''John Needham's Double'' is an 1885 novel and 1891 play by

Joseph Hatton Joseph Paul Christopher Hatton (3 February 1837 (baptised in Andover 22 March 1837) – 31 July 1907) was an English novelist and journalist. He was Editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1874 to 1881. Life Hatton was born and baptised in Andover, ...

, and 1916 silent film.

Novel

The novel is subtitled "A Story Founded on Fact" and is based on the story of Irish financier and politician

John Sadleir John Sadleir (1813 – 17 February 1856) was an Irish financier and politician, who became notorious as a political turncoat, and committed suicide after the failure of his financial speculations. He served as the model for several fictiona ...

, who committed suicide.Some stories (review of book)
'' The Saturday Review'' (October 10, 1885), p. 491 '' The Saturday Review'' negatively reviewed the book, calling it "simply the story of John Sadleir .. with certain highly improbable, not to say impossible, additions and corrections of Mr. Hatton's own. The story itself is neither interesting not instructive, nor yet amusing.... However, Mr. Hatton must not be taken too seriously. Lovers of cheap sensation will not be hypercritical, and will probably find ''John Needham's Double'' exciting enough." ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

's'' review called it a shilling dreadful but was slightly more positive: "there is no room for tall writing, or mere padding, when a real good story has to be told in two hundred small pages of print large enough to defy twilight and railway-carriage lamps."And Is Old Double Dead?
''

'' (August 22, 1885), p. 85

Play

Augustus Thomas Augustus Thomas (January 8, 1857 – August 12, 1934) was an American playwright. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri and son of a doctor, Thomas worked a number of jobs including as a United States House of Representatives Page, page in the 4 ...

modified Hatton's play for A.M. Palmer's production in New York starring

Edward Smith Willard Edward Smith Willard (9 January 1853 – 9 November 1915) was an English actor. He was born at Brighton''Who's Who on the Stage: the dramatic reference book and ...'', Volume 1 edited by Walter Browne, Frederick Arnold Austin; 1906 pg. 227 and ...

, which debuted at Palmer's Theatre in February 1891Thomas, Augustus
The Print of My Remembrance
''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'' (April 29, 1922), p. 16 Winter, William
Shadows of the Stage, Second Series
(1893), pp. 292-98 (section on Willard as John Needham)(5 February 1891)
Mr. Willard
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and played for just over a month.(4 March 1891)
Theatrical_Gossip,_'The_New_York_Times
'' The_cast_included_Willard_playing_the_dual_roles_of_John_Needham_and_Joseph_Norbury,_Marie_Burroughs.html" ;"title="The New York Times">Theatrical Gossip, 'The New York Times
'' The cast included Willard playing the dual roles of John Needham and Joseph Norbury, Marie Burroughs">The New York Times">Theatrical Gossip, 'The New York Times
'' The cast included Willard playing the dual roles of John Needham and Joseph Norbury, Marie Burroughs as Kate Norbury,

Cast

*Joseph Norbury/John Needham ...

*Richard Woodville ... E.W. Gardiner *Mr. Horace West ... Charles Harbury *Mr. Grant ... Royce Carleton *Mr. Nolan ... Sant Matthews *Col. Calhoun Booker ...

Burr McIntosh William Burr McIntosh (August 21, 1862 – April 28, 1942) was an American lecturer, photographer, film studio owner, silent film actor, author, publisher of ''The'' ''Burr McIntosh Monthly'',Marie Burroughs Marie Burroughs (born Lillie Arrington; 1866 – March 4, 1926) was an American stage actress in the late 19th century. She played prominent roles in many plays, although she never became a first-tier star. Career Burroughs was born in S ...

*Miss Dorothy Norbury ... Cecile Rush *Mrs. Needham ... Katherine Rogers *Miss Virginia Fleetwood ...

Maxine Elliott Maxine Elliott (February 5, 1868 – March 5, 1940) was an American actress and businesswoman. Early life Born Jessie Dermott on February 5, 1868, to Thomas Dermott, a sea captain and Adelaide Hill Dermott, she had a younger sister, actress G ...

*Hannah ... Cora Edsall(14 February 189
Palmer's John Needham's Double
''

New York Dramatic Mirror The ''New York Dramatic Mirror'' (1879–1922) was a prominent theatrical trade newspaper. History The paper was founded in January 1879 by Ernest Harvier as the ''New York Mirror''. In stating its purpose to cover the theater, it proclaimed t ...

Silent film

A silent film version directed by

Lois Weber Florence Lois Weber (June 13, 1879 – November 13, 1939) was an American silent film actress, screenwriter, producer and director. She is identified in some historical references as among "the most important and prolific film directors in the e ...

premiered in April 1916, starring

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include '' Jesse James'', ...

, Agnes Emerson, and Frank Elliott. The screenplay was by

Olga Printzlau Olga Printzlau (December 13, 1891 – July 8, 1962) was an American screenwriter. She wrote for more than 60 films between 1915 and 1933. She also wrote a play, ''Window Panes,'' which was staged in Los Angeles in 1928, and won praise from t ...

.(25 March 1916)
Tyrone Power with Bluebird
''The Moving Picture World''(16 April 1916)
Written on the Screen
''

'' Milne, Peter (8 April 1916)
John Needham's Double
''

Motion Picture News The ''Motion Picture News'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1913 to 1930. History The publication was created through the 1913 merger of the ''Moving Picture News'' founded in 1908 and ''The Exhibitors' Times'', founded ...

Cast

*John Needham/Joseph Norbury ...

*Ellen Norbury ...

Marie Walcamp Marie Walcamp (July 27, 1894 – November 17, 1936) was an American actress of the silent film era, often specializing in roles as an "action heroine" in serials, including Westerns. She often appeared with actor Eddie Polo. Biography Bor ...

*Parks ... Frank Elliott *Aunt Kate ... Agnes Emerson *Dobbins ...

Walter Belasco Walter Belasco (December 1864 21 June 1939) was a Canadian silent film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in moder ...

*Cruet ...

Frank Lanning Frank Lanning (August 14, 1872 – June 17, 1945) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 84 films between 1910 and 1934. He was born in Marion, Iowa and died in Los Angeles, California. Lanning's film debut came in ''The Me ...

*Thomas Creighton ... Buster Emmons *Maid ...

Mary MacLaren Mary MacLaren (born Mary Ida MacDonald, also credited Mary McLaren; January 19, 1900 – November 9, 1985) was an American film actress in both the silent and sound eras."Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910 Population", digital cop ...

(uncredited)Pepper, Peter
"The Strange Case of Mary MacLaren"
''The Moving Picture Weekly'' (New York, N.Y.), June 24, 1916, pp. 9, 34. Internet Archive. Retrieved November 12, 2020.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0006883 1885 British novels 1891 plays 1916 films Universal Pictures films American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1910s American films