Kenyon Nicholson - Career

Career

Kenyon began his post-war career as a press agent with the Stuart Walker Company in both New York and Indianapolis. While in Indianapolis, his first full-length play was produced at the Murat Theater. “Honor Bright” was a comedy written in collaboration with famed Hoosier Meredith Nicholson. Kenyon was next appointed as an instructor in the English department at Columbia University, and was assistant to Hatcher Hughes in teaching playwriting.

Kenyon Nicholson’s first Broadway success was “The Barker,” which was produced by Charles L. Wagner and Edgar Selwyn at the Biltmore Theater in January, 1927. Walter Huston played the lead, Nifty Miller, the manager of a traveling tent show who is surprised when his son quits school to join the show. Claudette Colbert played the part of Lou, a snake charmer who falls for Nifty’s son. Nicholson adapted “The Barker” into a novel, published in 1927.

His next big playwriting success was “Torch Song,” produced by Arthur Hopkins at the Plymouth Theater in 1930. This play centered around a traveling salesman who deserts his cabaret singer girlfriend to marry his employer’s daughter.

“Sailor, Beware!” was Kenyon’s last real success on Broadway; it opened at the Lyceum Theater on September 28, 1933. The idea for this play came to Kenyon and his writing partner, Charles Robinson while they were drinking in a sailor’s hangout in San Pedro. The play is set in Panama. The film rights for “Sailor, Beware!” were sold to Paramount for $76,500. The movie, released in 1952, starred Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

Kenyon collaborated on many of his plays; some of his writing partners include S.N. Behrman, Charles Knox Robinson, and John Golden. In addition to playwriting, Kenyon wrote for radio, Columbia Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He also edited numerous collections of short plays.