Howard, Sidney

(1891-1939)

   Born in Oakland, California, the eminent playwright studied under George Pierce Baker in 1915-1916. He served in Europe during World War I, then wrote for Life magazine (1919-1922). He was married to actress Clare Eames from 1922 to 1930. In 1938, he was a founding member of the Playwright Company.* His 25 or so plays include the Pulitzer PRiZE-winning They Knew What They Wanted (1924) as well as Lucky SamMcCarver (1925), NedMcCobb'sDaughter (1926), The Silver Cord (1926), The Late Christopher Bean* (1932), and Alien Corn* (1933). Despite occasional turgid sequences, his plays hold up well as realistic treatments of ordinary people in emotionally fraught situations. Howard, who also wrote for motion pictures (most notably, Gone with the Wind [1939]), died as a result of a tractor accident on his farm.