James Avery Hopwood (May 28, 1882 – July 1, 1928) was an American playwright of the Jazz Age. He had four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920.

Early life

Hopwood was born to James and Jule Pendergast Hopwood on May 28, 1882, in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Cleveland's West High School in 1900. In 1901, he began attending the University of Michigan in

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

. However, his family experienced financial difficulties, so for his second year he transferred to

Adelbert College Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Rese ...

. He returned to the University of Michigan in the fall of 1903, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1905.

Career

Hopwood started out as a journalist for the ''Cleveland Leader'' as its New York correspondent, but within a year had his first play, ''Clothes'' (1906), produced on Broadway, with the aid of playwright Channing Pollock. Hopwood eventually became known as "The Playboy Playwright"Jim Beave
Biography for Avery Hopwood
at Internet Movie Database and specialized in comedies and farces, some of them with material considered risqué at the time. One play, ''

The Demi-Virgin ''The Demi-Virgin'' is a three- act play written by Avery Hopwood. Producer Albert H. Woods staged it on Broadway, where it was a hit during the 1921–22 season. The play is a bedroom farce about former couple Gloria Graham and Wally Deane, b ...

'' in 1921, prompted a court case because of its suggestive subject matter, including a risque game of cards, "Stripping Cupid". The case was dismissed. His many plays included ''Nobody's Widow'' (1910), starring Blanche Bates; ''

Fair and Warmer ''Fair and Warmer'' is a three-act comedy play by the American writer Avery Hopwood. It was first staged at the Eltinge Theatre in New York City on November 15, 1915, running for 377 performances, featuring Madge Kennedy, John Cumberland, Janet ...

'' (1915), starring Madge Kennedy (filmed in 1919); '' The Gold Diggers'' (1919), starring

Ina Claire Ina Claire (born Ina Fagan; October 15, 1893February 21, 1985) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Ina Fagan was born October 15, 1893 in Washington, D.C. After the death of her father, Claire began doing imitations of fellow bo ...

in New York and Tallulah Bankhead in London; (filmed in 1923 as '' The Gold Diggers'', in 1928 as ''

Gold Diggers of Broadway ''Gold Diggers of Broadway'' is a 1929 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Winnie Lightner and Nick Lucas. Distributed by Warner Bros., the film is the second all-talking, all-Technicolor feature-length fi ...

'' and also as '' Gold Diggers of 1933''); ''

Ladies' Night A ladies' night is a promotional event, often at a bar or nightclub, where female patrons pay less than male patrons for the cover charge or drinks. In the United States, state courts in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have rule ...

'', 1920, starring Charlie Ruggles (filmed in 1928); the famous mystery play '' The Bat'' (with Mary Roberts Rinehart), 1920 (filmed in 1926 as '' The Bat'', in 1930 as ''

The Bat Whispers ''The Bat Whispers'' is a 1930 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Roland West, produced by Joseph M. Schenck, and released by United Artists. The film is based on the 1920 mystery play '' The Bat'', written by Mary Roberts Rinehart and ...

,'' and in 1959 as '' The Bat''); '' Getting Gertie's Garter'' (with

Wilson Collison Wilson Collison (November 5, 1893 – May 25, 1941) was a writer and playwright. Early years Wilson Collison was the son of John B. Collison, a clerk in the City Engineer's Office, and Mary E. Gardner. Wilson Collison abandoned plans to bec ...

), 1921, starring Hazel Dawn (filmed in 1927 and 1945); ''

'', 1921, also starring Dawn; ''The Alarm Clock'', 1923, translated from the French; ''The Best People'' (with David Gray), 1924 (filmed in

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

and as '' Fast and Loose'' in 1930 with Clara Bow); the song-farce ''Naughty Cinderella'', 1925, starring

Irene Bordoni Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

and ''The Garden of Eden'' in 1927, with Tallulah Bankhead in London and Miriam Hopkins in New York; (filmed in 1928 as ''

The Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2-3 and Ezekiel 28 an ...

'').

Personal life

In 1906, Hopwood was introduced to writer and photographer Carl Van Vechten. The two became close friends and were sometimes sexual partners. In the 1920s Hopwood had a tumultuous and abusive romantic relationship with fellow Cleveland-born playwright John Floyd. Although Hopwood announced to the press in 1924 that he was engaged to vaudeville dancer and choreographer

Rosa Rolanda Rosa Rolanda (Rosemonde Cowan; Rose Rolando; Mrs. Miguel Covarrubias; September 6, 1895 – March 25, 1970) was an American multidisciplinary artist, dancer, and choreographer. Biography Rolanda was born in Azusa, California, in 1895. Her father, ...

, Van Vechten confirmed in later years that it was a publicity stunt. Rolanda would later marry caricaturist Miguel Covarrubias. On the evening of July 1, 1928, at

Juan-les-Pins Juan-les-Pins (; oc, Joan dei Pins) is a town in the commune of Antibes in the Alpes-Maritimes department in Southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera, it is situated between Nice and Cannes, to the southwest of Nice Côte d'Azur Airport ...

on the French Riviera, Hopwood suffered a fatal heart attack while swimming. He was buried in Riverside Cemetery, Cleveland. His mother, Jule Hopwood, inherited a large trust from him, but he had not made arrangements for the disposition of other items, including literary rights. While she was working through the legal issues with his estate, Jule Hopwood fell ill and died on March 1, 1929. She was buried next to her son.

