John Hartley Manners was a London-born playwright of Irish extraction who wrote Peg o' My Heart, which starred his wife, Laurette Taylor

Laurette Taylor

Laurette Taylor was an American stage and silent film actress.-Personal life:Laurette Taylor was born in New York City of Irish extraction as Loretta Helen Cooney.-Personal life:...

 on Broadway in one of her greatest stage triumphs.

Biography

He was born on 10 August 1870. He wrote the 1922 silent screen adaptation

Peg o' My Heart (1922 film)

Peg o' My Heart is a silent drama film directed by King Vidor and starring Laurette Taylor. It is based on the 1912 play written by Taylor's husband J. Hartley Manners. The play starred Laurette Taylor and famously ran a record number of performances on Broadway...

 of Peg o' My Heart which starred Laurette. The 1933 sound remake

Peg o' My Heart (1933 film)

Peg o' My Heart is a 1933 film adaptation of the play of the same name by J. Hartley Manners. It starred Marion Davies as a poor Irish girl who stands to inherit a fortune if she satisfies certain conditions.-Cast:...

 starring Marion Davies

Marion Davies

Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....

 was adapted from Manners' play as Manners had died in 1928. Manners also wrote two 1924 silent film screenplays which starred his wife in her only two other motion picture appearances, Happiness

Happiness (1924 film)

Happiness is a 1924 silent comedy film directed by King Vidor. It stars stage great Laurette Taylor, in one of her rare film appearances. The film is based on the 1914 Broadway play written by Taylor's husband J. Hartley Manners.-Cast:...

adapted from his play, and One Night in Rome

One Night in Rome

One Night in Rome is a 1924 film starring Laurette Taylor. The film was directed by Clarence G. Badger and written J. Hartley Manners, Ms. Taylor's husband, based upon his play. Laurette Taylor was a great name of the American theatre, who made only three films in a triumph-studded career, all of...

. The latter his wife particularly enjoyed and kept a personal print to run over and over for guests.

He died on 19 December 1928.

Productions

Peg o' My Heart, a comedy, played in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 from December 20, 1912 to May 30, 1914. It afterward had a long run in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. Manners' other plays include:

• The Crossways, in collaboration with Lillie Langtry
  Lillie Langtry
  Lillie Langtry , usually spelled Lily Langtry when she was in the U.S., born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, was a British actress born on the island of Jersey...
  
  
• As Once in May
• The Queen's Messenger
• Zira, with Henry Miller
  Henry Miller (actor)
  Henry Miller was an English-born American actor, director, theatrical producer and manager.Born as John Pegge in London, Miller's parents immigrated to Canada where he started acting as a juvenile. He became the leading man in Charles Frohman's stock company in New York City's Empire Theatre in 1893...
  
  
• The Majesty of Birth
• Ganton & Co.
• The Girl and the Wizard
• The Prince of Bohemia
• The Girl in Waiting
• A Woman Intervenes

He published Peg o' My Heart in 1913, and Happiness and Other Plays, including Just as Well and The Day of Dupes in 1914.

He died of esophageal cancer in New York City, aged 58.

External links