Dwight Deere Wiman
Encyclopedia
Dwight Deere Wiman was an American
silent movie actor, playwright and theatrical director. He is best known as a Broadway producer.
, one of two boys born to William Wiman and Anna Deere, a granddaughter of John Deere. His mother died in 1906 and after his grandfather, Charles Deere, died the following year. He, his father and his brother, Charles Deere Wiman, went to live with his grandmother on her estate in Moline, which was named "Overlook". His grandmother died in 1914 and his father died in 1915. He and his brother were cared for by his uncle and aunt, William
and Katherine Butterworth who lived across the street. Both his grandfather, uncle and brother served as president of Deere & Company
. He was sent to Todd Seminary for Boys
in Woodstock, Illinois
for school. He served in the military during World War I
and studied drama under Monty Woolley
at Yale University
.
from 1920-1924. He acted in three silent movies during this time. The film company suffered from marketing difficulties and it dissolved.
In 1925 he started a partnership with William A. Brady, Jr. They produced plays such as Lucky Sam McCarver (1925), the revivals of Little Eyolf
and The Two Orphans in 1926, The Road to Rome (1927), and The Little Show
(1929). Their working relationship ended amicably in 1929 as Wiman was the only one interested in musical theater. Between 1930 and 1951 he produced more than 50 shows. The more significant productions include: The Vinegar Tree (1930), Gay Divorce
(1932), She Loves Me Not (1933), On Your Toes
(1936), Babes in Arms
(1937), On Borrowed Time (1938), I Married an Angel
(1938), Morning's at Seven
(1939), By Jupiter
(1942), and The Country Girl (1950).
Wiman also directed works by Paul Osborn
, John Van Druten, and Clifford Odets
among others. He had a long association with Rodgers and Hart
. During World War II
he served as the director of entertainment for the Red Cross in Great Britain
.
in 1951 at the age of 56 and was buried in Riverside Cemetery
in Moline.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
silent movie actor, playwright and theatrical director. He is best known as a Broadway producer.
Early life & Education
Dwight Wiman was born in Moline, IllinoisMoline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
, one of two boys born to William Wiman and Anna Deere, a granddaughter of John Deere. His mother died in 1906 and after his grandfather, Charles Deere, died the following year. He, his father and his brother, Charles Deere Wiman, went to live with his grandmother on her estate in Moline, which was named "Overlook". His grandmother died in 1914 and his father died in 1915. He and his brother were cared for by his uncle and aunt, William
William Butterworth (businessman)
William Butterworth served as both president and chairman of Deere & Company.-Biography:Butterworth was born in Maineville, Ohio, and graduated from Lehigh University and studied law at the National University in Washington D.C.In 1892 Butteworth married Katherine Deere, daughter of Charles Deere...
and Katherine Butterworth who lived across the street. Both his grandfather, uncle and brother served as president of Deere & Company
John Deere
John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...
. He was sent to Todd Seminary for Boys
Todd Seminary for Boys
The Todd Seminary for Boys, later the Todd School for Boys was located in Woodstock, Illinois.-History:The Todd School for Boys was an independent school founded by Reverend Richard K Todd who brought from his native Vermont the New England philosophy of "plain living and high thinking, and in...
in Woodstock, Illinois
Woodstock, Illinois
Woodstock is a far northwest suburb of Chicago in McHenry County, Illinois. The population was 20,151 at the 2000 census. The 2010 Census shows 24,770 residents. It is the county seat of McHenry County...
for school. He served in the military during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and studied drama under Monty Woolley
Monty Woolley
Monty Woolley was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor. At the age of 50, he achieved a measure of stardom for his best-known role in the stage play and 1942 film The Man Who Came to Dinner...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Career
He spent two years working for Deere & Company before he and a couple of his friends organized an independent film production company, Film Guild, in Astoria, QueensAstoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
from 1920-1924. He acted in three silent movies during this time. The film company suffered from marketing difficulties and it dissolved.
In 1925 he started a partnership with William A. Brady, Jr. They produced plays such as Lucky Sam McCarver (1925), the revivals of Little Eyolf
Little Eyolf
Little Eyolf is an 1894 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play was first performed on January 12, 1895 in the Deutsches Theater in Berlin.-Plot:...
and The Two Orphans in 1926, The Road to Rome (1927), and The Little Show
The Little Show
The Little Show is a musical revue with lyrics by Howard Dietz and music by Arthur Schwartz. This was the first of 11 musicals that featured the songs of Dietz and Schwartz. The revue opened on Broadway in 1929.-History:...
