Porter Emerson Browne, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetPorter Emerson Browne
American playwright
Date of Birth: 22-Jun-1879
Place of Birth: Beverly, Massachusetts, United States
Date of Death: 20-Sep-1934
Profession: playwright
Nationality: United States
Zodiac Sign: Cancer 
About Porter Emerson Browne
- Porter Emerson Browne was an American playwright (June 22, 1879 – September 20, 1934), born Beverly, Massachusetts. He was the author of numerous plays, including A Fool There Was (1909), which was adapted for film twice, in 1915 and 1922; The Spendthrift (1910); Chains (1912); and The Bad Man (1920), adapted for film three times, in 1923, 1930 and 1941. The Mabel Normand dramatic vehicle Joan of Plattsburg (1918) was also based on a Browne play. John Toland, the historian, wrote in his autobiography a loving portrait of Browne.
- Barely a teenager, Toland aspired to be a writer, and was enthralled when Browne came to live with his family.
- Browne filled the boy’s imagination with stories about serving as Pancho Villa’s secretary, writing speeches for Theodore Roosevelt, and pursuing research in China and Japan.
- He also taught him how to deal cards from the bottom of the deck, “just in case you get into a game with crooks.” Most importantly, Browne taught him how to be a writer.
- He took the young Toland to his study and showed him a miniature stage placed next to his typewriter.
- Small figurines stood on the stage.
- “I just watch them and let them do everything they have to do,” he told Toland.
- “Then I type down everything they say.” When Toland wrote his autobiography in his eighties, after having written many books, he still remembered Browne’s example.
- He credited Browne for teaching him how to listen, even as he interviewed heinous figures important in history, without judgement.
- Like Browne, Toland provided structure and context, and then wrote down everything they had to say.
Read more at Wikipedia