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Was he from Provincetown, too?

No, Eddie Mayer was from New York, I think. He called his play “The Firebrand.” It was about Benvenuto Cellini, and it was a very very good play. And Liveright had the misfortune of having a hit in his first production. It introduced to the American public several people who became rather well-known later on. Benvenuto Cellini was played by Joseph Schildkraut, who became a well-known actor. Two of the minor characters in the play were Frank Morgan, who became a big star, and Eddie G. Robinson. He was unknown in those days, and of course he became a very famous movie star. We all thought the girl would become famous--I don't remember who it was--but she didn't make it

Did he make a lot of money on it?

Unfortunately, yes. He made quite a lot of money, and it went to his head. The next think he did was “Hamlet” in modern dress with Basil Sidney. Basil Sidney was at this time his brother-in-law, married to Mary Ellis who was, I told you, the star of “Rose Marie.” This production got plenty of attention in the papers, but it lost a lot of money. It didn't go.

Then Liveright became interested in a musical show. That was the beginning of the end, because musical shows are murder. Also, at this time he had the misfortune of meeting Otto Kahn, the New York banker, who was very amused by Horace Liveright and gave him several tips on the market that always