(1929). Their working relationship ended amicably in 1929 as Wiman was the only one interested in musical theater. Between 1930 and 1951 he produced more than 50 shows. The more significant productions include: The Vinegar Tree (1930), Gay Divorce
Gay Divorce
Gay Divorce is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Dwight Taylor, adapted by Kenneth Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein. It was Fred Astaire's last Broadway show and featured the hit song "Night and Day" in which Astaire danced with co-star Claire Luce.It was made into a musical...
(1932), She Loves Me Not (1933), On Your Toes
On Your Toes
On Your Toes is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939....
(1936), Babes in Arms
Babes in Arms
Babes in Arms is a 1937 musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a teen-age boy who puts on a show with his friends to avoid being sent to a work farm.- Production history:...
(1937), On Borrowed Time (1938), I Married an Angel
I Married an Angel
I Married An Angel is a musical comedy by Rodgers and Hart. It was adapted from a play by Hungarian playwright János Vaszary, entitled Angyalt Vettem Felesegul. The book was by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with music by Rodgers and lyrics by Hart. The story concerns a wealthy banker who,...
(1938), Morning's at Seven
Morning's at Seven
Morning's at Seven is a play by Paul Osborn.Its plot focuses on four aging sisters living in a small Midwestern town in 1938, and it deals with ramifications within the family when two of them begin to question their lives and decide to make some changes before it’s too late.The original Broadway...
(1939), By Jupiter
By Jupiter
By Jupiter is a musical with a book by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. The musical is based on the play The Warrior's Husband by Julian F. Thompson, set in the land of the Amazons...
(1942), and The Country Girl (1950).
Wiman also directed works by Paul Osborn
Paul Osborn
Paul Osborn was an American playwright and screenwriter best known for writing the screen adaptation of East of Eden as well as South Pacific, The Yearling, The World of Suzie Wong and Sayonara....
, John Van Druten, and Clifford Odets
Clifford Odets
Clifford Odets was an American playwright, screenwriter, socialist, and social protester.-Early life:Odets was born in Philadelphia to Romanian- and Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Louis Odets and Esther Geisinger, and raised in Philadelphia and the Bronx, New York. He dropped out of high...
among others. He had a long association with Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist Lorenz Hart...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served as the director of entertainment for the Red Cross in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
Personal life & Death
Dwight Wiman was married to Dorothea Stephens. The couple divorced in 1946. He died in Hudson, New YorkHudson, New York
Hudson is a city located along the west border of Columbia County, New York, United States. The city is named after the adjacent Hudson River and ultimately after the explorer Henry Hudson.Hudson is the county seat of Columbia County...
in 1951 at the age of 56 and was buried in Riverside Cemetery
Riverside Cemetery (Moline, Illinois)
Riverside Cemetery is located in Moline, Illinois, United States. It can trace its beginnings to Moline Cemetery, which was established to 1851. The original of the cemetery was purchased from Samuel and Mary Bell on November 1 of that year. It is located between Fourth and Fifth Avenues at...
in Moline.
Filmography
Dwight Wiman acted in the following silent films:- Youthful Cheaters (1923), as Dexter French
- Puritan PassionsPuritan PassionsPuritan Passions is a 1923 silent film directed by Frank Tuttle, based on Percy MacKaye's 1908 play, The Scarecrow, which was itself based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Feathertop". The film stars Glenn Hunter, Mary Astor, and stage actor Osgood Perkins. It follows the play faithfully,...
(1923) as Richard TalbotRichard TalbotRichard Talbot may refer to:*Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell *Richard Talbot , leading ecclesiastical and political figures in Ireland... - Peter Stuyvesant (1924) as Charles II of EnglandCharles II of EnglandCharles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
Stage Productions
Dwight Wiman was the producer, director or writer for the following stage productions:- Ostriches (1925), producer
- Lucky Sam McCarver (1925), producer
- Little EyolfLittle EyolfLittle Eyolf is an 1894 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play was first performed on January 12, 1895 in the Deutsches Theater in Berlin.-Plot:...
