Harry Leon Wilson (May 1, 1867 – June 28, 1939) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''Ruggles of Red Gap'' and '' Merton of the Movies''. Another of his works, '' Bunker Bean'', helped popularize the term "

flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women prominent after the First World War and through the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee length was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their ...

". It was adapted into a play and film. Several of his other novels were also adapted to film, some more than once.

Early life

Harry Leon Wilson was born in

Oregon, Illinois Oregon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,721 in 2010.U.S. Census BureaPopulation, Age, Sex, Race, Households/ref> History The land Oregon, Illinois was founded on was previously h ...

to Samuel and Adeline (née Kidder). His father was a newspaper publisher, and Harry learned to set type at an early age. He went to public schools and enjoyed reading

Bret Harte Bret Harte ( , born Francis Brett Hart, August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

and

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

. He learned shorthand and secretarial skills.

Biography and career

Wilson left home at 16 and worked for the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

as a stenographer in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, Colorado, and eventually he came to California in 1887. He was a contributor to the histories of

Hubert Howe Bancroft Hubert Howe Bancroft (May 5, 1832 – March 2, 1918) was an American historian and ethnologist who wrote, published, and collected works concerning the Western United States, Texas, California, Alaska, Mexico, Central America, and British Colum ...

, and became the private secretary to

Virgil Bogue Virgil Gay Bogue (1846–1916) was an American civil engineer who worked initially in his home state of New York before taking jobs internationally and in the western and northwestern United States. He primarily worked for railroads, though also b ...

. In December 1886, Wilson's story "The Elusive Dollar Bill" was accepted by '' Puck'' magazine. He continued to contribute to Puck and became assistant editor in 1892. Henry Cuyler Bunner died in 1896 and Wilson replaced him as editor. Wilson's first wife was Wilbertine Nesselrode Teters Worden, whom he married in 1898. The marriage ended in divorce in 1900. In 1902, he married Rose Cecil O'Neill Latham. O'Neill and Wilson worked together at ''Puck'', and she was the illustrator for four of his books; they divorced in 1907. Wilson's black and white

pit bull Pit bull is an umbrella term for several Dog type, types of dog believed to have descended from bull and terriers. In the United States, the term is usually considered to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, A ...

dog named Sprangle was the inspiration for Rose O'Neill's

biscuit porcelain Biscuit porcelain, bisque porcelain or bisque is unglazed, white porcelain treated as a final product, with a matte appearance and texture to the touch. It has been widely used in European pottery, mainly for sculptural and decorative objects th ...

Kewpie Kewpie is a brand of dolls and figurines that were conceived as comic strip characters by American cartoonist Rose O'Neill. The illustrated cartoons, appearing as baby cupid characters, began to gain popularity after the publication of O'Neil ...

dog figure, known to the world as "Kewpiedoodle dog" and sold worldwide by importer George Borgfeldt. The publication of ''The Spenders'' allowed Wilson to quit ''Puck'' in 1902 and devote himself full-time to writing. Wilson returned to New York where he met

Booth Tarkington Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and ''Alice Adams (novel), Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to w ...

in 1904. Tarkington and Wilson traveled together to Europe in 1905. The two completed the play '' The Man from Home'' in 1906 in Paris. Wilson was elected to the

National Institute of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqua ...

in 1908. Wilson returned from Europe and settled permanently into the Bohemian colony at

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,220, down from 3,722 a ...

in 1910, which included

Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...

Mary Hunter Austin Mary Hunter Austin (September 9, 1868 – August 13, 1934) was an American writer. One of the early nature writers of the American Southwest, her classic '' The Land of Little Rain'' (1903) describes the fauna, flora, and people of the region b ...

George Sterling George Sterling (December 1, 1869 – November 17, 1926) was an American writer based in the San Francisco, California Bay Area and Carmel-by-the-Sea. He was considered a prominent poet and playwright and proponent of Bohemianism during the fir ...

Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American author, muckraker journalist, and political activist, and the 1934 California gubernatorial election, 1934 Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

Xavier Martinez Xavier or Xabier may refer to: Place * Xavier, Spain People * Xavier (surname) * Xavier (given name) * Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint ** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation) * St. Xavier (disambiguation) * Xavier (footballer, born ...

Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...

Alice MacGowan Alice L. MacGowan (December 10, 1858 – March 10, 1947) was an American writer. She and her sister Grace MacGowan Cooke wrote more than 30 novels, about a hundred short stories, and some poetry. Alice produced several best sellers, including '' ...

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930, he became the first author from the United States (and the first from the America ...

, Francis McComas, and

Arnold Genthe Arnold Genthe (8 January 1869 – 9 August 1942) was a German-American photographer, best known for his photographs of San Francisco's Chinatown, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and his portraits of noted people, from politicians and socialite ...

