Winchell Smith (5 April 1871 – 10 June 1933) was an American playwright, known for big hit works such as '' Brewster's Millions'' (1906) and '' Lightnin' '' (1918). Many of his plays were made into movies. He spent freely but left a large fortune at his death.

Early years

Winchell Smith was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on 5 April 1871. He graduated from Hartford Public High School. He began his career in the theater company of

William Gillette William Hooker Gillette (July 24, 1853 – April 29, 1937) was an American actor-manager, playwright, and stage-manager in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage and in a 1916 ...

, his uncle. He became an assistant property man when he was eighteen, and then stage director. Three years later he played his first small role in ''The Prodigal Daughter''.

Broadway

After twelve years as an actor, in 1906 Smith began a career as a dramatist with a play based on the novel '' Brewster's Millions''. Smith was an assistant to

Frederic Thompson Frederic Williams Thompson (October 31, 1873 – June 6, 1919) was an American architect, engineer, inventor, and showman known for creating amusement rides and one of the first large amusement parks. Biography Frederic Thompson was born i ...

, owner of the New York Hippodrome, who had a stage version of ''Brewster's Millions'' in rehearsal. Thompson was advised by the successful dramatists

George Howells Broadhurst George Howells Broadhurst (June 3, 1866 – January 31, 1952) was an Anglo-American theatre owner/manager, director, producer and playwright. His plays were most popular from the late 1890s into the 1920s. Biography Broadhurst was born in Wa ...

Augustus Thomas Augustus Thomas (January 8, 1857 – August 12, 1934) was an American playwright. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri and son of a doctor, Thomas worked a number of jobs including as a page in the 41st Congress, studying law, and gaining some ...

and

that the play would fail, and the novel could not be dramatized. Smith disagreed, saying it "would make a swell play". He was given the job of rewriting the play, which he did with the help of Byron Ongley. The experts disliked the new version too, but Thompson was persuaded to stage it anyway, and it proved highly successful. Smith often collaborated with other playwrights. In his career of over twenty years he wrote one original play, but adapted or "doctored" numerous hits. In 1913 Smith and

Victor Mapes Victor Mapes (10 March 1870 – 27 September 1943) was an American playwright, stage manager and director. Life Victor Mapes was born in New York City on 10 March 1870. He belonged to an old New York Family. He attended Columbia University, where ...

staged a revised version of ''The Henrietta'',

Bronson Howard Bronson Crocker Howard (October 7, 1842 – August 4, 1908) was an American dramatist. Biography Howard was born in Detroit where his father Charles Howard was Mayor in 1849. He prepared for college at New Haven, Conn., but instead of ent ...

's 1887 success. ''The New Henrietta'' starred William H. Crane and

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...

. Smith wrote or co-wrote ''The Fortune Hunter'' (1909–10), ''The Boomerang'' (1915–16), ''

Turn to the Right ''Turn To The Right'' is an extant 1922 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Rex Ingram and starring Alice Terry. The film is based on a 1916 Broadway play ''Turn to the Right'' by Winchell Smith and John E. Hazzard. Plot As described ...

'' (1916–17) and '' Lightnin''' (1918-20), all of which were great successes on Broadway. Smith became associated with the producer

John Golden John Lionel Golden (June 27, 1874 – June 17, 1955) was an American actor, songwriter, author, and theatrical producer. As a songwriter, he is best-known as lyricist for " Poor Butterfly" (1916). He produced many Broadway shows and four films. ...

. Smith's ''

'', produced by Golden and first staged in August 1916, launched Golden's career. Winchell Smith and wife, 1917, George Grantham Bain

'' Lightnin''' was co-written by Smith and Frank Bacon and produced by Golden. Frank Bacon was fifty-five when he met Smith, and had always played minor roles. Bacon had written ''Lightnin' '' long before but had never been able to interest a producer. It was a comic play about a rustic character who ran a hotel straddling the Nevada-California border. He is lazy, often drunk and a spinner of entertaining yarns. Winchell Smith saw the potential of the play. He agreed to rewrite it and stage it at the Gaiety Theatre in partnership with Bacon and Golden. Bacon played the lead role. It was first staged in August 1918. A critic said that Lightnin' Bill was as delightful a character as Rip Van Winkle. President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

attended a show with his wife, and called Golden to his box, where he told him the play was the most entertaining they had ever seen. ''Lightnin played for 1,291 performances on Broadway, a record at the time. After ''Lightnin closed the cast paraded down Broadway to

Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station (often abbreviated Penn Station) is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to several of its grand passenger terminals. Several are still in active use by Amtrak and other transportation services; others have been ...

