Mr. Barnes of New York
Mr. Barnes of New York is a novel published in 1887 by American author Archibald Clavering Gunter, quite popular in its day, which was also adapted into a play in 1888, and later two silent film versions.
Novel
Although he already had success as a playwright, Gunter was unable to find a publisher for his first novel, which he had completed in 1885. He "submitted it to nearly every publisher in New York, and again and again it came back to him."[1] He then tried a Boston publisher and more publishers in New York, and met another round of rejections. After shelving the manuscript for a time, he read a current popular novel, and decided that although his book "might be rubbish, it was surely as good as this book that seemed to have taken the fancy of the public."[1] Gunter proceeded to publish the book himself, starting with 1,000 copies that bookstores would only take on consignment.
Within a few weeks, sales grew brisk and the book became quite popular.[1][2][3][4] Scholar James D. Hart has written that although the book may not have sold a million copies as has been claimed, it and many of Gunter's successive novels were indeed popular.[2] In 1910, a profile of this "best seller of yesterday" described "its success as instantaneous as it was astonishing. Everywhere−in railway trains and in the deck chairs of ocean liners−the paper covered yellow volume was to be seen." It also said "contemporary criticism was outspoken in its praise" of the book.[5]
The plot revolves around the European travels and adventures of Burton H. Barnes, including a romance "with an English belle" and "involvement in a Corsican vendetta concerning his future brother-in-law."[2]
In 1889, Gunter published the similarly-named book (though not a sequel), Mr. Potter of Texas, which was also a best-seller. A sequel, entitled Mr. Barnes, American was published in 1907.[6]
Dramatic adaptation
The book was adapted into a play and debuted at the Broadway Theatre in New York on October 15, 1888. The cast included John H. Gilmour as Mr. Barnes and Emily Rigl as Marina Paoli.[7] The review of the play in the New York Times was quite negative:[8]
If anything could save a hopeless play it would be such delightful acting as Miss Emily Rigl did at the Broadway Theatre last evening; but nothing human could redeem such a dramatic monstrosity as Archibald Clavering Gunter's play called "Mr. Barnes of New-York." People who read the novel fondly fancied that there could be nothing worse than that; but they had not measured the possibilities of the stage.
The Times noted that the "audience was suspiciously ecstatic in its enthusiasm." And the review in Life said: "The play does not imperil Shakespeare's laurels, but it is thoroughly interesting and amusing."[9] The play ran for seven weeks at the Broadway Theatre, closing on December 1,[10] and saw performances far and wide over following years.[11][12]
Films
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The work was adapted to silent film twice, in 1914 and 1922. The 1914 version by Vitagraph Studios starred Maurice Costello as Mr. Barnes and Mary Charleson as Marina.[13] The 1922 version featured Tom Moore, Anna Lehr, and Naomi Childers, and was directed by Victor Schertzinger.
References
- ^ a b c (13 May 1888). Hope for the Unrecognized, Newark Sunday Call (relating the story of Gunter's difficulty in getting the book published)
- ^ a b c Hart, James David. The Popular Book: A History of America's Literary Taste, p. 188-89, 309 (1950) (on list of "books most widely read in America", one of six entries for 1887)
- ^ (1 May 1887). New Books (short review), The New York Times
- ^ Somerville, Siobhan B. Queering the Color Line: Race and the Invention of Homosexuality in American Culture, p. 192-3 (2000)
- ^ Maurice, Arthur Bartlett, Best Sellers of Yesterday, The Bookman (New York) (September 1910), p. 55-63
- ^ Sequels, p. 95 (1967)
- ^ (25 December 1897). Questions Answered, New York Dramatic Mirror
- ^ (16 October 1888). Broadway Theatre, The New York Times
- ^ (1 November 1888). Drama: Mr. Barnes, Life (magazine), p. 262
- ^ (1 December 1888). Broadway Theatre ad, The Sun (New York) (advertisement shows Mr. Barnes playing on Saturday December 1, with a new show, Little Lord Fauntleroy, starting on Monday December 3, 1888)
- ^ (20 May 1890). The Opera House: Mr. Barnes of New York, Auckland Star
- ^ (7 May 1897). Mr. Barnes of New York: The Romantic Drama Very Acceptable Given at the Opera House, Evening Tribune (Pawtucket, Rhode Island)
- ^ (2 May 1914). Mr. Barnes of New York: This Latest Vitagraph Six-Part Feature is a Fine Production - every player scores, The Moving Picture World, p. 651
External links
- Mr. Barnes of New York full scan via archive.org
- Mr. Barnes of New York at the Internet Broadway Database
- Mr. Barnes of New York at IMDb (1914 version)
- Mr. Barnes of New York at IMDb (1922 version)