Anna Alice Chapin (December 16, 1880 – February 26, 1920) was an American author and playwright. She wrote novels, short stories, fairy tales and books on music, but is perhaps best remembered for her 1904 collaboration with

Glen MacDonough Glen MacDonough (1870 – March 30, 1924) was an American writer, lyricist and librettist. He was the son of theater manager Thomas B. MacDonough and actress/author Laura Don. Glen MacDonough married Margaret Jefferson in 1896 in Buzzard's Bay, ...

on the child's book adaptation of the '' Babes in Toyland'' operetta.

Early life

Anna Alice Chapin was born in New York City, the daughter of Dr. Frederick Windle Chapin and the former Anna J. Hoppin. Her father, a native of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, attended

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

, Hartford and received his medical degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. Her mother was most likely a close relative of the architect

Howard Hoppin Howard Hoppin (April 17, 1856 – October 19, 1940) was an American architect from Providence, Rhode Island. Early life Hoppin was born on April 17, 1856 in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a son of Dr. Washington Hoppin (1824–1867), a homeo ...

(1854–1940), who designed several buildings in the

Pomfret Street Historic District The Pomfret Street Historic District is a historic district roughly along Pomfret Street ( Route 169), from Bradley Road to Woodstock Road in Pomfret, Connecticut, United States. The district represents the core of the village of Pomfret Center. ...

, including the Chapin home. Chapin received a private education and studied music under Harry Rowe Shelley.

Career

Chapin published her first book, ''The Story of the Rhinegold'', when she was just 17 years old. Her other works would include: ''Wonder Tales from Wagner'' (1898); ''Wotan, Siegfried, and Brunhilde'' (1898); ''Masters of Music'' (1901); ''The True Story of Humpty Dumpty: How He Was Rescued by Three Mortal Children in Make Believe Land'', Illustrated & Decorated by Ethel Franklin Betts (1905); ''Discords'' (1905); ''The Heart of Music'' (1906); ''Königskinder'' (1911); ''The Nowadays Fairy Book'' (1911); ''The Street-Car Mystery'' (1911); ''The Spirit of the Sea'' (1912); ''The Topsy Turvy Fairy'' (1913); ''The Eagle's Mate'' (1914); ''The Every Day Fairy Book'' (1915); ''Mountain Madness'' (1917); and ''Jane'' (1920). Chapin also wrote many short stories for magazines and newspaper syndication.

''The Deserters''

Chapin wrote a play, produced in New York City in 1910, entitled ''The Deserters'', written with her husband, Robert Peyton Carter, a stage actor who often worked with

Maude Adams Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden (November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953), known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American actress who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production ...

.Anna Alice Chapin Dead. ''The New York Times,'' February 27, 1920, p. 13 In 1919 ''The Deserters'' was released as the film ''Sacred Silence'', with William Russell and

Agnes Ayres Agnes Ayres (born Agnes Henkel; April 4, 1896 – December 25, 1940) was an American actress who rose to fame during the silent film era. She was known for her role as Lady Diana Mayo in '' The Sheik'' opposite Rudolph Valentino. Career Ayres b ...

Film

Several of Chapin's stories were adapted for film between 1914 and 1961. ''

The Eagle's Mate ''The Eagle's Mate'' is a 1914 American silent drama film produced by the Famous Players film company and released through Paramount Pictures. The film starred Mary Pickford and was her first film working with the actor/director James Kirkwood. Th ...

'' was produced in 1914 with

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

and James Kirkwood, Sr. in the starring roles. In 1920 ''Mountain Madness'' came out with a cast led by

Mignon Anderson Mignon Anderson (March 31, 1892 – February 25, 1983) was an American film and stage actress. Her career was at its peak in the 1910s. Early years Born in Baltimore, Anderson was the daughter of Hallie Howard and Frank Anderson, who were also ...

, Harold Miller (1894-1972) and

Ora Carew Ora Carew (born Ora Whytock; April 19, 1891 – October 26, 1955), was an American silent film actress. She starred in several films between 1915 and 1925. She was known as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties. Early life Ora Whytock was born i ...

. ''The Girl of Gold'' written with

Cleveland Moffett Cleveland Moffett (April 27, 1863 – October 14, 1926) was an American journalist, author, and playwright. Cleveland was born in Boonville, New York, the son of William Henry Moffett and Mary Jane (Cleveland). After an education at St. Paul's ...

first appeared in the magazine ''Snappy Stories'' as a serial running from December, 1919 to March, 1920 and was produced as a film with

Florence Vidor Florence Vidor (née Cobb, later Arto; July 23, 1895 – November 3, 1977) was an American silent film actress. Early life Vidor was born in Houston on July 23, 1895, to John and Ida Cobb. Her parents had married in Houston on March 3, 1894, bu ...

Malcolm McGregor Malcolm McGregor (October 13, 1892 – April 29, 1945) was an American actor of the silent era. McGregor appeared in more than 50 films between 1922 and 1936. He was born in Newark, New Jersey and died in Hollywood, California. A cross bet ...

and

Alan Roscoe Alan Roscoe (born John Albert Rascoe; August 23, 1888 – March 8, 1933) was an American film actor of the silent and early talking film eras. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1933. Roscoe was born John Albert Rascoe ...

in 1925. The libretto ''Babes in Toyland'' was first seen on film in

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

as a vehicle for

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

and again in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

with

Ray Bolger Raymond Wallace Bolger (January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian and stage performer (particularly musical theatre) who started in the silent-film era. Bolger was a major Broadway performer in ...

Tommy Sands Thomas Adrian Sands (born August 27, 1937) is an American pop music singer and actor. Working in show business as a child, Sands became an overnight sensation and instant teen idol when he appeared on ''Kraft Television Theater'' in January 19 ...

and

Annette Funicello Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She was one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the orig ...

Bibliography

Babes in Toyland - Glen MacDonough, Anna Alice Chapin

* * * * *

Personal life

Chapin married Robert Peyton Carter, a stage actor who often worked with Maude Adams, in 1906. Chapin, aged 39, died after a short illness at her residence on West Thirteenth Street, New York City. She was preceded in death, on June 8, 1918, in Monrovia, California, by her husband, Robert Peyton Carter, who had appeared on stage as recently as March 1918 supporting

in ''A Kiss for Cinderella''. and often together in ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

Sources

External links

* *
Anna Alice Chapin
- free eBooks at google books *
Anna Alice Chapin Carter
at

findagrave Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fi ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapin, Anna Alice 19th-century American novelists American women short story writers Writers from New York City 1880 births 1920 deaths 20th-century American novelists American women novelists 20th-century American women writers 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American short story writers 20th-century American short story writers Novelists from New York (state)