Legacy

Hopwood's plays were very successful commercially, but they did not have the lasting literary significance he hoped to achieve.

Hopwood Award

The terms of Hopwood's will left a substantial portion of his estate to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, for the establishment of the Avery Hopwood and Jule Hopwood Creative Writing Awards. The bequest stipulated: "It is especially desired that students competing for prizes shall be allowed the widest possible latitude, and that the new, the unusual, and the radical shall be especially encouraged." Famous Hopwood award winners include Robert Hayden, Marge Piercy, Arthur Miller, Betty Smith, Lawrence Kasdan, John Ciardi, Mary Gaitskill, Edmund White, Nancy Willard,

Frank O'Hara Francis Russell "Frank" O'Hara (March 27, 1926 – July 25, 1966) was an American writer, poet, and art critic. A curator at the Museum of Modern Art, O'Hara became prominent in New York City's art world. O'Hara is regarded as a leading figure i ...

, and Steve Hamilton.

''The Great Bordello''

Throughout his life, Hopwood worked on a novel that he hoped would "expose" the strictures the commercial theater machine imposed on playwrights, but the manuscript was never published. Jack Sharrar recovered the manuscript for this novel in 1982 during his research for ''Avery Hopwood, His Life and Plays''. The novel was published in July 2011 by Mondial Books (New York) as ''The Great Bordello, a Story of the Theatre''.

Works

* ''Clothes'' (1906) with Channing Pollock * ''This Woman and This Man'' (1909) * '' Seven Days'' (1909) with Mary Roberts Rinehart * ''Judy Forgot'' (1910) * ''Nobody's Widow'' (1910) * ''Somewhere Else'' (1913) * ''

'' (1915) Remains popular in Germany (''Der Mustergatte'') and Scandinavia (''Gröna hissen '') * '' Sadie Love'' (1915) * ''Our Little Wife'' (1916) * ''Double Exposure'' (1918) * ''Tumble In'' (1919, musical version of ''Seven Days'') * '' The Gold Diggers'' (1919) * '' The Girl in the Limousine'' (1919) with

* ''

'' (1920) with Charlton Andrews * ''

Spanish Love ''Spanish Love'' is a three-act play by Avery Hopwood and Mary Roberts Rinehart, who adapted an earlier Spanish play, ''María del Carmen'' by Josep Feliu i Codina. Producers Lincoln Wagenhals and Collin Kemper staged it at the Maxine Elliott The ...

'' (1920, Adaptation of ''María del Carmen'' by

Josep Feliu i Codina Josep Feliu i Codina (also known by his Spanish name José Feliú y Codina; 11 June 1845 – 2 May 1897) was a Catalan journalist, novelist and playwright whose work is linked to the Realist movement and to the Catalan Renaixença. Biography Cod ...

) with Mary Roberts Rinehart * '' The Bat'' (1920) with Mary Roberts Rinehart * '' Getting Gertie's Garter'' (1921) with Wilson Collison * ''

'' (1921) * ''Why Men Leave Home'' (1922) * ''Little Miss Bluebeard'' (1923, Adaptation of ''Kisasszony férje'' by Gábor Drégely) * ''The Alarm Clock'' (1923, Adaptation of ''La Sonnette d'alarme'' by

Maurice Hennequin Maurice Hennequin (10 December 1863 – 3 September 1926) was a French-naturalized Belgian playwright. Biography A great-grandson of the painter Philippe-Auguste Hennequin, Maurice Hennequin was the son of Alfred Hennequin (1842–1887), himse ...

and

Romain Coolus René Max Weill (25 May 1868 – 9 September 1952), who used the pseudonym Romain Coolus, was a French novelist, dramatist and film scriptwriter. Biography Works Theater * 1893 : ''Le Ménage Brésile'' (first play), one-act comedy, at ...

) * ''The Best People'' (1924) with David Gray * ''The Harem'' (1924) with Ernest Vajda * ''Naughty Cinderella'' (1925, Adaptation of ''Pouche'' by René Peter and ) * ''The Garden of Eden'' (1927, Adaptation of ''Der Garten Eden'' by Rudolf Bernauer and

Rudolf Österreicher Rudolf Österreicher, also ''Rudolf Oesterreicher'', (19 July 1881 in Vienna – 23 October 1966 idem) was an Austrian writer, librettist, comedy author, author of cabaret texts and biographer. From 1945 to 1947 he was director of the .

)

Filmography

* ''Clothes'' (1914, based on ''Clothes'') * ''Judy Forgot'' (1915, based on ''Judy Forgot'') * ''Our Little Wife'' (1918, based on ''Our Little Wife'') * '' Sadie Love'' (1919, based on ''Sadie Love'') * ''

'' (1919, based on ''Fair and Warmer'') * '' Guilty of Love'' (1920, based on ''This Woman and This Man'') * ''

Clothes Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials ...

