Edward Salisbury Field

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Edward "Ned" Salisbury Field Jr. (February 28, 1878 – September 20, 1936) was an American author, playwright, artist, poet, and journalist.

Biography[]

He was born on February 28, 1878 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Edward Salisbury and Sarah Mills Hubbard Field.[1] He was the husband of Isobel Osbourne (the step-daughter of Robert Louis Stevenson) and he was step-father of playwright Austin Strong (Isobel's son from a former marriage).[2]

Field was an employee and friend of William Randolf Hearst where he made drawings for Hearst newspapers, signing his drawings with the nom de plume, Childe Harold.[1] As a young news man in his 20s, Field became the secretary, protégé, and possibly lover of Fanny Stevenson (who was 38 years older), after the death of her husband Robert Louis Stevenson.[3] After Fanny's death in 1914, Field married her daughter, Isobel Osbourne, who was 20 years his senior.[3] Field became a successful Southern California real estate developer. In the 1920s, oil was discovered on some of his property which made them wealthy.[3]

In 1926, Field purchased Zaca Lake and surrounding land on Figueroa Mountain near Los Olivos, California.[4] His wife, Isobel, built an artists studio there, and the Field home became a popular meeting place for writers and actors.

Field's best known works were the film scripts for Wedding Bells (based on his play of the same name) and Twin Beds (based on a novel and subsequent play). The screwball comedy novel Twin Beds (1913) was filmed four times;[5] as Twin Beds in 1920 starring Carter and Flora Parker DeHaven;[6] Twin Beds in 1929 starring Jack Mulhall;[7] as The Life of the Party in 1934;[8] and as Twin Beds in 1942 with George Brent and Joan Bennett.[9] It was also adapted to stage, co-written with Margaret Mayo.[5]

Field died September 20, 1936 at Zaca Lake, he was 58 years old.[2]

Bibliography[]

  • Field, Edward Salisbury (1904). The Quest, and Other Poems. R.G. Badger, The Gorham Press.
  • Harold, Childe (1905). A Child's Book of Abridged Wisdom. Edward Salisbury Field. Paul Elder & Company.
  • Field, Edward Salisbury (1906). In Pursuit of Priscilla: A Chronicle of the Man Willing and the Woman Wilful. Will Grefé (illustrator). Henry Altemus Company.
  • Field, Edward Salisbury (1907). A Six-Cylinder Courtship. Clarence F. Underwood (illustrator). Grosset & Dunlap.
  • Field, Edward Salisbury (1909). Cupids Understudy. Will Grefé (illustrator). Grosset & Dunlap.
  • Field, Edward Salisbury (1910). The Sapphire Bracelet. Will Grefé (illustrator). New York City, NY: W.J. Watt and Company.
  • Field, Edward Salisbury (1911). The Purple Stockings. New York City, NY: W.J. Watt and Company.
  • Field, Edward Salisbury (1912). The Rented Earl. Will Grefé (illustrator). New York City, NY: W.J. Watt and Company.
  • Field, Edward Salisbury (1913). Twin Beds. Grosset & Dunlap.

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Being the Portraits and Biographies of the Progressive Men of the West. Notables of the West, Western edition. 2. Press Reference Library. New York, NY: International News Service. 1915. p. 433.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Obituary for Edward Salisbury Field (Aged 56)". The San Bernardino County Sun. 1936-09-23. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-11-27 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Harman, Claire (2006-10-31). Myself and the Other Fellow: A Life of Robert Lewis Stevenson. Harper Collins. p. 460. ISBN 978-0-06-093525-2.
  4. ^ "Zaca Lake history". Zaca Lake Foundation. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Twin Beds at The Neglected Books Page, February 2011
  6. ^ Twin Beds (1920) at IMDb
  7. ^ Twin Beds (1929) at IMDb
  8. ^ The Life of the Party at IMDb
  9. ^ Twin Beds (1942) at IMDb

External links[]

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