Common Clay (play)

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Contemporary photo of the third act published in a newspaper. Jane Cowl is in the center. Common clay - 1916 newspaper photo.jpg
Contemporary photo of the third act published in a newspaper. Jane Cowl is in the center.

Common Clay is a 1915 play by the American writer Cleves Kinkead. A social drama, it shows the relationship between a servant and a member of the wealthy family which she serves. When she becomes pregnant she finds herself ostracized by them. The play was controversial on its release, but enjoyed a lengthy run on Broadway. [1] It was the outstanding success of Kinkead's career, and he struggled to repeat it with his later works such as Your Woman and Mine (1922). [2] [3]

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Adaptations

It was the basis for a 1919 silent film starring Fannie Ward and two further adaptations during the 1930s: Common Clay starring Constance Bennett released in 1930 and a 1936 version called Private Number starring Loretta Young. A novelisation by D. Torbett was published by The Readers Library, to coincide with the release of the 1930 film.

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