E.J. Rath is the pseudonym of writer Edith Rathbone Jacobs Brainerd (1885 – January 28, 1922) who was assisted with many of her writing projects by her husband Chauncey Corey Brainerd (April 16, 1874 – January 28, 1922), a Washington D.C. correspondent for the ''

Brooklyn Daily Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

''. Several of her stories were adapted into plays and films.

Life and work

She was from Mount Vernon, New York. Brainerd was her second husband. They married June 4, 1903. The story "The Heroism of Mr. Peglow" was published in ''

Everybody's Magazine ''Everybody's Magazine'' was an American magazine published from 1899 to 1929. The magazine was headquartered in New York City. History and profile The magazine was founded by Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker in 1899, though he had little role ...

'' in December 1907. The couple were killed along with almost 200 others when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington D.C. collapsed under the weight of heavy snow. The event became known as the

Knickerbocker Storm The Knickerbocker storm was a blizzard on January 27–28, 1922 in the upper South and the middle Atlantic United States. The storm took its name from the resulting collapse of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C., shortly after 9 p.m. ...

and occurred January 27–28, 1922. Politicians, officials, and fellow newspaper reporters paid tribute. He had attended the Peace Conference in Europe. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle published a 36-page tribute. Her book, ''The Nervous Wreck'', was made into the movie ''

The Nervous Wreck ''The Nervous Wreck'' is a 1926 American silent comedy adventure film directed by Scott Sidney and starring Harrison Ford, Phyllis Haver and Chester Conklin.Connelly p.182 It is based on the play ''The Nervous Wreck'' by Owen Davis, inspired by ...

'' in 1926, starring

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

and

Phyllis Haver Phyllis Maude Haver (January 6, 1899 – November 19, 1960) was an American actress of the silent film era. Early life Haver was born in Douglass, Kansas to James Hiram Haver (1872–1936) and Minnie Shanks Malone (1879–1949). When sh ...

Works

*"The Heroism of Mr. Peglow." ''Busy Man's Magazine'', 115–124 (1907) *''The Sixth Speed'' (1908) *''Too Much Efficiency'' (1917) *''Mister 44'' (1916), adapted into the film

Mister 44 ''Mister 44'' is a 1916 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry Otto and starring Harold Lockwood, May Allison, Lester Cuneo, Yona Landowska, Henry Otto, and Aileen Allen. It is based on 1916 novel of the same name by E.J. Rath. The f ...

(1916) *''Sam'' (1918), adapted into the film The River of Romance *''Too Many Crooks'' (1918), adapted into the film

Too Many Crooks ''Too Many Crooks'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi. The plot concerns a bunch of inept crooks who kidnap the wife of a shady businessman, only for him to decide he doesn’t want her back. It stars George Cole, Sidney Ja ...

*''The Mantle of Silence'' (1920), illustrated by George W. Gage *''Good References'' (1920), adapted into the film

Good References ''Good References'' is a 1920 American silent romantic comedy drama film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Constance Talmadge, Vincent Coleman, Ned Sparks, Nellie Parker Spaulding, Mona Lisa, and Matthew Betz. It is based on the novel of ...

(1920) – also trans. as ''Goede getuigen'' (Dutch, 1934)? Note: Rath was killed with her husband in Jan. 1922, but novels under the pseudonym continued to appear. *''The Dark Chapter: A Comedy of Class Distinctions'' (1924), adapted into the film

Merrily We Live ''Merrily We Live'' is a 1938 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and written by Eddie Moran and Jack Jevne. It stars Constance Bennett and Brian Aherne and features Ann Dvorak, Bonita Granville, Billie Burke, Tom Brown, Alan Mowbray, ...

(1938) *''Gas Drive In: a high-powered comedy-romance that hits on every cylinder'' (1925) *''The Brains of the Family'' (1925) *''Elope if You Must'' (1926) – also trans. as ''Vlucht in den nacht'' (Dutch, 1941)? *''When the Devil Was Sick'' (1926) *''A Good Indian: a northwoods mixup'' (1927) *''The Brat'' (1927) *''Something for Nothing'' (1928) *''The Stolen Car'' (1929) *''Once Again'' (1929) *''The Riddle of the Wilds'' (1929) *''The Sky's the Limit'' (1929) *''Let's go'' (1931) *''The Flying Courtship'' *''The Nervous Wreck'' (1931)

Translations

(not clear from the translated titles which English originals these are) *''Den stulna kompassen'' (Swedish, "''The Stolen Compass''," 1921) *''Mannen med nerverna'' (Swedish, "''The Man with the Nerves''," 1926) *''De innemende landloper'' (Dutch, "''The Endearing Vagrant''," 1927) *''Charlotte op glad ijs: een dol verhaal'' (Dutch, "''Charlotte on Thin Ice: A crazy story''," 1935) *''De man in het wagentje'' (Dutch, "''The Man in the Cart''," 1935) *''Het meisje uit de garage'' (Dutch, "''The Girl from the Garage''," 1935) *''De chef en de schooljongens'' (Dutch, "''The Chef and the Schoolboys''," 1935) *''Machtiger dan de sterren'' (Dutch, "''Mightier than the Stars''," 1941) *''Nu of nooit'', trans. Diet Kramer (Dutch, "''Now or Never''," 19??)

Filmography

*''

'' (1916) *'' The River of Romance (1916)'' *''

'' (1920) *''

'' (1926), an adaptation of her story of the same name *''

'' *''

Clear the Decks ''Clear the Decks'' is a 1929 American comedy film directed by Joseph Henabery and written by Earle Snell, Gladys Lehman, Albert DeMond and Charles Henry Smith. It is based on the 1926 novel ''When the Devil Was Sick'' by E.J. Rath. The film st ...

'' (1929) *''

Whoopee! ''Whoopee!'' is a 1928 musical comedy with a book based on Owen Davis's play, ''The Nervous Wreck.'' The musical libretto was written by William Anthony McGuire, with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn. The musical premiered on Bro ...

'' (1930) *'' What a Man'' *'' Fast Life'' *''

'' (1938), based on the 1924 novel ''The Dark Chapter: A Comedy of Class Distinctions'' by E.J. Rath and the 1926 Broadway adaptation ''They All Want Something''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rath, E. J. 1885 births 1922 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American women writers American women novelists American women screenwriters Novelists from New York (state) Pseudonymous women writers Screenwriters from New York (state) Writers from Mount Vernon, New York 20th-century pseudonymous writers