James Forbes (September 2, 1871 – May 26, 1938) was a Canadian playwright who worked as a Hollywood film screenwriter. The Chorus Lady and The Famous Mrs. Fair were his best known plays.

Biography

thumb|upright=1.2|Poster for the Broadway production of The Traveling Salesman (1908), which Forbes wrote and directed

Of Scottish ancestry, Forbes was born September 2, 1871, in Salem, Centre Wellington, Ontario, and he received his education from the College Institute of Galt, Ontario. Becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1892, he had already begun his career as an actor in Chicago in 1891. Early in 1897, he accepted the position of drama critic for the Pittsburgh Dispatch. In 1897, he became the assistant drama editor of the New York World

Playwright/screenwriter

  • The Chorus Lady (play) Savoy Theatre (1906) starring Rose Stahl; screenwriter for film of the same name in 1915
  • The Traveling Salesman (1908) (play)
  • The Show Shop (1914) (play) Hudson Theatre, starring Douglas Fairbanks
  • The Commuters (1915) (play)
  • The Traveling Salesman (1916) (film)
  • The Famous Mrs. Fair (1919) (play) Henry Miller Theatre, starring Henry Miller (adapted to film of the same name in 1923)
  • The Traveling Salesman (1921 film) starring Roscoe Arbuckle
  • Their Own Desire (1929 film) (dialogue adaptation), starring Norma Shearer (best actress nomination) and Robert Montgomery
  • Inspiration (1931) (adaptation) (uncredited) starring Greta Garbo and Robert Montgomery
  • Bachelor's Affairs (1932) (play title Precious) starring Adolphe Menjou

Filmography

  • Their Own Desire (1929) (stage director)

References

  • The Show Shop on Great War Theatre