Robert Burns Mantle (December 23, 1873February 9, 1948) was an American

theater critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...

. He founded the ''Best Plays'' annual publication in 1920.Chansky, Dorothy (2011)
"Burns Mantle and the American Theatregoing Public"
in ''Theatre History Studies'' (via

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). Vol. 31.

Biography

Mantle was born in

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

, New York, on December 23, 1873, to Robert Burns Mantle and Susan Lawrence. As a child he moved to

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. By 1892, he was working as a

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operator in

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and then became a reporter. By the late 1890s, Mantle was working as a drama critic for the ''

Denver Times The Denver Times was a daily newspaper in Denver, Colorado during 1872 to 1926. It was merged into the ''Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United ...

''. He later moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and then

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, New York, in 1911. He was at the ''

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'' until 1922, and then the '' Daily News'' until his retirement in 1943. Mantle was succeeded as the drama critic at the ''Daily News'' by his assistant John Arthur Chapman.Staff (August 16, 1943)
Burns Mantle Quits as Drama Reviewer"

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(via ''

The Gazette The Gazette (stylized as the GazettE), formerly known as , is a Japanese visual kei Rock music, rock band, formed in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa in early 2002.''Shoxx'' Vol 106 June 2007 pg 40-45 The band is currently signed to Sony Music Recor ...

'' via

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). Retrieved February 16, 2012.Abstract (August 15, 1943)
"Burns Mantle Retires"
''

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''. for full article. He died, aged 74, of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

on February 9, 1948. His wife was the former Lydia (Lillie) Sears; her sister

Clara Sears Taylor Clara Sears Taylor (October 2, 1876 – August 31, 1954) was an American writer, editor, publicist, and government official, appointed in 1920 by President Woodrow Wilson to serve on the Washington D.C. rent commission. She was the first woman appo ...

was a journalist and government official who assisted Mantle with compiling his ''Best Plays'' publications.Brooks Atkinson
"Keeper of the Drama's Books"
''The New York Times'' (September 11, 1938): 185.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mantle, Robert Burns 1873 births 1949 deaths 19th-century American journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American newspaper people American male journalists American theater critics Deaths from stomach cancer Journalists from California Journalists from Illinois New York Daily News people People from Watertown, New York Special Tony Award recipients Writers from California Writers from Chicago Writers from Denver Writers from New York City