Russell Janney (April 14, 1884 – July 14, 1963) was a theatrical producer and author. He is best known for his 1946 best-selling book and first novel, ''

The Miracle of the Bells ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', which was made into a film of the same name in 1948. He also produced and co-authored the 1925 musical ''

The Vagabond King ''The Vagabond King'' is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic novel and play ''If I Were King''. The story is a fictionali ...

'', working with Brian Hooker and composer

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

. Janney also produced other plays including ''Marjolaine'' (1922) (based on ''

Pomander Walk Pomander Walk is a cooperative apartment complex in Manhattan, New York City, located on the Upper West Side between Broadway and West End Avenue. The complex consists of 27 buildings. Four buildings face West 94th Street, and another seven face ...

'' by Louis N. Parker), Mantle, Burns
The Best Plays of 1921–22
p. 498-99 (1922) ''White Eagle'' (1927) (based on

Edwin Milton Royle Edwin Milton Royle (March 2, 1862 – February 16, 1942) was an American playwright. He was born in Lexington, Missouri, and died in New York City. Over 30 of his plays were performed. His best-known play is '' The Squaw Man'' (1905), which ...

's '' The Squaw Man''),(7 December 1927)
'White Eagle' for Casino; Russell Janney's Musical Version of 'The Squaw Man' to Open Dec. 26
''

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 ...

''(27 December 1927)
'The White Eagle' Is Lavishly Staged
''

'' ''June Love'',(17 January 1926)
The Story of an Operetta
''

'' ''Ballyhoo'' (1927), and an adaption of ''The O'Flynn'' (1934) by

Justin Huntly McCarthy Justin Huntly McCarthy (1859 – 20 March 1936) was an Irish author, historian, and nationalist politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1884 to 1892, taking his seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was the son of ...

. His second novel, ''So Long As Love Remembers'', was published in 1953,Dixon, George H. (5 September 1953)
Russell Janney Writes Second Masterpiece
''

Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second larg ...

'' and the short novel ''Curtain Call'' followed in 1957.Nichols, Lewis (26 May 1957)
Old Manager's Triumphant Swan Song
''

'' Janney was born in

Wilmington, Ohio Wilmington is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,660 at the 2020 census. At city entrances from state routes, county roads, and U.S. highways, the city slogan of "We Honor Our Champions" is ...

and graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1906. While at college, he put on plays for his fraternity,

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...

.Warfel, Harry R
American novelists of today
p. 228 (1951) He died of natural causes at his apartment in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on July 14, 1963.(15 July 1963)
Russell Janney, Stage Producer; Sponsor and Co-Author of Vagabond King Dies at 79
''

''Current biography yearbook, Volume 24
p. 209 (1964) Janney also served as a juror in a high-profile 1949 trial, one of the

Smith Act trials of Communist Party leaders The Smith Act trials of Communist Party leaders in New York City from 1949 to 1958 were the result of Federal government of the United States, US federal government prosecutions in the postwar period and during the Cold War between the Soviet Uni ...

. Janney married Edith Hulda Cramer in 1907; they later divorced. Their son

William Janney William Janney (born Russell Dixon Janney, February 15, 1908 – December 22, 1992) was an American actor who appeared in 39 films between 1929 and 1937. He was the son of author and theatrical producer Russell Janney,(28 December 1940)William J ...

was a film actor in the 1930s.(28 December 1940)
William Janney Marries
''

''(2 March 1930)
Actors' Children Emulate Parents
''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Janney, Russell People from Wilmington, Ohio 1884 births 1963 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists American male novelists Yale University alumni