The New York herald., 1922-12-13
Theodore Kremer,
Writer of Lurid
Melodramas, Dying
Author of 'The Fatal We'd
ding and Other Plays Very
Ill in Germany.

Theodore Kremer. king of the melo-
dramatists, Is dying in Dresden, Ger
many a cable TO that effect has been
received here at the Offices OF A. a.
Woods and Sam II. Harris, producers
he made wealthy by his thrillers. De-
tails Of the nature OF his illness are lack
ing. The three started on the road 10
fortune jointly when Kremer was writ
Ing bloodcardlipg dramas back In the
early sos. and they were being pro
duced by the firm OF Sullivan, Harris
& Woods. Paddy Sullivan. brother Of
the one-time Senator Tim Sullivan,
headed this firm.
The story of their hrst success Is an
unusual one, Woods got hold OF a title
which he thought would pull melo-
drama to prosperity. 1t was The
Bowery After Dark" He had litho-
grapher make up sensational poster
to go with the title Then he commits
stoned Kremer to write the play around
the lithograph. The drama made hit
in the second class houses.
At that time there was popular
priced circuit, with 81 as the top price,
on which the better class plays were
placed after they were through with the
first class theaters. Kremer began writ
ing for these, and Sullivan Hawis x
Woods as well as the many Mittenthal
Brothers. got their start with his works
Kremer did much to popularize the
vogue of the lurid thriller. which usually
had mechanical effects to put 1t over.
The contemporaries who sprang up with
him were Owen Davis. Hal Reid and
Lincoln ]. Carter. OF these only Davis
continues actively writing for the thea
ter He and Kremer used to engage In
some stirring races to see who would
be first on the spot with timely
thriller After a sensational murder or
similar case. occurred Davis and Kremer
would dramatic It. When the BiGdle
brothers made their spectacular escape
from the jail the two playwrights com.
peted and Kremer won, turning out in
three weeks one of his heaviest money
makers, "a Desperate Chance"
Kremer's facility enabled him to turn
out twenty melodramas in all before the
bottom dropped out of the thriller mar
ket Among these his biggest success
was THE Fatal Wedding" Other well
known plays by him were "The Queen
OF the High -Binders," Bertha. the Sew
ing Machine Girl and -"Rachel Cold
stein" When public taste swung away
from this type of play over decade
ago Kremer had accumulated large
enough fortune to live comfortably in
to n few months ago.
Despite the blood and thunder char
acter Of his plays, he was man Of
quiet, refined nature, whose real ambi-
tion was opera going. Both Davis and
William A. Brady, who knew him well,
spoke highly last night of his culture
and fine taste. His ideals led him to
seel; a higher level than that at which
he made money. and he tried his hand
az a number of serious plays, usually
historical. These sometimes were shown
out of town. but never were successful
in New York.
IT was reported at one time, with an
air OF credibility. that Kremer had writ
ten '"The Woman in the Case" at
tributed to Clyde Fitch. in which
Blanche Walsh starred, and turned II
over to Fitch because he was dscour-
aged OF ever making hit with such
works himself. The play succeeded and
X was reported that Kremer had sup
piled Fitch with material for other
plays.