, where they boarded a train for a tour of the nation. The parade was headed by Mayor

John Francis Hylan John Francis Hylan (April 20, 1868January 12, 1936) was the 96th Mayor of New York City (the seventh since the consolidation of the five boroughs), from 1918 to 1925. From rural beginnings in the Catskills, Hylan eventually obtained work in Broo ...

and Commissioner Grover Whalen. ''Lightnin played in Australia and South Africa, but was not staged in London until 1925. Smith had agreed that Frank Bacon, co-author and player of the principal role, should appear in the London production. However, Bacon died in 1922. The play was put on at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was ...

in January 1925 in a production supervised by Smith. In 1919 John Golden arranged a meeting with his fellow producers Fred Zimmerman,

Archibald Selwyn Archibald Selwyn (also Arch or Archie Selwyn; 3 November 1877 – 21 June 1959) was an American play broker, theater owner and stage producer who had many Broadway successes. He and his brother Edgar Selwyn were partners. They were among the foun ...

, Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., Winchell Smith and L. Lawrence Weber with the goal of cooperating on common issues such as censorship and ticket speculation. He wanted to set up a forum so the producers could share ideas, and wanted stop the rival organizations poaching each other's stars. This led to formation of the

Producing Managers' Association The Producing Managers' Association (PMA) was a coalition of theatrical managers established on April 23, 1919. Formed in an effort to reduce conflicts between producers and theater managers and share common interests, it became the main vehicle ...

, which may have inadvertently shown actors the value of organizing into the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

. Winchell Smith continued to work with John Golden Smith decided that ''The Wisdom Tooth'', a comedy by

Marc Connelly Marcus Cook Connelly (December 13, 1890 – December 21, 1980) was an American playwright, director, producer, performer, and lyricist. He was a key member of the Algonquin Round Table, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1930. Biogra ...

, should be staged at the Little Theatre in February 1926. When it was tried out in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and Hartford, Connecticut, it flopped in both cities. However, Golden sent Smith a cable, "We have had plenty of successes. Let's have a failure for a change. The Little Theatre needs a tenant. Try it out for a week or two there". In the event, ''The Wisdom Tooth'' was a hit, and played for 160 performances. Later that year Smith's ''Two Girls Wanted'' was a greater success.

Films

'' The Saphead'' (1920) was presented by John L. Golden and Winchell Smith in conjunction with

Marcus Loew Marcus Loew (May 7, 1870 - September 5, 1927) was an American business magnate and a pioneer of the motion picture industry who formed Loew's Theatres and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio (MGM). Life and career Loew was born in New York City, ...

. The film was based on ''The New Henrietta'', the 1913 stage hit that Golden had produced and Smith had written. It was made by

Metro Pictures Metro Pictures Corporation was a motion picture production company founded in early 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a forerunner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The company produced its films in New York, Los Angeles, and sometimes at leased f ...

, which had recently been acquired by the Loews. The plan had been for William Henry Crane and Douglas Fairbanks, the stars of the 1913 stage production, to also appear in the film. Fairbanks was committed to

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 ...

, so Buster Keaton was given the part instead. Smith was credited as producer and as co-director with Herbert Blaché. Many of Smith's other plays were made into films, with Smith given writer credits. The 1925 film version of '' Lightnin''' was directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

, with a screenplay by

Frances Marion Frances Marion (born Marion Benson Owens, November 18, 1888 – May 12, 1973) was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis a ...

based on the play by Smith and Bacon. In 1925 Golden produced the film ''

Thank You "''Thank you''" (often expanded to ''thank you very much'' or ''thanks a lot'', or informally abbreviated to ''thanks'' or alternately as ''many thanks''Geoffrey Leech, ''The Pragmatics of Politeness'' (2014), p. 200.) is a common expression of ...

