John Garrett Underhill (January 10, 1876 – May 15, 1946) was an American author and stage producer who translated the works of

Jacinto Benavente Jacinto Benavente y Martínez (12 August 1866 – 14 July 1954) was one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922 "for the happy manner in which he has continued the illustrious ...

, a Spanish dramatist and winner of the

Nobel Prize for Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

, and a number of other Spanish authors.

Biography

Underhill was born in Brooklyn in 1876, the son of Francis French Underhill and Mrs. Frances Bergen Underhill. He graduated from the

Polytechnic Institute An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

in 1894, received an A.M. at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

two years later and a Ph.D. there in 1899. For the next two years he served at Columbia University as an assistant in comparative literature. In 1901 he went to the stage, gaining first-hand experience of drama by appearing in several plays. In 1911 Underhill became general representative for the United States and Canada of the Society of Spanish Authors. He began the work of translating Benavente's plays in 1917, completing four series of translations by 1924. In 1923 he translated the works of

Gregorio Martínez Sierra Gregorio Martínez Sierra (6 May 1881 – 1 October 1947) was a Spanish writer, poet, dramatist, and theatre director, a key figure in the revival of the Spanish theatrical avant-garde in the early twentieth century. Work as a poet and playwr ...

. Underhill translated the plays in Volume I. The second volume of the plays was translated by Helen and

Harley Granville-Barker Harley Granville-Barker (25 November 1877 – 31 August 1946) was an English actor, director, playwright, manager, critic, and theorist. After early success as an actor in the plays of George Bernard Shaw, he increasingly turned to directi ...

. When a fire occurred at the Twilight Inn in Haines Falls, New York, resulting in death of at least 19 people, Underhill was on hand and served in the inquest that followed. Four plays by Lope de Vega were translated by Underhill in 1936. A member of The Players, he was author of the book "Spanish Literature in the ''England of the Tudors'', published in 1899. Around 1937, Underhill was living a
2 Grace Court
in Brooklyn. Between 1940 and 1946, Dr. John Garrett Underhill, Sr., served as 6th President of the

Underhill Society of America The Underhill Society of America is a non-profit family genealogical society that was organized in Brooklyn, New York, on June 16, 1892. The Society was incorporated in 1903. The purpose of the Underhill Society of America is to perpetuate the memo ...

. Years later his son

John Garrett Underhill Jr. John Garrett Underhill Jr. (August 7, 1915 – May 8, 1964), also known as Garrett Underhill and Gary Underhill, was Captain General Staff G2 World War II and received the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service. He was a Harvard graduate ...

would take on the same role.

Production history

Mr. Underhill started his career as a producer of Benavente in 1919 with ''Bonds of Interest'' for the

Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of the W ...

. The next year ''La Malquerida'' was produced at the

Greenwich Village Theatre Greenwich Village Theatre was an arts venue in Greenwich Village, New York which opened in 1917 and closed for the last time in 1930. Herman Lee Meader was the architect and it was located in Sheridan Square The West Village is a neighborhoo ...

starring

Nance O'Neil Gertrude Lamson (October 8, 1874 – February 7, 1965), known professionally as Nance O'Neil or Nancy O'Neil, was an American stage and film actress who performed in plays in various theaters around the world but worked predominantly in the Unite ...

, under the title of ''Passion Flower''. The production was well reviewed and critic Alexander Wollcott of ''The New York Times'' was favorably impressed by Mr. Underhill's part in the work. When the play was made into the film ''

The Passion Flower ''The Passion Flower'' is a 1921 American drama film starring Norma Talmadge, Courtenay Foote, and Eulalie Jensen, and directed by Herbert Brenon. It is based on the 1913 Spanish play '' The Unloved Woman'' (Spanish: ''La malquerida'') by Jac ...

'' (1921) without his permission, Underhill successfully sued for damages. The ''Field of Ermine'', belonging to the latest period of Benavente's works was produced with Miss O'Neil in 1922.

Eva Le Gallienne Eva Le Gallienne (January 11, 1899 – June 3, 1991) was a British-born American stage actress, producer, director, translator, and author. A Broadway star by age 21, Le Gallienne gave up her Broadway appearances to devote herself to founding t ...

starred in ''Saturday Night'' in 1926 which the translator described as "the first of Benavente's cerebral dramas." Mr. Underhill again produced ''Bonds of Interest'', with

Walter Hampden Walter Hampden Dougherty (June 30, 1879 in Brooklyn – June 11, 1955 in Los Angeles), known professionally as Walter Hampden, was an American actor and theatre manager. He was a major stage star on Broadway in New York who also made numerous ...

, in 1929. In 1926, he had produced ''The Cradle Song'' in London, bringing it to New York the next year. He received the Spanish Order of Isabel the Catholic for his work. Fuente Ovejuna or The Sheep Well by

Lope de Vega Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...

had its first performance in the

Experimental Theatre Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Richard Wagner, Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu Roi, Ubu plays as a rejection of bot ...

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

, May 1, 1936. Underhill was responsible for the translation.

Family

John Garrett Underhill married Louisa Man Wingate (1869–1927). She was the daughter of General

George Wood Wingate George Wood Wingate (July 1, 1840 – March 22, 1928) was an American lawyer and organizer of rifle practice. During the Civil War he served in a New York regiment, and later supervised the construction of elevated railways in Brooklyn. In 18 ...

and a sister of Surrogate George A. Wingate. Educated at Miss Round's School, she was President of the Rounds Alumnae Association. Mrs. Underhill was Active in civic and social work in Brooklyn. She organized the Linger-Not Society, which was popular in the

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas c ...

in pre-war days. She was also founder of the

Brooklyn Junior League Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behin ...

, Treasurer for seventeen years of the Girls' Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League, and a former president of the Brooklyn Branch of the

Army Relief Society An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, the Mothers' Club of Friends' School, and the Civitas Club. The Little Italy Neighborhood Settlement was another of her interests. She was president of it from 1908 to 1911. Mrs. Underhill was also a member of the

National Arts Club The National Arts Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and members club on Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1898 by Charles DeKay, an art and literary critic of the ''New York Times'' to "stimulate, foster, and promote public ...

, the Twelfth Night Club, the

Garden Club of America The Garden Club of America is a nonprofit organization made up of around 18,000 club members and 200 local garden clubs around the United States. Founded in 1913, by Elizabeth Price Martin and Ernestine Abercrombie Goodman, it promotes the record ...

, the Women's City Club, the

National Civic Federation The National Civic Federation (NCF) was an American economic organization founded in 1900 which brought together chosen representatives of big business and organized labor, as well as consumer advocates in an attempt to ameliorate labor disputes. I ...

, the

Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce serves as an advocate for member businesses across the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and also operates a nonprofit economic development arm known as the Brooklyn Alliance. History The Brooklyn Chamber of C ...

and the Tuberculosis Committee of the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities. They had two children, including Susan Prudence Underhill and

Louisa Man Wingate Underhill died on May 15, 1927, at 1100 Dean Street in Brooklyn after a long illness.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Underhill, John Garrett 1876 births 1946 deaths American theatre managers and producers Translators to English Columbia University alumni Columbia University faculty People from Brooklyn Heights