George Howells Broadhurst (June 3, 1866 – January 31, 1952) was an

Anglo-American Anglo-American can refer to: * the Anglosphere (the Anglo-American world) * Anglo-American, something of, from, or related to Anglo-America ** the Anglo-Americans demographic group in Anglo-America * Anglo American plc Anglo American plc is a ...

theatre owner/manager, director, producer and playwright. His plays were most popular from the late 1890s into the 1920s.

Biography

Broadhurst was born in

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

, England, in 1866. In 1882 he emigrated to the United States where, while working for the Chicago Board of Trade, he began writing plays, the first of which, ''The Speculator'', was based on his work there. He later moved into production and direction. He also managed theatres in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, and in 1917 in partnership with the

Shubert brothers The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of Broadway theaters in New York City's Theater District, as the hub of the theatre industry in the United States. Through the Shubert Organization, founded by brothers Lee, Sam, and Jac ...

he built and opened the famous

Broadhurst Theatre The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1917, the thea ...

in New York. He staged a number of plays in his

eponymous An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

theatre until 1924, and continued to co-own the theatre with the Shuberts until his death in 1952. He was survived by his wife, director and playwright Lillian Trimble Bradley. Broadhurst and his wife lived in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

for the last ten years of his life, and he is buried there.(1 February 1952)
"G. Broadhurst, 85, Playwright, Dead, Author of 'Wrong Mr. Wright,' 'A Fool and His Money' and Many Other Hit Shows"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', p. 21, col. 1.

Works

Broadhurst wrote almost 30 plays, including the farces ''

What Happened to Jones What Happened to Jones may refer to: * ''What Happened to Jones'' (1897 play), a play by George Broadhurst George Howells Broadhurst (June 3, 1866 – January 31, 1952) was an Anglo-American theatre owner/manager, director, producer and playwr ...

'' (1897), ''The Wrong Mr. Wright'' (1897), and ''Why Smith Left Home'' (1899) (all of which did better in London than in New York), and plays ''The Man of the Hour'' (1906), ''Bought and Paid For'' (1911), '' The Law of the Land'' (1914), and ''The Crimson Alibi'' (1919).Fisher, James and Felicia Hardison Londre
''The A to Z of American Theater: Modernism''
p. 77 (2008) With Frederic Ranken he co-authored both the book and lyrics to the 1903 Broadway musical '' Nancy Brown'' which was created as a starring vehicle for the actress

Marie Cahill Marie Cahill (December 29, 1866 – August 23, 1933) was a Broadway stage actress and vocalist. Her parents were Irish immigrants Richard and Mary (née Groegen) Cahill. She appeared in comic operas including '' Judy Forgot''. She was also in fil ...

. His work was once described as one "who had a knack for the sort of melodrama that poses as a serious study of morals."Bordman, Gerald and Thomas S. Hischak
''The Concise Oxford Companion to American Theatre'', 3rd ed.
p. 94 (2004)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Broadhurst, George Howells American theatre managers and producers American dramatists and playwrights English emigrants to the United States People from Walsall 1866 births 1952 deaths