'', adapted from a play by Smith and

Tom Cushing Charles Cyprian Strong Cushing (October 27, 1879 – March 6, 1941) was an American playwright who wrote under the name Tom Cushing. Biography Cushing was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of William Lee Cushing, founder and headmaster of t ...

, directed by

and starring George O'Brien. The 1925 ''Thank You'' is presumed lost. Another film version of ''Lightnin appeared on 31 October 1930.

Farmington, Connecticut

The "Lambs Gate" mansion was built for Smith in

Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 26,712 at the 2020 census. It sits 10 miles west of Hartford at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, 20 miles ...

, in 1917, so named because the gates had been purchased from the entrance of

The Lambs The Lambs, Inc. (also known as The Lambs Club) is a social club in New York City for actors, songwriters, and others involved in the theatre. It is America's oldest theatrical organization. "The Lambs" is a registered trademark of The Lambs, Inc ...

club in New York City. It was surrounded by an estate of almost . Smith joined The Lambs in 1899 and remained a member until his death. Many of his collaborations were with fellow Lambs including Gillette, Augustus Thomas, and John Golden. Later Smith renamed the building "Millstreams". Smith persuaded

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

to shoot the film ''

Way Down East ''Way Down East'' is a 1920 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is one of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play ''Way Down East'' by Lottie Blair Parker. There w ...

'' (1920), starring Lillian Gish, in Farmington. His old grist mill, built around 1778 by the Cowles family and still working at the time, features in the film. Smith wanted to encourage grain raising in Connecticut, brought costly machinery for harvesting and contracted farmers to plant rye, wheat and buckwheat. He was not successful in selling the ground flours he produced in the mill, and changed over to producing ground cowfeeds and middlings. Smith died in

on 10 June 1933. He is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Farmington. Although he was known for his free-spending habits, at his death he left a fortune that his obituary in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' described as "perhaps the largest ever amassed by an American playwright". Smith left behind a lasting tribute, the Winchell Smith Fund, which among other things, provides funds for Lambs' members unable to pay their dues or bar bill.http://dev.roundhouse-designs.com/the-lambs/winchell-smith-grant/

Works

Actor

Smith started out as an actor. He appeared in: *''The New Clown'' (Play, Farce) August 25, 1902 - September 1902 *''The Two Schools'' (Play) September 30, 1902 - November 1902 *''

The Girl from Kays ''The Girl from Kays'' is a musical comedy in three acts, with music by Ivan Caryll and book and lyrics by Owen Hall. Additional songs were by Paul Rubens, Howard Talbot, Adrian Ross, Percy Greenbank and others. The farcical story concerns a ...

'' (Musical – as "Joseph") November 2, 1903 - March 1905 *''

The Man of Destiny ''The Man of Destiny'' is an 1897 play by George Bernard Shaw, set in Italy during the early career of Napoleon. It was published as a part of ''Plays Pleasant'', which also included '' Arms and the Man'', '' Candida'' and '' You Never Can Tell. ...

'' (Play, Revival – as "The Lieutenant") September 18–23, 1905 *''

John Bull's Other Island ''John Bull's Other Island'' is a comedy about Ireland, written by George Bernard Shaw in 1904. Shaw himself was born in Dublin, yet this is one of only two plays of his where he thematically returned to his homeland, the other being ''O'Flaherty ...

'' (Play – as "Matt Haffigan") October 9–21, 1905

Author and Director

Smith was involved in many Broadway productions as an author or director. They include: *'' Brewster's Millions'' (Play, Comedy – Director and author) December 31, 1906 - Closing date unknown *''

Mrs. Warren's Profession ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, and first performed in London in 1902. The play is about a former prostitute, now a madam (brothel proprietor), who attempts to come to terms with her disapproving ...

