The Man from Home

Man from Home, The (1908), a play by Booth Tarkington and Harry Leon Wilson. [Astor Theatre, 496 perf.] When Daniel Voorhees Pike (William Hodge), a straightforward, likable lawyer from Kokomo, Indiana, comes to Italy to visit his ward, Ethel Granger‐Simpson (Madeline Louis), he finds her engaged to Almeric St. Aubyn (Echlin P. Gayner), the spoiled son of the Earl of Hawcastle (Hassard Short). Pike discovers that the Earl himself is not only more worthless than his son, he is downright treacherous. In exposing them, Pike wins the hand of Ethel and also frees Ethel's brother Horace (George Le Guere) from an equally unsavory alliance. The three agree to return home to Kokomo. Although many critics viewed the Liebler and Co. production as excessively jingoistic, the public disagreed. Walter Prichard Eaton seemingly summed up both sides when he observed, “We think it a pleasant and popular piece of extremely parochial jingo. We should call it as an excellent bad play.” It held the stage for six consecutive seasons and was regularly revived thereafter. Harry Leon WILSON (1867–1939), a noted novelist and editor of Puck from 1892 to 1902, was born in Oregon, Illinois. This was his most successful play. He also collaborated with Tarkington on Cameo Kirby (1909), Your Humble Servant (1910), Tweedles (1923), and How's Your Health? (1929). Several of Wilson's stories were dramatized by other playwrights, including Ruggles of Red Gap (1915), His Majesty Bunker Bean (1916), and Merton of the Movies (1922).