Paul West (26 January 1871 – 30 October 1918) was an American playwright, lyricist,

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

, journalist, screenwriter, author, and

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...

. After working as a journalist in Massachusetts from 1888 to 1892, he began his career in the theatre as a press representative for

Charles H. Hoyt Charles Hale Hoyt (July 26, 1859 – November 20, 1900) was an American dramatist and playwright. He was married twice, to stage actresses Flora Walsh and Caroline Miskel Hoyt, both of whom died young. The shock of the death of his second w ...

; followed by a season as the business manager for the opera singer and actress

Camille D'Arville Camille D'Arville (June 21, 1863 — September 9, 1932), born Cornelia "Neeltye" Dykstra, was a Dutch-born light opera singer and a vaudeville performer. She was a member of The Bostonians. (Her surname is also found as Darville, d'Arville, and D' ...

and the comedian

Frank Daniels Frank Albert Daniels (August 15, 1856 – January 12, 1935) was a comedian, an actor on stage, early black-and-white silent films, and a singer. Daniels was born on August 15, 1856 in Dayton, Ohio to Balinda and Henry Daniels, and was raised in ...

. From 1898 to 1911 he worked on the editorial staff '' The New York Sunday World'' during which time be began a career as a prolific lyricist for both

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musicals and

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

publishers of popular song; publishing more the 500 songs during his lifetime. He also worked as a playwright, penning both plays and the books for several musicals. More than 15 of his stage works were mounted on Broadway between the years 1902–1913. In 1904 his children's book ''The Pearl and the Pumpkin'' was published; a work which he later adapted into a 1905 musical. In the later years of his life, West was dedicated to writing screenplays for silent films; penning the stories for more than 100 films; sometimes under the pseudonym Bill Blunder. In 1918 he served in the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

at the Battle of Château-Thierry among other work at the Front, and later that year committed suicide in Paris.

Life and career

Paul West was born on 26 January 1871 in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts. His early education was received at the

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

.Briscoe, p. 37 This was followed by further education at the

Peekskill Military Academy Peekskill Military Academy was a military academy for young men and women, founded in 1833 as Peekskill Academy, located in Peekskill, New York, United States. Background The academy was built by a hanging tree where a British spy was executed in ...

from which he graduated in 1888.Marquis & Leonard, p. 2504 Following graduation he began a career as a journalist, working for several different newspapers in the cities of Boston and

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and Nort ...

from 1888 to 1892. West's first foray into the theatre world was in the position of press representative for

's theatrical enterprises in 1893–1894. He then worked for a year as the business manager for the opera singer and actress

and the comedian

. In 1885 he married Miss Jane V. Carrigan of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

with who he would have a son and a daughter. In 1897 West moved with his family to New York City when he took a position as a journalist for the ''

New York Evening Journal :''Includes coverage of New York Journal-American and its predecessors New York Journal, The Journal, New York American and New York Evening Journal'' The ''New York Journal-American'' was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 t ...

''. He left that post in 1898 to join the editorial staff of '' The New York Sunday World''; a position he remained in until 1911. Simultaneously, he worked as a prolific lyricist in New York, writing words to over 500 published songs; many of them made for

musicals, but also for

publishers of popular music. He also wrote the books for multiple musicals and plays, many of which were staged on Broadway from 1902 to 1913. He was also a prolific screenwriter in the last years of his life, writing the stories for more than 100

silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...

. During the latter part of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, West served with the

in France and was on the front line at the Battle of Château-Thierry in that capacity. Having left a note, he committed suicide in Paris by jumping off a bridge into the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

on 30 October 1918.

Partial list of works

Stage works

*''

The White Hen ''The White Hen'' is a 1921 British silent comedy film directed by Frank Richardson and starring Mary Glynne, Leslie Faber and Pat Somerset. It was based on a novel by Phyllis Campbell. Cast * Mary Glynne as Celeste de Crequy * Leslie Fabe ...

'', musical (1907, lyrics co-written by West and Roderic C. Penfield; music by

Gustave Kerker Gustave Adolph Kerker (February 28, 1857 – June 29, 1923) was a German-born composer and conductor who spent most of his life in the US. He became a musical director for Broadway theatre productions and wrote the music for a series of operettas ...

) *'' The Follies of 1907'',

musical revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own durin ...

, (1907, West was one of many contributing lyricists to the very first ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...

'') *''

The-Merry-Go-Round ''The-Merry-Go-Round'' was a musical vaudeville production that ran at the Circle Theatre on Broadway in 1908. The music was by Gus Edwards, with a book by Edgar Smith and lyrics by Paul West; it featured skits including "Stupid Mr. Cupid" by T ...

'', musical, (1908, lyrics by West; book by Edgar Smith; music by Gus Edwards) *'' The Red Petticoat'', musical, (1912; book and lyrics co-authored by West and

Rida Johnson Young Rida Johnson Young (February 28, 1875 – May 8, 1926) was an American playwright, songwriter and librettist.IBDBRida Johnson Young Retrieved November 21, 2007 In her career, Young wrote over thirty plays and musicals, and over 500 songs. She ...

; music by

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

)Bordman & Norton, p. 329 *''

The Tik-Tok Man of Oz ''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz'' is a musical play with book and lyrics by L. Frank Baum and music by Louis F. Gottschalk that opened at the Majestic Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 31, 1913. It is loosely inspired by Baum's book ''Ozma of ...

'', musical, (1913, wrote lyrics for the song "One! Two! Three! All Over")

Films

*''

Crooky ''Crooky'' is a 1915 American silent film written by Paul West, directed by C. Jay Williams, and starring Frank Daniels, Charles Eldridge and Harry T. Morey. It was Daniels screen debut. While initial reviews were polite, the film quickly disapp ...

'' (1915) *'' The Velvet Paw'' (1916) *''

The American Consul ''The American Consul'' is a 1917 American drama silent film directed by Rollin S. Sturgeon and written by Thomas J. Geraghty, Harvey F. Thew and Paul West. The film stars Theodore Roberts, Ernest Joy, Maude Fealy, Charles West, Raymond Hatt ...

'' (1917) *'' On Record'' (1917) *''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

'' (1917) *''

A Girl Like That ''A Girl Like That'' is a 1917 American drama silent film directed by Dell Henderson and written by Paul West and Roswell Dague. The film stars Irene Fenwick, Owen Moore, Thomas O'Keefe, Eddie Sturgis, Harry Lee and John T. Dillon. The film was ...

'' (1917) *''

A Mormon Maid ''A Mormon Maid'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and written by Charles Sarver and Paul West. While traveling westward with her family, Dora must face the proposal to become a Mormon elders sixth wife. The fil ...

'' (1917) *''

The Safety Curtain ''The Safety Curtain'' is a 1918 American silent melodrama film directed by Sidney Franklin and starring Norma Talmadge. Talmadge and her husband Joe Schenck produced the film and distributed through Select Pictures. Cast *Norma Talmadge as P ...

'' (1918)

Short stories

*''Short Letters of a Small Boy''

Books

*''The Pearl and the Pumpkin'', children's book (1904)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Paul 1871 births 1918 deaths 19th-century American journalists 19th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American newspaper editors American male dramatists and playwrights American musical theatre lyricists American newspaper journalists American lyricists Broadway composers and lyricists Editors of New York City newspapers New York World journalists Writers from Boston Suicides by drowning in France