George Crouse Tyler

Tyler, George C[rouse] (1867–1946), producer. One of the American theatre's busiest showmen, he was born near Chillicothe, Ohio, and had served as a reporter and editor for several Ohio newspapers before becoming the manager of James O'Neill. In 1897 he joined with Theodore Liebler to form Liebler and Co., which was soon one of the leading turn‐of‐the‐century producers. Among its many notable productions were The Christian (1898), Sag Harbor (1900), The Squaw Man (1905), The Man from Home (1908), Alias Jimmy Valentine (1910), and The Garden of Allah (1911). The firm also brought to this country Mrs. Patrick Campbell, Duse, and Réjane. A series of failures at the time of World War I brought about the dissolution of the company. For a time Tyler was associated with Klaw and Erlanger, then in 1919 embarked on a career as an independent producer. His productions included Clarence (1919), Dulcy (1921), To the Ladies (1922), Merton of the Movies (1922), Young Woodley (1925), and The Plough and the Stars (1927). In the middle and late 1920s he mounted a series of important revivals, including, in 1928 alone, She Stoops to Conquer, Diplomacy, The Beaux' Stratagem, Jim, the Penman, and Macbeth. These were well received for the most part, but they were coupled with his presentations of unsuccessful new plays. Shortly thereafter, he retired from the theatre. In just short of forty years he had mounted over two hundred plays, but like so many other producers of his era, he died insolvent. Autobiography: Whatever Goes Up, 1934.