, (1926), producer - The Masque of Venice (1926), producer
- Devils (1926), producer
- The Two Orphans (1926), producer
- Seed of the Brute (1926), producer
- Hangman's House (1926), producer
- The Road to Rome (1927), producer
- The Dark (1927), producer
- House of Shadows (1927), producer
- Women Go On Forever (1927), producer
- The Command to Love (1927), producer
- The Queen's Husband (1928), producer
- The Road to Rome (1928), producer
- The Grey Fox (1928), producer
- The Jealous Moon (1928), producer
- A Most Immoral Lady (1928), director, producer
- Judas, (1929), producer
- Paolo and Francesca (1929), producer
- The Little ShowThe Little ShowThe Little Show is a musical revue with lyrics by Howard Dietz and music by Arthur Schwartz. This was the first of 11 musicals that featured the songs of Dietz and Schwartz. The revue opened on Broadway in 1929.-History:...
(1929), producer, director - Jenny (1929), producer
- The Second Little ShowThe Second Little ShowThe Second Little Show is a musical revue with lyrics by Howard Dietz and music mostly by Arthur Schwartz.Produced by William A. Brady, Jr. and Dwight Deere Wiman, in association with Tom Weatherly, the Broadway production opened at the Royale Theatre on September 2, 1930 and closed in October...
(1930), writer, director, producer - The Vinegar Tree (1930), producer
- The Third Little Show (1931), writer, producer
- After All!After All!After All! is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by Frank Desprez and music by Alfred Cellier. It was first performed at the Savoy Theatre under the management of Richard D'Oyly Carte, along with H.M.S...
(1931), producer - Gay DivorceGay DivorceGay Divorce is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Dwight Taylor, adapted by Kenneth Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein. It was Fred Astaire's last Broadway show and featured the hit song "Night and Day" in which Astaire danced with co-star Claire Luce.It was made into a musical...
(1932), producer - Bad Manners (1933), producer, director
- Champagne, Sec (1933), producer
- She Loves Me Not (1933), producer
- The Wooden Slipper (1934), producer
- Oliver Oliver (1934), producer
- The Distaff Side (1934), producer
- The Distant Shore (1935), producer
- Most of the Game (1935), producer
- A Room in Red and White (1936), producer
- On Your ToesOn Your ToesOn Your Toes is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939....
(1936), producer - Babes in ArmsBabes in ArmsBabes in Arms is a 1937 musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a teen-age boy who puts on a show with his friends to avoid being sent to a work farm.- Production history:...
(1937), producer, production supervisor - On Borrowed Time (1938), producer
- I Married an AngelI Married an AngelI Married An Angel is a musical comedy by Rodgers and Hart. It was adapted from a play by Hungarian playwright János Vaszary, entitled Angyalt Vettem Felesegul. The book was by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with music by Rodgers and lyrics by Hart. The story concerns a wealthy banker who,...
(1938), producer - Great Lady (1938), producer
- Stars in Your Eyes (1939), Producer
- Morning's at SevenMorning's at SevenMorning's at Seven is a play by Paul Osborn.Its plot focuses on four aging sisters living in a small Midwestern town in 1938, and it deals with ramifications within the family when two of them begin to question their lives and decide to make some changes before it’s too late.The original Broadway...
(1939), producer - Leave Her To Heaven (1940), producer
- Higher and HigherHigher and Higher (musical)Higher and Higher is a musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and book by Gladys Hurlbut and Joshua Logan and produced by Dwight Deere Wiman. It ran on Broadway for 84 performances in 1940.-Production:...
( 1940), producer - Old Acquaintance (1940), producer
- Letters to Lucerne (1941), producer
- Solitaire (1942), producer
- By JupiterBy JupiterBy Jupiter is a musical with a book by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. The musical is based on the play The Warrior's Husband by Julian F. Thompson, set in the land of the Amazons...
(1942), producer - The Damask Cheek (1942), producer
- Street SceneStreet Scene (opera)Street Scene is a Broadway musical or, more precisely, an "American opera" by Kurt Weill , Langston Hughes , and Elmer Rice...
(1947), producer - A Story for Strangers (1948), producer
- The Big Knife (1949], producer
- Dance Me a Song (1950), producer
- The Country Girl (1950), producer
- Romeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
(1951), producer