Girl with the Green Eyes, The

Girl with the Green Eyes, The (1902), a play by Clyde Fitch. [Savoy Theatre, 108 perf.] A streak of pathological jealousy besets the Tillmans. Geoffrey Tillman ( John W. Albaugh Jr.), having married a housemaid while drunk, enters into a secret bigamous marriage with Ruth Chester ( Lucille Flaven), lest a rival wed her. Geoffrey tells his brother‐in‐law, John Austin ( Robert Drouet), of his first marriage, but John learns the horrifying truth when Ruth reveals she, too, has married him. Ruth breaks down while telling John the news, and John's wife, Jinny ( Clara Bloodgood), who is also Geoffrey's sister, enters in time to misconstrue the scene. Her jealousy is boundless and destroys her marriage, John refusing to betray the dark secret he has learned. Jinny is driven to attempt suicide, but John arrives to rescue her. What to many critics was a play moving compellingly toward tragedy was marred by the contrived happy ending that Fitch felt obligated to attach in order to please producer Charles Frohman and to assure popular acceptance. Some other critics felt the play was weakened by an absence of any genuine motive for John Austin's persistent silence.