- Rachel Crothers
Rachel Crothers (
12 December ,1878 –5 July ,1958 ) was a prolific and successful Americanplaywright andtheater director, known for her well-crafted plays. One of the most famous was "Susan and God " (1937), which was made into a film byMGM in 1940 starringJoan Crawford andFrederic March .Crothers was born in
Bloomington, Illinois , USA. Asked how to pronouce her name, she told "TheLiterary Digest " it rhymed with "brothers". (Charles Earle Funk, "What's the Name, Please?", Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.)Rachel Crothers’ parents were Dr. Eli Kirk Crothers and Dr. Marie Louise (de Pew) Crothers. Her mother was one of the first woman
physicians in CentralIllinois .Rachel graduated from
University High School (Normal) in 1891 andIllinois State Normal School (nowIllinois State University ) in 1892. She studieddramatic arts inBoston andNew York City , and acted professionally inNew York City . She broke new ground by directing, staging, andcasting most of her own plays. She also directed several plays written by others. Rachel’s plays often dealt withsocial themes andmoral problems affectingwomen in the 20th century, including issues such as thedouble standard , trial marriages,divorce , andFreudianism .She established a number of
philanthropic groups to improve the welfare of her theatrical colleagues: the United Theatre Relief Committee, the Stage Relief Fund, the Stage Women’s War Relief Fund, and theAmerican Theatre Wing for War Relief. According to herbiography on Literature Online, Rachel “distinguished herself as one of the most significant American playwrights of the early twentieth century and as an influential force in the development of modern American drama….”On April 25, 1939, Rachel Crothers was awarded the
Chi Omega sorority national achievement award by Mrs.Franklin D. Roosevelt (Eleanor Roosevelt ). This national achievement gold medal award is given “to an American woman of notable accomplishments in the professions, public affairs, art, letters, business and finance, or education.” (Pantagraph, April 26, 1939)She died in her
Danbury, Connecticut home in 1958.External links
*imdb name|name=Rachel Crothers|id=0189405
* [http://www.bloomingtonlibrary.org/find/community_information/famous_residents/rachel_crothers/ Rachel Crothers at Bloomington Public Library]
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