Jane Cowl (1884-1950) was
an established Broadway ingénue in January of 1917 when the idea for a play
about World War One began to germinate in her mind. It would have been natural for Cowl to star
in a play about the war, but the ideal role had not materialized. Cowl and Broadway
producer, Henry Miller, were discussing a possible acting project for her when
she began to pitch her idea for the war play she was creating in her mind. He asked to read the script as soon as
possible. She did not disclose any
information about the playwright, but she promised to deliver the script within
a week.
Jane Cowl had already
discussed the idea for the play briefly with her friend Jane Murfin (1884-1955). The two young women had been friends for
several years. They began to work on
developing the script that same afternoon after Miller expressed interest and
it was delivered to him by the promised date.
While Miller decided not to produce the play, another Broadway producer
did and Lilac Time opened on February
6, 1917 starring Jane Cowl.
The play had a successful
run of 176 performances, but it was unusual in several ways. It was written by women, a rarity during that
era. It was written by individuals with no previous playwriting
experience. It was a play about World
War One that spoke to American audiences without upsetting anyone in Washington,
since the United States was continuing to maintain a position of neutrality. Cowl
knew President Wilson was a fan of hers since he had seen her performances in
many previous roles. She did not want Lilac Time to create any problems for
his stance on neutrality. After the play opened, Wilson sent word to her that
he was too deeply touched by anything concerning the war and thought it best
for him to not attend a performance of Lilac
Time.
What type of setting and story could accomplish
an acceptable and timely war play that would not raise issues for Washington? The setting was rural France, not far from the
front. It was springtime and the lilacs were in bloom. The brave soldiers were
British army men. The story centered on a budding romance between a lovely
rural French maiden and a handsome, courageous British soldier. Of course, Jane Cowl played the French
maiden.
The play was entertaining
and romantic, but it also made the audiences aware of some of the trials
inflicted on people living in the war zone.
It portrayed war-related deaths of family members, both civilians and
soldiers. Soldiers discussed the perils of being at the front lines. The audience was exposed to the discomfort of
the soldiers away from their homeland and to the anxieties that they did not
reveal in front of the civilian population. The traumatic war situations are
presented in a subtle manner that allows the play to live up to the promise
it’s title implies.
Although Lilac Time was never published in play
form, it was purchased in 1927 by film star, Colleen Moore, and her
producer-husband John McCormick. The play-script was adapted by Willis Goldbeck
for the silent screen. Then, Guy Fowler
novelized the screen-play. This practice
was commonly done and the novel included photos from scenes in the film. The 1928 film starred Colleen Moore in Cowl’s
role as Jeanne and Gary Cooper plays handsome Captain Phillip Blythe, who is
transformed into an American fighter pilot. I saw part of this film on YouTube
last year. Cowl and Murfin were never
consulted on the film version and they were disappointed with the changes in
the script.
The success of Lilac Time encouraged Cowl and Murfin
to continue their playwriting partnership despite the fact that there were very
few women with Broadway credits. Their plays Daybreak (1917) and Information
Please (1918) quickly followed Lilac
Time. It was their fourth play
titled Smilin’ Through in 1919 that
was a phenomenal success. It had a run on Broadway of 1,170 performances so it
played there from 1919 until 1922. Two
films were made from the play. The first
in 1922 starring Norma Talmadge. The
second film was made in 1932 starring Norma Shearer, Fredric March and Leslie
Howard.
Cowl continued to star on
Broadway and Murfin continued to write screenplays throughout their playwriting
years. Cowl acted on Broadway until 1947. Murfin was active in Hollywood and developed
at least thirty films. They remained
close friends throughout their lives.
Please send me questions you have about any of the plays and the
playwrights in previous posts. I also
welcome suggestions about playwrights and plays to be discussed.
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Reference:
King, Richard Abe. Jane Cowl Her Precious and Momentary Glory. Bloomington, IN, 2004.
Reference for photo:
The Theatre. March, 1917. 162.
Reference for photo:
The Theatre. March, 1917. 162.
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