. It was during this period that Wilson wrote the books for which he is best known: '' Bunker Bean'' (1913) and ''Ruggles of Red Gap'' (1915). In 1912, Wilson married Helen MacGowan Cooke, the daughter of

Grace MacGowan Cooke Grace MacGowan Cooke (September 11, 1863 – June 24, 1944) was an American novelist, poet, and short-story writer. She wrote short stories and novels, often collaborating with her sister, Alice MacGowan. Throughout her career, she wrote 23 novel ...

and the niece of

. Wilson moved from Carmel to Carmel Highlands where he built a home he called "The Ocean Home." The home had 12 rooms on of land and was completed in 1912. The couple had two children, Harry Leon Wilson Jr. in 1913 and

Charis Wilson Helen Charis Wilson (; May 5, 1914November 20, 2009) was an American model and writer, most widely known as a subject of Edward Weston's photographs. Early life Charis Wilson was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Harry Leon Wil ...

in 1914. In 1914, someone attempted to murder Alice MacGowan by poison and to steal her diamonds and cash; Wilson and writer Jimmy Hopper became amateur detectives, but the perpetrator was never discovered. An online facsimile of the entire text of Vol. 1 is posted on the Traditional Fine Arts Organization website (). After a brief stint in Hollywood, Wilson wrote ''Merton of the Movies'' in 1922. In March 1922, Wilson fought and lost a highly publicized "duel of fists" with landscape painter Theodore Morrow Criley. Details of their long-standing feud made banner headlines in the San Francisco press and were given prominent coverage across the country on the International News Wire, including stories in the ''Los Angeles Times'' and ''New York Times''. It was revealed that their argument originated with "a light romantic" love scene between Criley and Wilson's wife in the 1921 production of ''Pomander Walk'' at Carmel's Forest Theatre. Wilson sent Criley a series of accusatory letters, including a 24-page invective, and demanded satisfaction in this "affair of honor". He spent three months in Honolulu undergoing physical training and instruction in boxing, then he returned and the two men met on "a high cliff overlooking the sea". Criley thrashed Wilson in ten minutes. In 1925, Wilson built a two-story commercial building for Helen, who ran a flower shop called the Bloomin' Basement. It was in front of the two-story Golden Bough Theater on Ocean Avenue in downtown Carmel. It later became a popular Bohemian bar and restaurant, Sade's. Wilson and Cooke divorced in 1927.

Later life and death

A severe auto accident in 1932 greatly affected Wilson's health during his remaining years. He died of a brain hemorrhage on June 28, 1939, while residing with friends at

Carmel Point Carmel Point also known as the Point and formerly called Point Loeb and Reamer's Point, is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, California, United States. It is a Cape (geography), cap ...

. He was 72 years of age.

Bibliography

*''Zigzag Tales from the East to the West'' (1894) *''The Spenders: A Tale of the Third Generation'' (1902) illustrated by Rose Cecil O'Neill; adapted into the 1921 film '' The Spenders''. *''The Lions of the Lord, a Tale of the Old West'' (1903) illustrated by Rose Cecil O'Neill *''The Seeker'' (1904) illustrated by Rose Cecil O'Neill *''The Boss of Little Arcady'' (1905) illustrated by Rose Cecil O'Neill *''Ewing's Lady'' (1907) *''The Man from Home'' (1908) co-written with

; adapted into two films, '' The Man from Home'' (1914) and '' The Man from Home'' (1922). *''Cameo Kirby'' (1908) co-written with Booth Tarkington; adapted into three films, '' Cameo Kirby'' (1914), '' Cameo Kirby'' (1923) and '' Cameo Kirby'' (1930). *''Foreign Exchange'' (1909) co-written with Booth Tarkington *''Springtime'' (1909) co-written with Booth Tarkington; adapted into the 1914 film ''Springtime''. *''If I Had Money'' (1909) co-written with Booth Tarkington *''Your Humble Servant'' (1910) co-written with Booth Tarkington *'' Bunker Bean'' (originally published in 1912 as a serialized novel with the title ''His Majesty Bunker Bean'' in ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

''; published in book form as ''Bunker Bean'' by Doubleday in 1913) illustrated by

Frederic R. Gruger Frederic may refer to: Places United States * Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County * Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County ** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community Other uses * Frederic (band), a Japanese r ...

; adapted into three films, '' His Majesty, Bunker Bean'' (1918), '' His Majesty, Bunker Bean'' (1925) and '' Bunker Bean'' (1936). *''Ruggles of Red Gap'' (1915) illustrated by Frederic R. Gruger; adapted into four films, ''

Ruggles of Red Gap ''Ruggles of Red Gap'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring: Charles Laughton, Mary Boland, Charlie Ruggles and ZaSu Pitts and featuring Roland Young and Leila Hyams. It was based on the best-selling 1915 nove ...

'' (1918), ''

'' (1923), ''

'' (1935) and '' Fancy Pants'' (1950). *''The Man from Home: A Novel'' (1915) based on the play *''Somewhere in Red Gap'' (1916) illustrated by John R. Neill *''Life'' (1919) play *''The Gibson Upright'' (1919) co-written with Booth Tarkington *''Ma Pettengill'' (1919) *''The Wrong Twin'' (1921) illustrated by Frederic R. Gruger *'' Merton of the Movies'' (1922) adapted into three films, '' Merton of the Movies'' (1924), '' Make Me a Star'' (1932), and '' Merton of the Movies'' (1947) *''So This Is Golf!'' 1923) *''Oh, Doctor!'' (1923) adapted into the two films, '' Oh Doctor!'' (1925) and ''

Oh, Doctor ''Oh, Doctor'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Ray McCarey and written by Harry Clork and Brown Holmes. It is based on the 1923 novel ''Oh, Doctor!'' by Harry Leon Wilson. The film stars Edward Everett Horton, Donrue Leighton, Willi ...

'' (1937). *''Ma Pettengill Talks'' (1923) *''Professor How Could You!'' (1924) *''Tweedles'' (1924) co-written with Booth Tarkington *''Cousin Jane'' (1925) *''Lone Tree'' (1929) *''How's Your Health?'' (1930) co-written with Booth Tarkington *''Two Black Sheep'' (1931) *''When in the Course--'' (1940)

References

External links

* * * * *
Harry Leon Wilson Papers, ca. 1879-1939
at the

Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...