Dustin Farnum and Helen Holmes in 'The Virginian'

''The Virginian'' is a 1903 stage production based on the 1902 novel '' The Virginian'' by the American author

Owen Wister Owen Wister (July 14, 1860 – July 21, 1938) was an American writer and historian, considered the "father" of western fiction. He is best remembered for writing '' The Virginian'' and a biography of Ulysses S. Grant. Biography Early life ...

(1860–1938) and set in

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

. The play was composed by Wister and playwright

Kirke La Shelle Kirke La Shelle (September 23, 1862 – May 16, 1905) was an American journalist, playwright and theatrical producer. He was known for his association with such successful productions as ''The Wizard of the Nile'', ''The Princess Chic'', ''Besid ...

, who also produced it. The story describes the life of a cowboy on a cattle ranch in northern Wyoming, where he tends cattle, identifies and hangs a rustler, kills a notorious bad guy, woos and finally marries a school teacher who had come to Wyoming from the East.

Productions

The earliest known production of ''The Virginian'' was at Boston's

Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to: Australia * Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished * Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed b ...

in October 1903. The Boston booking was apparently intended as a dry run before taking the play to Broadway. It opened on Broadway in New York at the

Manhattan Theatre The Manhattan Theatre was located at 102 West 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, directly across from Greeley Square at Sixth Avenue and 33rd Street. The 1,100-seat theatre opened in 1875 as the Eagle Theatre, and was renamed the ...

on January 5, 1904, and ran until May 1904. Most of the actors who appeared in Boston were also in the Broadway production a few months later. The lead was played by

Dustin Farnum Dustin Lancy Farnum (May 27, 1874 – July 3, 1929) was an American singer, dancer, and actor on the stage and in silent films. Although he played a wide variety of roles, he tended toward westerns and became one of the biggest stars of the genr ...

who continued the role in New York. Molly Wood, the heroine, was well-acted by Nanette Comstock in Boston, but Agnes Ardeck apparently did a poorer job in New York. Other actors in both plays include

Frank Campeau Frank Campeau (December 14, 1864 – November 5, 1943) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1911 and 1940 and made many appearances in films starring Douglas Fairbanks. On Broadway, Campeau appeared in ''Rio Gr ...

who played "Trampas"; Joseph A. Maylon playing "John Taylor"; and Thomas P. Jackson who played "Andrew Dow/Shorty". The play was reprised in October 1905 for 16 performances at the Academy of Music in New York City. There is some evidence that the play may have once been intended as a musical, for the song "Dead Broke!" is linked with it. However, none of the plays' reviews mention singing.

Adaptations

The play, more than the book, served as the basis for a number of film adaptations of ''The Virginian''. Indeed, Dustin Farnum, who starred in all three runs of the play, also starred in the earliest film version. In 2022 playwrights L.C Bernadine and Spencer Huffman newly adapted the novel for City Lit Theater in Chicago. The production opened on January 16 2022 for a 5-week run.

Films

* '' The Virginian'' (1914 film) directed by

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

, with

* '' The Virginian'' (1923 film) with

Kenneth Harlan Kenneth Daniel Harlan (July 26, 1895 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor of the silent film era, playing mostly romantic leads or adventurer types. Early life Harlan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of George W. Harlan and ac ...

and

Florence Vidor Florence Vidor (née Cobb, later Arto; July 23, 1895 – November 3, 1977) was an American silent film actress. Early life Vidor was born in Houston on July 23, 1895, to John and Ida Cobb. Her parents had married in Houston on March 3, 1894, bu ...

* '' The Virginian'' (1929 film) with

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

and

Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ;According to the Province of Ontario. ''Ontario, C ...

* '' The Virginian'' (1946 film) with

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he bec ...

and

Brian Donlevy Waldo Brian Donlevy (February 9, 1901 – April 6, 1972) was an American actor, noted for playing dangerous tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best-known films are '' Beau Geste'' (19 ...

References

External links

''The Virginian''
at

Open Library Open Library is an online project intended to create "one web page for every book ever published". Created by Aaron Swartz, Brewster Kahle, Alexis Rossi, Anand Chitipothu, and Rebecca Malamud, Open Library is a project of the Internet Archive, ...

Owen Wister Papers
at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

–

American Heritage Center The American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United ...

* Parts of the manuscript of "The Virginian" are preserved at the

at the

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Virginian Play 1904 plays Broadway plays Plays based on novels