a hit. ''Smilin' Through'' is also the title of a 1919 ballad with lyrics and music by Arthur A. Penn. The creation of the song and play were independent but intertwined. According to Isidore Witmark in his history of the Witmark and Sons publishing house, Cowl's play was partially rewritten after the song was published, based upon the imagery of the lyrics. Both the title and the music of the song were incorporated into the play when it was completed and produced.Witmark, Isidore; Isaac Goldberg. ''The Story of the House of Witmark''. Lee Furman, Inc. New York. 1939. p.347

References

External links

* *
Photos of Jane Cowl in ''Smilin' Through''
from the Billy Rose Theatre Collection photograph file at NYPL Digital Gallery.
1919 recording by Reinald Werrenrath of the song ''Smilin' Through''
at YouTube. {{Jane Murfin 1919 plays American plays Broadway plays nl:Smilin' Through

See also

References

External links