The Squaw Man (play)
Encyclopedia
The Squaw Man is a 1905 western
/drama
stage
play
in four acts written by Edwin Milton Royle
.
It debuted on October 23, 1905, at the Wallack's Theatre
, Broadway
, starring William Faversham
in the title role
, as Captain James Wynnegate also known as Jim Carson. The doomed bad man, Cash Hawkins, was played by William S. Hart
. Directed by Edwin Milton Royle and William Faversham, The Squaw Man was produced by Liebler & Company.
Receiving significant critical acclaim, the play ran for 222 performances before closing on April 1, 1906.
The Squaw Man has had four Broadway revivals, in 1907, 1908, 1911 and 1921. The 1911 revival starring Dustin Farnum
ran for only eight performances. The 1921 revival starring William Faversham at the Astor Theatre ran for 50 performances.
The story has also been adapted into a novel
, three movies
and a musical.
Capt. Wynnegate is in love with Henry's wife, Diana. She does not love her husband and returns the affection of the captain. As the money has been lost, Capt. Wynnegate agrees to leave England and take the blame. He is then accused of being a thief, which allows Henry to avoid suspicion and protects the name and the reputation of his wife.
He goes to the Wild West
of Montana
, where he buys the Red Butte Ranch and makes a name for himself under the alias Jim Carson. In the second act, which is several years later, Henry and Diana show up. The bad man, Cash Hawkins, is about to shoot Jim when the Ute
Indian
maiden, Nat-u-ritch, shoots Hawkins from the sidelines and saves Jim's life.
Nat-u-ritch, who is the daughter of Chief Tab-y-wana, rescues Jim several more times, it is revealed through exposition in the third act. They fall in love and have a son, Little Hal. Jim marries Nat-u-ritch. The marriage between a white man in his social position and an Indian woman is deemed scandalous.
By the fourth act, more time has passed and Diana comes West again with news that Henry has died. The English solicitor shows up and persuades Jim that Hal should be taken to England and raised as the heir to the large Wynnegate estate. Jim agrees to send the boy away.
Apparently, Jim and his social group believe it is his right to take the child away from his mother. Nat-u-ritch's father, Chief Tab-y-wana's resolve is not much different. At the first sign of disobedience the chief voices his sentiment where a woman is concerned. "If she will not obey, beat her. If she disobeys again, kill her."
Knowing that she is going to lose her son, and hearing that she will be arrested for killing Hawkins, Nat-u-ritch commits suicide. Now Jim is free to be with his English woman. The play concludes with the Indian chief standing stoically erect with the pathetically limp figure of the little mother squaw, his daughter, lying across his outstretched arms.
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
/drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
in four acts written by Edwin Milton Royle
Edwin Milton Royle
Edwind Milton Royle was an American playwright. He was born in Lexington, Missouri.Over 30 of his plays were performed. His best known is The Squaw Man....
.
It debuted on October 23, 1905, at the Wallack's Theatre
Wallack's Theatre
Wallack’s Theatre , located on 254 West 42nd Street in New York, United States, was opened on December 5, 1904 by Oscar Hammerstein I. Wallack’s was Hammerstein’s 8th production theatre and was originally known as the "Lew Fields'", a name that Hammerstein gave it in recognition of his favourite...
, Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, starring William Faversham
William Faversham
William Faversham was a legendary movie and stage actor from England who made his name on Broadway when he starred as Algernon in the original production of The Importance of Being Earnest in 1895...
in the title role
Title role
The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
, as Captain James Wynnegate also known as Jim Carson. The doomed bad man, Cash Hawkins, was played by William S. Hart
William S. Hart
William Surrey Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered for having "imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity."-Biography:...
. Directed by Edwin Milton Royle and William Faversham, The Squaw Man was produced by Liebler & Company.
Receiving significant critical acclaim, the play ran for 222 performances before closing on April 1, 1906.
The Squaw Man has had four Broadway revivals, in 1907, 1908, 1911 and 1921. The 1911 revival starring Dustin Farnum
Dustin Farnum
Dustin Lancy Farnum was an American singer, dancer and an actor in silent movies during the early days of motion pictures. After a great success in a number of stage roles, in 1914 he landed his first film role in the movie 'Soldiers of Fortune', and later in Cecil B. DeMille's The Squaw Man...
ran for only eight performances. The 1921 revival starring William Faversham at the Astor Theatre ran for 50 performances.
The story has also been adapted into a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, three movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and a musical.
