Common Clay (play)

Contemporary photo of the third act published in a newspaper. Jane Cowl is in the center.

Common Clay is a 1915 play by the American writer Cleves Kinkead. A social drama, it shows the relationship between a servant and a member of the wealthy family which she serves. When she becomes pregnant she finds herself ostracized by them. The play was controversial on its release, but enjoyed a lengthy run on Broadway.^[1] It was the outstanding success of Kinkead's career, and he struggled to repeat it with his later works such as Your Woman and Mine (1922).^{[2] [3]}

Adaptations

It was the basis for a 1919 silent film Common Clay starring Fannie Ward. The film was turned into films twice during the 1930s: A 1930 adaptation Common Clay starring Constance Bennett and a 1936 film Private Number starring Loretta Young.

References

1. Brown & Hayes p.68-69
2. Bordman p.174
3. Common Clay original Broadway production, August 26 1915 Theatre Republic ending May 1916, 316 performances; IBDb.com

Bibliography

• Bordman, Gerald. American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama 1914-1930. Oxford University Press, 1995.
• Brown, Jared & Hayes, Helen. The Fabulous Lunts: A Biography of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Atheneum, 1986.

External Links

Internet Broadway Database - Common Clay