William Cary Duncan, sometimes given as William Carey Duncan, (6 February 1874, North Brookfield, Massachusetts – 21 November 1945, North Brookfield, Massachusetts) was an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, lyricist, editor, writer, and educator. He is best remembered for authoring the book and/or lyrics to many

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

; fifteen of which were staged on Broadway from 1913 through 1929. He also wrote a biography on Eliza Jumel, ''The amazing Madame Jumel'' (published in 1935), and a book on the racehorse Goldsmith Maid; ''Golden Hoofs The Story of an Amazing Mare'' (published 1938).

Life and career

William Cary Duncan was born in North Brookfield, Massachusetts on February 6, 1874. His half brother was James Eaton Tower; a longtime editor of '' Good Housekeeping''. He was educated at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

where he graduated in 1897. After graduating he joined the teaching staff of

Brooklyn Polytechnic Preparatory School Poly Prep Country Day School (commonly known as Poly Prep) is an independent, co-educational day school with two campuses in Brooklyn, New York, United States. The Middle School (5th to 8th grades) and Upper School (9th to 12th grades) are loca ...

(now Poly Prep Country Day School) in the Fall of 1897. He taught English and public speaking at that school for the next 20 years. Duncan began writing musicals in 1911. In addition to writing and teaching, Duncan was a dog enthusiast who served terms as president of the Irish Setter Club of America and director of the

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kenn ...

. He was a judge for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

in 1929.

Personal life and death

At the age of 71, William Cary Duncan died of heart disease on November 21, 1945, at his home in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. He was married to Louise Duncan (née Van Cleef) with whom he had one son, William Cary Duncan Jr.

Partial list of stage works

*'' The Blue Kitten'' (1922) *''

Mary Jane McKane ''Mary Jane McKane'' is a musical comedy in three acts with book and lyrics by William Cary Duncan and Oscar Hammerstein, II and music by Herbert Stothart and Vincent Youmans. The show was produced by Arthur Hammerstein at the Imperial Theatre, an ...

'' (1923) *''

Yes, Yes, Yvette ''Yes, Yes, Yvette'' is a musical in three acts with lyrics by Irving Caesar and music by Philip Charig and Ben Jerome. James Montgomery and William Cary Duncan co-authored the musical's book which was based on Montgomery's 1916 play ''Nothing ...

'' (1926)

References

External links

* 1874 births 1945 deaths American male dramatists and playwrights People from North Brookfield, Massachusetts Writers from Massachusetts {{playwright-stub