# Peter B. Kyne

Peter Bernhard Kyne (October 12, 1880 – November 25, 1957) was an American novelist who published between 1904 and 1940. He was born and died in San Francisco, California. Many of his works were adapted into screenplays starting during the silent film era, particularly his first novel, The Three Godfathers, which was published in 1913 and proved to be a huge success. More than 100 films were adapted from his works between 1914 and 1952, many of the earliest without consent or compensation. Kyne created the character of Cappy Ricks in a series of novels.

## Early years

Kyne was born October 12, 1880, to cattle rancher John Kyne and Mary Cresham. Cresham was from Headford, County Galway in Ireland. Young Kyne worked on his father's ranch in San Francisco, then attended a business college where he decided to become a writer.
He was the Uncle of World War II veteran Joseph R. Kyne, great Uncle to Dennis Joseph Kyne and to the last living Kyne, decorated Desert Storm veteran, award-winning author and musician, Dennis Joseph Kyne, Jr. His cousin, Kathleen Curran, has been credited as the first female harbour master in Ireland.

## Military service

When still younger than 18 years old, Kyne lied about his age and enlisted with Company L, 14th U.S. Infantry nicknamed "the Golden Dragons", which served in the Philippines from 1898 to 1899. The Spanish–American War and the struggle for Philippine independence led by General Emilio Aguinaldo provided background for many of Kyne's later stories. During World War I, he served as a captain of Battery A of the California National Guard 144th Field Artillery Regiment, known as the "California Grizzlies".

## Attempted suicide

Kyne has described how he attempted to commit suicide at the age of 27. It happened when he got into heavy debts running a retail furnishing-goods business. He described how he took a .32-calibre revolver and "felt for the fifth rib ... cocked the pistol, thrust the barrel to the spot ... and pulled the trigger. Click! A defective cartridge." He then settled with his creditors and his first book was published six years later.

## Written works

| Title | Year |
| The Three Godfathers | 1913 |
| The Long Chance | 1914 |
| Cappy Ricks | 1916 |
| Webster—Man's Man | 1917 |
| The Valley of the Giants | 1918 |
| Kindred of the Dust | 1920 |
| The Pride of Palomar | 1921 |
| The Go Getter | 1922 |
| Cappy Ricks Retires | 1922 |
| Never the Twain Shall Meet | 1923 |
| Outlaws of Eden | 1929 |
| Golden Dawn | 1930 |
| Cappy Ricks Comes Back | 1934 |
| Cappy Ricks Special | 1935 |
| Soldiers, Sailors and Dogs | 1936 |
| The Parson of Panamint and Other Stories | 1936 |

## Partial filmography

* The Parson of Panamint (1916)
* The Light in Darkness (1917)
* One Touch of Nature (1917)
* The Valley of the Giants (1919)
* Red Courage (1921)
* The Ten Dollar Raise (1921)
* A Motion to Adjourn (1921)
* The Innocent Cheat (1921)
* Brothers Under the Skin (1922)
* Kindred of the Dust (1922)
* The Pride of Palomar (1922)
* Back to Yellow Jacket (1922)
* Making a Man (1922)
* One Eighth Apache (1922)
* Loving Lies (1924)
* Never the Twain Shall Meet (1925)
* The Enchanted Hill (1926)
* The Shamrock Handicap (1926)
* Breed of the Sea (1926)
* Pals in Paradise (1926)
* The Understanding Heart (1927)
* The Man in Hobbles (1928)
* Freedom of the Press (1928)
* The Pride of the Legion (1932)
* Heroes of the West (1932 serial)
* Gordon of Ghost City (1933)
* Hot Off the Press (1935)
* Bars of Hate (1935)
* The Fighting Coward (1935)
* Headline Crasher (1936)
* A Face in the Fog (1936)
* Code of the Range (1936)
* Taming the Wild (1936)
* Born to Fight (1936)
* The Go Getter (1937)
* Flaming Frontiers (1938 serial)

### Adaptations of The Three Godfathers

* The Three Godfathers (Edward LeSaint, 1916)
* Marked Men (John Ford, 1919) considered a lost film
* Hell's Heroes (William Wyler, 1929)
* Three Godfathers (Richard Boleslawski, 1936)
* 3 Godfathers (John Ford, 1948)
* The Godchild (made-for-TV, 1974)
* Walker, Texas Ranger episode "A Ranger Christmas" 12/21/96, loosely adapted, uncredited
* Tokyo Godfathers (2003), loosely adapted, uncredited

## Popular culture

* The Tracy High School football field and MVP trophy are named after Kyne, whose Bohemian Club friends orchestrated the naming in 1927, Kyne and his Bohemian club friends funded early Tracy High School athletic programs and purchased the land for the eponymous Peter B. Kyne Field.
* A wooden sign in Sequoia Park in Eureka, California, bears a quote from Kyne's The Valley of the Giants: "I'm not going to cut the timber in this valley. I haven't the heart to destroy God's most wonderful handiwork. 'Twas in her mind to give her Valley of the Giants to Sequoia (Eureka) for a city park." In Kyne's Humboldt-inspired book The Valley of the Giants, a timber baron's wife's wish of saving a favorite stand of redwoods and creating a park in the middle of a city is made possible by her husband after her death.