Fortune Hunter, The

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Fortune Hunter, The (1909), a comedy by Winchell Smith. [Gaiety Theatre, 345 perf.] Spoiled as a youth by a rich father who eventually died penniless, Nat Duncan ( John Barrymore) is at a loss to provide himself with champagne and lobster. His friend Henry Kellogg ( Hale Hamilton) suggests the best way is to marry a rich girl and that the best place to find one is a small town. The two friends bet on the outcome, then Nat selects a particular village and picks as his objective the banker's daughter, Josie Lockwood ( Edna Bruna). Taking a job as a drug store clerk, Nat finds himself falling in love instead with the druggist's daughter, Betty Graham ( Mary Ryan). He decides Betty means more to him than champagne and lobster. This fresh, wholesome comedy, produced by George M. Cohan and Sam Harris, gave a major boost to Barrymore's career. A musical version called The City Chap (1925) failed to run.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Fortune Hunter, The." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Fortune Hunter, The." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-FortuneHunterThe.html

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Fortune Hunter, The." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-FortuneHunterThe.html

Learn more about citation styles