Porter Emerson Browne (1879 - 1934)

Porter Emerson Browne was an American playwright (June 22, 1879 – September 20, 1934), born Beverly, Massachusetts. He was the author of numerous plays, including A Fool There Was (1909), which was adapted for film twice, in 1915 and 1922; The Spendthrift (1910); Chains (1912); and The Bad Man (1920), adapted for film three times, in 1923, 1930 and 1941. The Mabel Normand dramatic vehicle Joan of Plattsburg (1918) was also based on a Browne play. John Toland, the historian, wrote in his autobiography a loving portrait of Browne. Barely a teenager, Toland aspired to be a writer, and was enthralled when Browne came to live with his family. Browne filled the boy’s imagination with stories about serving as Pancho Villa’s secretary, writing speeches for Theodore Roosevelt, and pursuing research in China and Japan. He also taught him how to deal cards from the bottom of the deck, “just in case you get into a game with crooks.”