Marcin, Max

(1879-1948)

   Born in Poznan, Prussia, Max Marcin attended school in the United States and worked as a journalist before attempting playwriting. His first Broadway success, The House of Glass (1915), was a light melodrama, but he demonstrated versatility in popular theatre with his next play, the hit comedy Cheating Cheaters (1916). In collaboration with Charles Guernon, Marcin had another hit with Eyes of Youth (1917) and continued with only slightly diminished success during the next decade writing well-constructed entertainments, including The Woman in Room 13 (1919; written with Samuel Shipman), Silence (1924), and Badges (1924; in collaboration with Edward Hammond). Never averse to writing on demand, Marcin crafted a stage vehicle for champion prizefighter Jack Dempsey called The Big Fight (1928).