Opening night cast
- Herbert Sleath as Henry Wynnegate
- Adrienne MorrisonAdrienne MorrisonMabel Adrienne Morrison was a semi-successful stage actress of the early 20th century. She married actor Richard Bennett, with whom she had three daughters who later would become actresses. She was the daughter of actress and actor Lewis Morrison. She appeared as Nat-u-ritch, the Indian squaw, in...
as Nat-u-ritch(as Mabel Morrison) - Selene Johnson as Diana
- Selina F. Royle as Lady Elizabeth Wynnegate
- Katherine Fisher as Lady Mabel Wynnegate
- William FavershamWilliam FavershamWilliam Faversham was a legendary movie and stage actor from England who made his name on Broadway when he starred as Algernon in the original production of The Importance of Being Earnest in 1895...
as Capt. James Wynnegate - Frederick Forrest as Rev. Belachazar Chiswick
- C. A. Carlton as Bates
- Hugo Toland as Malcolm Petrie
- Cecil Ward as Sir John Applegate
- William Elville as The Right Rev., Bishop of Exeter
- Brigham Royce as Sir Charles Majoribanks
- Ella Duncan as Mrs. Chichester Chichester Jones
- George FawcettGeorge FawcettGeorge Fawcett was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. On stage he appeared in such plays as Ghosts with the controversial Mary Shaw, The Squaw Man with William Faversham, The Great John Ganton with an up-and-coming actress Laurette Taylor in the cast and Getting A Polish with...
as Big Bill, foreman - Emmett Shackelford as Shorty
- Bertram A. Marburg as Andy
- Mitchell LewisMitchell LewisMitchell Lewis was an American film actor. He appeared in 200 films between 1914 and 1956. His best known role is Captain of the Winkie Guards in The Wizard of Oz, but he was uncredited. His lines were "She's dead...
as Grouchy - Baco White as Himself
- Theodore RobertsTheodore RobertsTheodore Roberts the actor is not to be confused with author Theodore Goodridge Roberts, 1877–1953, who wrote "The Harbor Master". Please see discussion page....
as Tab-y-wana - Evelyn Wright as Little Hal
- William S. HartWilliam S. HartWilliam Surrey Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered for having "imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity."-Biography:...
as Cash Hawkins - Frederick Watson as Nick, the bar-keep
- Mortimer Martini as McSorley
- Wells Edward Knibloe as Parker
- W. H. Sadler as Pete
- Chester White as Parson
- Joseph Judge as Punk
- Lillian Wright as Mrs. Hiram Doolittle
- Boyd Southey as Mr. Hiram Doolittle
- William Frederick as Bud Hardy
Synopsis
The first act of the play is set in England in the 1800s. The lead character is Capt. James Wynnegate. His older cousin, heir Henry Wynnegate, Earl of Kerhill, steals from the family trust fund and speculates heavily. Henry loses the fortune, causing them to default on a commitment to an orphans' home.Capt. Wynnegate is in love with Henry's wife, Diana. She does not love her husband and returns the affection of the captain. As the money has been lost, Capt. Wynnegate agrees to leave England and take the blame. He is then accused of being a thief, which allows Henry to avoid suspicion and protects the name and the reputation of his wife.
He goes to the Wild West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, where he buys the Red Butte Ranch and makes a name for himself under the alias Jim Carson. In the second act, which is several years later, Henry and Diana show up. The bad man, Cash Hawkins, is about to shoot Jim when the Ute
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
maiden, Nat-u-ritch, shoots Hawkins from the sidelines and saves Jim's life.
Nat-u-ritch, who is the daughter of Chief Tab-y-wana, rescues Jim several more times, it is revealed through exposition in the third act. They fall in love and have a son, Little Hal. Jim marries Nat-u-ritch. The marriage between a white man in his social position and an Indian woman is deemed scandalous.
By the fourth act, more time has passed and Diana comes West again with news that Henry has died. The English solicitor shows up and persuades Jim that Hal should be taken to England and raised as the heir to the large Wynnegate estate. Jim agrees to send the boy away.
Apparently, Jim and his social group believe it is his right to take the child away from his mother. Nat-u-ritch's father, Chief Tab-y-wana's resolve is not much different. At the first sign of disobedience the chief voices his sentiment where a woman is concerned. "If she will not obey, beat her. If she disobeys again, kill her."
Knowing that she is going to lose her son, and hearing that she will be arrested for killing Hawkins, Nat-u-ritch commits suicide. Now Jim is free to be with his English woman. The play concludes with the Indian chief standing stoically erect with the pathetically limp figure of the little mother squaw, his daughter, lying across his outstretched arms.
External links
- The Squaw Man at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- article