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Augustus Thomas

オーガスタス・トーマス

Ōgasutasu Tōmasu

Aliases: Gus

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1857-01-08 （St. Louis, Missouri）
Died
1934-08-12 （Nyack, New York） age 77
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
St. Louis, Missouri → Kansas City, Missouri → Nyack, New York

Career

Occupations
Playwright, Screenwriter, Editor, Director
Active Years
1889-1926
Affiliations
The Lambs (theatrical club), American Academy of Arts and Letters
Memberships
The Lambs (member; served as president 1907–1910)
Influenced By
Dion Boucicault, Frances Hodgson Burnett (influence via adapted source material)
Influenced
Lionel Barrymore (actor who rose to prominence in Thomas's plays)

Awards

Gold Medal for Drama
1913
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Alabama

1891 Play

A play about an unreconstructed Confederate in the post–Civil War South. One of Thomas's early successes that enabled him to write full-time.

Post–Civil War societyRegional identity

In Mizzoura

1893 Play

A regional play set in Missouri, exemplifying Thomas's use of American local color.

Local cultureInterpersonal relations

Arizona

1900 Play

A play set in the American West that captured regional features of the era; adapted to film multiple times.

Western frontierLaw and justice
Adaptations
  • [Film] Arizona (1913 film) (1913)
  • [Film] Arizona (1918 film) (1918)
  • [Film] Arizona (1931 film) (1931)

The Copperhead

1918 Play

A successful play that helped make Lionel Barrymore a star; one of Thomas's most notable later works.

PatriotismPersonal conflict
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Copperhead (1920 film) (1920)

The Burglar

1889 Play (expanded from one-act to four-act)

Expanded from a one-act based on a Frances Hodgson Burnett story; performed with actors such as Maurice Barrymore.

Morality and redemptionSocial class

The Print of My Remembrance

1922 Autobiography

Thomas's autobiography recounting his career as a playwright, theatrical experiences, and aspects of his personal life.

MemoirProfessional life of a playwright

Bibliography

  • Editha's Burglar (1884)
  • The Burglar (1889)
  • A Man of the World (1889)
  • Reckless Temple (1890)
  • A Woman of the World (1890)
  • Alabama (1891)
  • Colonel Carter of Cartersville (1892)
  • In Mizzoura (1893)
  • New Blood (1894)
  • Arizona (1900)
  • Oliver Goldsmith (1900)
  • Colorado (1900)
  • Soldiers of Fortune (1902)
  • The Earl of Pawtucket (1903)
  • The Other Girl (1903)
  • Mrs. Leffingwell's Boots (1905)
  • The Embassy Ball (1906)
  • The Witching Hour (1907)
  • The Harvest Moon (1909)
  • The Member from Ozark (1910)
  • As a Man Thinks (1911)
  • The Copperhead (1918)
  • Nemesis (1921)
  • The Print of My Remembrance (1922)
  • Still Waters (1926)

Adaptations

  • Multiple film adaptations including Arizona (1913, 1918, 1931)
  • The Copperhead (1920) film adaptation
  • The Jungle (1914) film (co-directed)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic style emphasizing local colorClassical stagecraft focused on character depiction
Recurring Motifs
Post–Civil War tensionsRelationship between region and individual

Legacy

One of the early American playwrights to emphasize local color; many of his plays were staged and adapted to film. He served as president of The Lambs and received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Drama in 1913, earning notable recognition in theater circles.

Academic Societies

  • The Lambs
  • American Academy of Arts and Letters

Archives

  • Project Gutenberg (some works by Thomas)
  • Internet Archive (works and materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Contribution to early American cinema through multiple film adaptations of his plays

Trivia

  • Served as president of The Lambs from 1907 to 1910.
  • First recipient (1913) of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Drama.
  • Worked as editor of the Kansas City Mirror.
  • Buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.