Wikipedia

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.[1] Kyne created the character of Cappy Ricks in a series of novels.

Peter Bernhard Kyne
Kyne in the 1930s
Born(1880-10-12)October 12, 1880
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 25, 1957(1957-11-25) (aged 77)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Other namesPeter Bernard Kyne
Years active1914–1952

Early years

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Kyne was born October 12, 1880, to cattle rancher John Kyne and Mary Cresham. Cresham was from Headford, County Galway in Ireland.[2] Young Kyne worked on his father's ranch in San Francisco, then attended a business college where he decided to become a writer.[3]

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.[2]

Military service

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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.[4] 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".[5]

Attempted suicide

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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.[6]

Written works

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Kyne's "The Widow's Mite", the first story in his "Tib Tinker" series, was cover-featured on the November 1916 issue of Blue Book.
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

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Adaptations of The Three Godfathers

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  • 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.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ "[W]ork was pillaged, "borrowed," altered, or literally stolen, with no payment to them... [Unlike Lew Wallace,] ...Peter B. Kyne, took this plagiarism in stride," Everson, William K., American Silent Film (Oxford University Press, 1978), p. 102
  2. ^ a b Murphy, M. J. (2017). "Kathleen B. Curran, 1912-1995: The World's First Female Harbour Master". Journal of the Old Tuam Society, 14.
  3. ^ "Peter B. Kyne - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss". www.online-literature.com. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  4. ^ "Archives West: Peter Bernard Kyne papers, 1917-1957". nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  5. ^ "Lineage and Honors: 980th Medical Battalion". www.militarymuseum.org. Archived from the original on January 13, 2002.
  6. ^ Kyne, Peter B. (April 29, 1933). "Why I nearly committed suicide". Pearson's Weekly (2331): 1214–5.
  7. ^ "Eureka and Sequoia Park," Dione F. Armand, Arcadia Publishing
  8. ^ "Sequoia Park: New book delves into the history of a community oasis," Sharon Letts, Eureka Times Standard, January 20, 2008
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