'' (Play, Comedy, Tragedy, Revival – Staging) March 9, 1907 - March 1907 *''Via Wireless'' (Play, Melodrama – Author) November 2, 1908 - January 1909 *''The Fortune Hunter'' (Play, Comedy – Staging and author) Sep 04, 1909 - Jul 1910 *''Love Among the Lions'' (Play – Director and author) Aug 08, 1910 - Sep 1910 *''Bobby Burnit'' (Play – Author) Aug 22, 1910 - Sep 1910 *''The Only Son'' (Play – Author) Oct 16, 1911 - November 1911 *''The New Henrietta'' (Play, Comedy – Revision of original play) December 22, 1913 - February 1914 *''The Boomerang'' (Play, Comedy – Author) Aug 10, 1915 - November 1916 *''Turn to the Right!'' (Play – Producer and author) Aug 18, 1916 - Sep 1917 *'' Lightnin''' (Play, Comedy – Author) Aug 26, 1918 - Aug 27, 1921 *'' Three Wise Fools'' (Play, Comedy – Producer) Oct 31, 1918 - Aug 1919 *''Dear Me'' (Play, Comedy – Staging) January 17, 1921 - May 1921 *''The Wheel'' (Play, Drama – Staging, author) Aug 29, 1921 - Sep 1921 *''Thank You'' (Play, Comedy – Staging, author) Oct 03, 1921 - May 1922 *''Polly Preferred'' (Play, Comedy – Staging) January 11, 1923 - June 1923 *''A Holy Terror'' (Play – Staging, author) Sep 28, 1925 - Oct 1925 *''These Charming People'' (Play, Comedy – Staging) Oct 06, 1925 - January 1926 *'' The Last of Mrs. Cheyney'' (Play, Comedy – Staging) November 9, 1925 - Oct 1926 *''Alias the Deacon'' (Play, Comedy – Director) November 24, 1925 - Jul 1926 *''The City Chap'' (Musical, Comedy – Original author) Oct 26, 1925 - December 26, 1925 *''The Wisdom Tooth'' (Play, Comedy – Staging) February 15, 1926 - Jul 1926 *''Two Girls Wanted'' (Play, Comedy – Staging) Sep 09, 1926 - June 1927 *''

Waterloo Bridge Waterloo Bridge () is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at t ...

'' (Play, Drama – Staging) January 6, 1930 - March 1930 *''The Vinegar Tree'' (Play, Comedy – Director) November 19, 1930 - June 1931 *'' Lightnin''' (Play, Comedy, Revival – Author) Sep 15, 1938 - November 1938

Films

Many of Smith's plays were made into films, for which he was credited as writer. On '' The Saphead'' (1920) he was also credited as Director and Producer. * '' Brewster's Millions'' (play "Brewster's Millions") 1914 * ''The Fortune Hunter'' (play) 1914 * ''The Making of Bobby Burnit'' (Short play) 1914 * '' The Only Son'' (play) 1914 * '' The Lamb'' (play "The New Henrietta" – uncredited) 1915 * ''Via Wireless'' (play) 1915 * ''The Fortune Hunter'' (play) 1920 * '' The Saphead'' (play "The New Henrietta") 1920 * '' Brewster's Millions'' (play "Brewster's Millions") 1921 * ''

'' (play) 1922 * '' Three Wise Fools'' (play) 1923 * '' Lightnin''' (from the play by Smith) 1925 * ''

'' (play "Thank You, A Play in Three Acts") 1925 * ''The Boomerang'' (play "The Boomerang: A Comedy in Three Acts") 1925 * ''The Wheel'' (play) 1925 * ''

Miss Brewster's Millions ''Miss Brewster's Millions'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Clarence G. Badger directed and the ever-popular Bebe Daniels starred. It was based on the 1902 novel ...

'' (play) 1926 * ''The Fortune Hunter'' (play) 1927 * ''The Love Doctor'' (from the play "The Boomerang") 1929 * ''Lightnin (play) 1930 * '' Brewster's Millions'' (play) 1935 * '' Brewster's Millions'' (stage play) 1945 * ''The Fortune Hunter'' (play) in the ''Broadway Television Theatre'' TV series, 1952 * ''

Three on a Spree ''Three on a Spree'' is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Jack Watling, Carole Lesley and John Slater. It is based on the 1902 novel ''Brewster's Millions'' by George Barr McCutcheon, which became the hit 19 ...

'' (from the play "Brewster's Millions") 1961

References

Notes Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Winchell 1871 births 1933 deaths American dramatists and playwrights Writers from Hartford, Connecticut Members of The Lambs Club