Eugene Walter (playwright)

Eugene Walter (November 27, 1874 – September 26, 1941) was a playwright. He was the author of the hit play The Easiest Way.[1]

Eugene Walter
Walter in 1929
Born(1874-11-27)November 27, 1874
DiedSeptember 26, 1941(1941-09-26) (aged 66)
Resting placeLos Angeles National Cemetery, Los Angeles County California
SpouseCharlotte Walker (m.1908–div.1923)

Biography

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He was born on November 27, 1874, in Cleveland, Ohio. He served in the 1st Ohio Cavalry as a private and was a veteran of the Spanish–American War.[2]

He was married to actress Charlotte Walker in 1908 in Cincinnati.[3] They separated for a time in 1910.[4] The marriage ended in divorce in October 1923,[3] when he secretly married Mary Kissel in Mexico. She was a New York artists' model[5] and actress.

Description

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Artist and reporter Marguerite Martyn described Walter in 1910:

 
Artist and reporter Marguerite Martyn sketches Walter in 1911.[6]

He is a man whose growth has not gone to length of limb or body. His incessant interest in life has taken him to many rough corners of the earth, so he is weather-toughened and looks as if he might be in excellent athletic training. He is small of stature and sturdy. He has a long upper lip and big eyes which he narrows and fixes upon something way off in the future. He is perfectly quiet, and you might think a little diffident — until he has something to say.[4]

She also interviewed him in 1911.[6]

Death

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Walter died of cancer on September 26, 1941, in Hollywood, Los Angeles.[7] He was buried at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Sawtelle.[8]

Plays

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  • Sergeant James (1901), later called Boots and Saddles (1909)
  • The Flag Station (1905)
  • The Undertow (1907)
  • Paid in Full (1908)
  • The Real Issue (1908)
  • The Wolf (1908)
  • The Easiest Way (1909)
  • Boots and Saddles (1909)
  • Just a Wife (1910)
  • The Assassin (1911)
  • The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1912), adapted from the novel of the same name
  • Fine Feathers (1912)
  • Just a Woman (1916)
  • The Knife (1917) (aka The Assassin)
  • Nancy Lee (1918)
  • The Challenge (1919)
  • The Man's Name (1921)
  • Jealousy (1928), based on the French play Monsieur Lamberthier by Louis Verneuil
  • Come Angel Band (1936)

Selected filmography

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Screenwriter

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References

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  1. ^ "The easiest way; an American play concerning a peculiar phase of New York life, in four acts and four scenes". New York, Printed at the Goerck art press. 1908.
  2. ^ "Veteran Playwright, Eugene Walter, Dies". Lewiston Daily Sun. 1941-09-27. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Denies Reputed Marriage". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1930-09-22. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Eugene Walter, Playwright, Gives Marguerite Martyn New Ideas on Suffrage", Marguerite Martyn, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 27, 1910, Page 7
  5. ^ "Playwright and Mary Kissel Were Married in April, a Month After His Interlocutory Divorce". The New York Times. September 21, 1930. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  6. ^ a b Marguerite Martyn, "Marguerite Martyn Interviews a Playwright Who Understands Modern Women 'Only Too Well,'" St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 15, 1911, Editorial Section, Page 1
  7. ^ "Eugene Walter, Dramatist, Dies". Los Angeles Times. September 27, 1941. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  8. ^ "Los Angeles National Cemetery". interment.net. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
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