122:“Whatever might be said of The Master Thief, dullness is not one of its defects. Things happen. Revolvers gleam. Good women and bad juggle with the destinies of desperate men. The deep-eyed villain, careless of the rights and lives of others is thwarted in his sinister purposes by the omniscient hero, who eventually, of course, win the heart of the pure girl whom the evil genius sought to make his own. They are al there, our old friends so dear to the hearts of all true lovers of melodrama at its worst, or best. And among them insidiously glides through her serpentine course, a ‘
109:”The play, as adapted, was a mystery in which Bushman played a shady East India millionaire whose close business associates begin meeting terrible fates (either personal or financial ruin) that seem to be the work of some sinister group. Bayne, of course, played the millionaire’s love interest, who helps him crack the case before he himself becomes a victim.”
47:”Of course it is a mystery play, the title makes that fact apparent. The play bill further says that ‘you meet eastern men and women, good people and shady people, all involved in an intensely dramatic, engrossing story. Of course there is a love interest all the time in the prologue and the three acts.’”
100:
interviewed
Beverly Bayne, and reported that the play was apparently suggested by an incident in Child’s then-famous Paymaster stories, in which his anti-hero - a criminal dubbed “the Paymaster” - regularly outwitted his opponents, including the police, and other more dangerous villains. The play was
121:
writer, Everhardt
Armstrong, stated that the plot ”unloosed every tried and true device for the production of thrills that the playwright, E.E. Rose, could pry out of his memory.” The reviewer continued that, even so, the writer managed to throw in enough new material to keep the story unique.
134:
The
Seattle writer also noted the irony of Bushman and Bayne portraying a particularly orthodox couple in the play, in light of the scandal two years prior when the duo’s affair became public before Bushman had secured a divorce.
113:
The play originally opened in New York City, in the Bronx, and the production was not intended to tour, but an actor’s strike sent the show on the road and extended
Bushman’s involvement with Morosco.
82:, California, probably typical of the era, was 50 cents and one dollar for a matinee, and a dollar and $ 1.50 for evening performances.
285:, Sacramento, California, Thursday 4 December 1919, Established 1851, 69th year, Volume 211, Number 34, Whole Number 25,096, page 5.
207:, Sacramento, California, Thursday 4 December 1919, Established 1851, 69th year, Volume 211, Number 34, Whole Number 25,096, page 5.
168:, Sacramento, California, Thursday 4 December 1919, Established 1851, 69th year, Volume 211, Number 34, Whole Number 25,096, page 5.
71:, who married in 1918, successfully toured the production for eight months, from at least October 1919 until July 1920, produced by
306:
266:
333:
245:, Santa Barbara, California, Sunday 4 July 1920, Established 1863, Volume 48, Number 261, Section 2, Page 2.
55:”The play is of the mystery type, with its thrills and surprises, and carries a comedy vein all through.”
35:
Although it was reported in the press that there were plans to film the story, this never came to pass.
96:
25:
296:
256:
232:, Riverside, California, Saturday evening, 13 December 1919, Volume XXXIV, Number 269, page 8.
194:, Riverside, California, Saturday evening, 13 December 1919, Volume XXXIV, Number 269, page 8.
298:
Silent Film Stars on the Stages of
Seattle: A History of Performances by Hollywood Notables
8:
328:
91:
29:
64:
302:
262:
75:. The production then returned to the East Coast for a 38-week run in New York City.
72:
322:
68:
123:
127:
79:
102:
155:, New York, New York, August 1919, Volume LXVII, Number 3, page 532.
181:, New York, New York, November 1920, Volume 18, Number 6, Page 102.
241:
Wire service, “Back to The Big City,” News Notes From
Movieland,
219:, Mansfield, Ohio, Sunday 26 October 1919, page 12.
301:. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 155–156.
320:
43:A 1919 news story about a performance states:
281:Staff, “Bushman-Bayne at Clunie Tonight,”
254:
203:Staff, “Bushman-Bayne at Clunie Tonight,”
164:Staff, “Bushman-Bayne at Clunie Tonight,”
105:popular in the first part of the century.
321:
258:King of the Movies: Francis X. Bushman
24:is a mystery play based on a story by
294:
90:When the Morosco production played
13:
151:White, Jr., Matthew, “The Stage,”
32:. It has sixteen speaking roles.
14:
345:
261:. Bear Manor Media. p. 431.
255:Davis, Lon; Davis, Debra (2009).
177:York, Cal., “Plays and Players,”
130:used to delineate so fetchingly.”
288:
275:
59:
248:
235:
222:
210:
197:
184:
171:
158:
145:
51:Another news account states:
1:
228:Staff, “‘The Master Thief’,”
190:Staff, “‘The Master Thief’,”
138:
85:
7:
28:, dramatized by playwright
10:
350:
101:intended as satire on the
38:
334:English-language plays
295:Flom, Eric L. (2009).
26:Richard Washburn Child
230:Riverside Daily Press
192:Riverside Daily Press
78:Admission charged at
283:The Sacramento Union
205:The Sacramento Union
166:The Sacramento Union
179:Photoplay Magazine
119:Post-Intelligencer
97:Post-Intelligencer
65:Francis X. Bushman
16:Play by E. E. Rose
308:978-0-7864-3908-9
243:The Morning Press
153:Munsey’s Magazine
341:
313:
312:
292:
286:
279:
273:
272:
252:
246:
239:
233:
226:
220:
214:
208:
201:
195:
188:
182:
175:
169:
162:
156:
149:
21:The Master Thief
349:
348:
344:
343:
342:
340:
339:
338:
319:
318:
317:
316:
309:
293:
289:
280:
276:
269:
253:
249:
240:
236:
227:
223:
215:
211:
202:
198:
189:
185:
176:
172:
163:
159:
150:
146:
141:
88:
62:
41:
17:
12:
11:
5:
347:
337:
336:
331:
315:
314:
307:
287:
274:
268:978-1593934521
267:
247:
234:
221:
217:Mansfield News
209:
196:
183:
170:
157:
143:
142:
140:
137:
132:
131:
126:’ of the kind
111:
110:
87:
84:
73:Oliver Morosco
61:
58:
57:
56:
49:
48:
40:
37:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
346:
335:
332:
330:
327:
326:
324:
310:
304:
300:
299:
291:
284:
278:
270:
264:
260:
259:
251:
244:
238:
231:
225:
218:
213:
206:
200:
193:
187:
180:
174:
167:
161:
154:
148:
144:
136:
129:
125:
120:
116:
115:
114:
108:
107:
106:
104:
99:
98:
93:
83:
81:
76:
74:
70:
69:Beverly Bayne
66:
54:
53:
52:
46:
45:
44:
36:
33:
31:
27:
23:
22:
297:
290:
282:
277:
257:
250:
242:
237:
229:
224:
216:
212:
204:
199:
191:
186:
178:
173:
165:
160:
152:
147:
133:
118:
112:
95:
89:
77:
63:
60:Performances
50:
42:
34:
20:
19:
18:
329:1919 plays
323:Categories
139:References
128:Theda Bara
103:melodramas
86:Background
80:Sacramento
30:E. E. Rose
92:Seattle
39:Summary
305:
265:
94:, the
303:ISBN
263:ISBN
124:vamp
67:and
325::
117:A
311:.
271:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.