Frederic Arnold Kummer Sr. (August 5, 1873 – November 22, 1943) was an American author, playwright and screenwriter. He also wrote under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Arnold Fredericks. Several of his works were made into films. A

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

of him is on the wall of

Sardi's Sardi's is a Continental food, continental restaurant located at 234 West 44th Street, between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eighth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Manhattan, New Yo ...

restaurant.

Early life

Frederic Arnold Kummer was born in

Catonsville, Maryland Catonsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 41,567 at the 2010 census. The community lies to the west of Baltimore along the city's border. Catonsville contains the majority of th ...

, to Arnold Kummer. His father was a banker and his mother was of

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

stock. He was educated in public schools and

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

Career

Kummer became a life member of the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and assistant editor of the ''Railroad Gazette''. Kummer became the president of a wood block paving company, but the company failed during the

Panic of 1907 The Panic of 1907, also known as the 1907 Bankers' Panic or Knickerbocker Crisis, was a financial crisis that took place in the United States over a three-week period starting in mid-October, when the New York Stock Exchange fell almost 50% from ...

. Kummer then moved into writing. Kummer wrote stories and plays. He wrote ''

The Painted Woman ''The Painted Woman'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code thriller film starring Spencer Tracy, Peggy Shannon and Irving Pichel and directed by John G. Blystone. Plot After becoming involved in a killing, Kiddo gets on board Boyton ...

'' and it premiered at the Auditorium Theatre in 1917. It came to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1938 as the opera ''Captive'', with music by

Gustav Strube Gustav Strube (3 March 1867 – 2 February 1953) was a German-born conductor and composer. He was the founding conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 1916, and taught at the Peabody Conservatory. He wrote two operas, ''Ramona'', which ...

. In testimony to the Special Committee on Un-American Activities, he was noted as a member of the

Lincoln Brigade The Abraham Lincoln Brigade ( es, Brigada Abraham Lincoln), officially the XV International Brigade (''XV Brigada Internacional''), was a mixed brigade that fought for the Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War as a part of the Internation ...

executive committee.

Personal life

Kummer built a house in

Guilford, Maryland Guilford is an unincorporated community located in Howard County in the state of Maryland. The location is named after the Guilford Mill. Guilford is near Kings Contrivance, one of the nine "villages" of Columbia. For United States Census Bur ...

. He later moved to West Lafayette and later Park Avenue in Baltimore. Kummer married twice. He first married playwright

Clare Kummer Clare Kummer (January 9, 1873 — April 21, 1958) was an American composer, lyricist, and playwright. Early life Kummer was born Clare Rodman Beecher in Brooklyn, New York, the granddaughter of Rev. Edward Beecher and great-granddaughter of Lyma ...

with whom he had two children. He also had three more children. His son Frederic Arnold Kummer Jr. was also a writer. In 1927, Kummer was hospitalized at Union Memorial Hospital and newspapers reported his death. He died on November 22, 1943, at his home at 1501 Park Avenue in Baltimore. He was buried at

Loudon Park Cemetery Loudon Park Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. It was incorporated on January 27, 1853, on of the site of the "Loudon" estate, previously owned by James Carey, a local merchant and politician. The entrance to the cemetery i ...

Legacy

Liberty Ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

was named after him during World War II.

Filmography

*''Adventure of the Absent Minded Professor'' (1914) *''Adventure of the Counterfeit Money'' (1914) *''Adventure of the Missing Legacy'' (1914) *''

The Yellow Pawn ''The Yellow Pawn'' is a lost 1916 American drama silent film directed by George Melford and written by Frederic Arnold Kummer and Margaret Turnbull. The film stars Wallace Reid, Cleo Ridgely, William Conklin, Tom Forman, Irene Aldwyn and Claren ...

'' (1916) *''

The Belgian ''The Belgian'' is a 1917 American silent film directed by Sidney Olcott and produced by Sidney Olcott Players with Valentine Grant and Walker Whiteside in the leading roles. It is not known whether the film currently survives. Plot As describe ...

'' (1917) *'' The Slave Market'' (1917) *''

The Town Scandal ''The Town Scandal'' is a 1923 American comedy film directed by King Baggot from a screenplay written by Hugh Hoffman. It was based on the novel ''The Chicken That Came Home to Roost'' by Frederic Arnold Kummer. The film stars Gladys Walton, E ...

'' (1923)

Bibliography

*''Richard and Grace Duvall'' *''The Blue Lights: A Detective Story'' *''The Brute'' *''The Film of Fear'' *''The First Days of Man'' *''The Green God'' *''The Ivory Snuff Box'' (1912) *''The Little Fortune' (1915) *''Peggy-Elise'' (1919) *''Shades of Hades'' *''Love's Greatest Mistake'' *''Forbidden Wine'' *''The Web'' *''A Song of Sixpence'' *''Gentlemen in Hades: The Story of a Damned Debutante'' *"Honeymoom Detective" series *''Leif Erikson, the Lucky'' *The Film of Fear'' *''The Torch of Liberty'' (1941) *''Death at Eight Bells: A Novel'' (1937) *''One Million Francs'' *''The Pipes of Yesterday'' *''Eternal Conflict'' *''Death at Eight Bells'' *''The Emigrant'', a play in three acts *''The First Days of Man'' *''The First Days of Knowledge''

Short stories

* "Mr. Buttles" * "The Choice" * "Are You a Suffragette?"

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Krmmer, Frederic Arnold 1873 births 1943 deaths People from Catonsville, Maryland Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni American male dramatists and playwrights American male screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 19th-century American male writers Writers from Maryland 20th-century American screenwriters