Martin Flavin | |
|---|---|
 Flavin in 1923 | |
| Born | Martin Archer Flavin (1883-11-02)November 2, 1883 |
| Died | December 2, 1967(1967-12-02) (aged 84) |
| Education | University of Chicago |
| Occupations | playwright and novelist |
| Spouse(s) | Daphne Springer (1914) Sarah Keese Arnold (1919) Cornelia Clampett (1949) |
| Relatives | Lawrence Archer (maternal grandfather) |
Martin Archer Flavin (November 2, 1883 – December 27, 1967) was an American playwright and novelist. His novelJourney in the Dark received both theHarper Prize for 1943 and aPulitzer Prize for 1944. His playThe Criminal Code was produced on Broadway in 1929, and it was the basis for the movieThe Criminal Code.[1] He had eleven plays on Broadway between 1923 and 1937.
Flavin was born on November 2, 1883, inSan Francisco, California, to Martin J. Flavin and Louise Ann Archer.[2] He grew up in Chicago and was aSigma Chi at the University of Chicago, which he attended from 1903 to 1905.[3]
He was a U.S. ArmyCavalryman duringWorld War I, and he enjoyed riding horses for most of his life. Flavin was married three times: to Daphne Virginia Springer on November 14, 1914, inJoliet, Illinois,[4] Sarah Keese Arnold in 1919, and Cornelia Clampett in 1949. He had three children.[1]
"Weaves charming plays and plays charmingly with his family of clever children in his palatial home on the edge of the sea."
Flavin left college to work as a reporter on a Chicago newspaper. He then took over the family's business called the American Wallpaper Company. He wrote plays while working there.[1]
He moved toCarmel-by-the-Sea, California, in the 1920s. He and playwrightsPerry Newberry, andIra Remsen produced original dramas at theCarmel Arts and Crafts Club theater at that time.[6]
Flavin then won aHarper Prize for his playThe Criminal Code. By 1929, he had three plays running on Broadway. He wrote the novelJourney in the Dark, which received both the Harper Prize in 1943 and aPulitzer Prize in 1944. He was the oldest writer to win the $10,000 Harper prize. Other novels includedMr. Littlejohn (1940),Corporal Cat (1941),The Enchanted (1947),Cameron Hill (1957),Black and White (1950), andRed Poppies and White Marble (1962).[1]
Flavin's playBroken Dishes(1929), which premiered on Broadway in 1930, served as the foundation for several screen adaptations. It was adapted into the 1931 filmToo Young to Marry, the 1936 film 'Love Begins at 20 (also known as "All One Night"), and the 1940 filmCalling All Husbands. Additionally, it was adapted for television as an episode of the 'Pulitzer Prize Playhouse in 1951.
Flavin moved toCarmel Highlands during theGreat Depression to build a home on Yankee Point south ofPoint Lobos. He also owned a 1,300 acres (530 ha) ranch in the Cachagua area in upperCarmel Valley, California.[1]
Flavin died at the Carmel Community Hospital on December 27, 1967, inCarmel-by-the-Sea at age 84.[1]