'' (1920, based on ''Clothes'') * ''The Little Clown'' (1921, based on ''The Little Clown'') * '' The Gold Diggers'' (1923, based on ''The Gold Diggers'') * ''

Why Men Leave Home ''Why Men Leave Home'' is a 1924 American silent comedy-drama film directed by John M. Stahl directed and stars Lewis Stone and Helene Chadwick. Produced by Louis B. Mayer and released through First National Pictures (then known as Associated ...

'' (1924, based on ''Why Men Leave Home'') * '' The Girl in the Limousine'' (1924, based on ''The Girl in the Limousine'') * ''

Miss Bluebeard ''Miss Bluebeard'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Bebe Daniels. It is based on a play, ''Little Miss Bluebeard'', by Avery Hopwood. Synopsis Larry Charters is a composer who is visiting Paris, and is ...

'' (1925, based on ''Little Miss Bluebeard'') * '' The Best People'' (1925, based on ''The Best People'') * '' The Bat'' (1926, based on ''The Bat'') * ''

Good and Naughty ''Good and Naughty'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and starring Pola Negri and Tom Moore. It was based on the play ''Naughty Cinderella'' by Henri Falk and René Peter. Released in 1926, it is a ...

'' (1926, based on ''Naughty Cinderella'') * ''Nobody's Widow'' (1927, based on ''Nobody's Widow'') * ''Getting Gertie's Garter'' (1927, based on ''Getting Gertie's Garter'') * ''

'' (1928, based on ''The Garden of Eden'') * '' Ladies' Night in a Turkish Bath'' (1928, based on ''Ladies' Night'') * ''

'' (1929, based on ''The Gold Diggers'') * ''

Her Wedding Night ''Her Wedding Night'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and written by Avery Hopwood and Henry Myers. The film stars Clara Bow, Ralph Forbes, Charlie Ruggles, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Geneva Mitchell and Rosita ...

'' (1930, based on ''Little Miss Bluebeard'') ** '' Let's Get Married'' (France, 1931, based on ''Little Miss Bluebeard'') ** ''Su noche de bodas'' (Spain, 1931, based on ''Little Miss Bluebeard'') ** ''Ich heirate meinen Mann'' (Germany, 1931, based on ''Little Miss Bluebeard'') ** ''A Minha Noite de Núpcias'' (Portugal, 1931, based on ''Little Miss Bluebeard'') * '' Fast and Loose'' (1930, based on ''The Best People'') * ''

'' (1930, based on ''The Bat'') * '' This Is the Night'' (1932, based on ''Naughty Cinderella'') * '' Gold Diggers of 1933'' (1933, based on ''The Gold Diggers'') * ''

Night of the Garter ''Night of the Garter'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Sydney Howard, Winifred Shotter and Elsie Randolph. The film was made at British and Dominion's Elstree Studios by the producer Herbert Wilcox for rel ...

'' (UK, 1933, based on ''Getting Gertie's Garter'') * '' The Model Husband'' (Germany, 1937, based on ''Fair and Warmer'') * ''Unsere kleine Frau'' (Germany, 1938, based on ''Our Little Wife'') ** ''Mia moglie si diverte'' (Italy, 1938, based on ''Our Little Wife'') * ' (Sweden, 1944, based on ''Fair and Warmer'') * '' Getting Gertie's Garter'' (1945, based on ''Getting Gertie's Garter'') * ''

Painting the Clouds with Sunshine "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine" is a popular song published in 1929. The music was written by Joe Burke and the lyrics by Al Dubin for the 1929 musical film ''Gold Diggers of Broadway'' when it was sung by Nick Lucas. ''Gold Diggers of Broa ...

'' (1951, based on ''The Gold Diggers'') * ' (Sweden, 1952, based on ''Fair and Warmer'') * '' The Model Husband'' (West Germany, 1956, based on ''Fair and Warmer'') * '' The Bat'' (1959, based on ''The Bat'') * '' The Model Husband'' (Switzerland, 1959, based on ''Fair and Warmer'') * ' (Denmark, 1961, based on ''Fair and Warmer'') * ''

Den grønne heisen ''Den grønne heisen'' ( en, The green elevator}) is a 1981 Norway, Norwegian comedy film directed by Odd-Geir Sæther, based on a play by Avery Hopwood, and starring Rolv Wesenlund and Øivind Blunck. Plot Preben invites Mrs. Lissen to the oper ...

'' (Norway, 1981, based on ''Fair and Warmer'')

References

Works cited

* * * *

External links

* * * * *
Mary Roberts Rinehart at University of Pittsburgh digital library
– includes material on her collaboration with Hopwood {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopwood, Avery 1882 births 1928 deaths American gay writers LGBT dramatists and playwrights LGBT people from Ohio University of Michigan alumni American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Writers from Cleveland 20th-century American male writers