(b.
1886 ,
Chicago, Illinois ; d.
April 1 1946 ,
New York City ) was an American dramatist. His plays include ''Salvation Nell'' and ''Romance'', which was made into a motion picture with
Greta Garbo .
After becoming ill at age 29 with crippling
Rheumatoid Arthritis , which eventually claimed his sight (around 1930), Sheldon became a source of emotional and creative support for his many friends, including such luminaries of the literary and theatrical world as
John Barrymore ,
Thornton Wilder ,
Alexander Woollcott ,
Anne Morrow Lindbergh ,
Ruth Gordon ,
Helen Hayes (his sister-in-law), and many others.
A 1936 lawsuit against
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for copyright infringement claimed that the script MGM used for the
1932 motion picture ''
Letty Lynton '' plagiarized material from the play ''Dishonored Lady'' by Sheldon and
Margaret Ayer Barnes . The film is still unavailable today because of this lawsuit.
His life is detailed in ''The Man Who Lived Twice'' by
Eric Wollencott Barnes .
- ''Salvation Nell'' (1908), made into the 1915, 1921, and 1931 motion pictures of the same name
- ''The Nigger'' (1909), made into the 1915 motion picture of the same name (aka ''The New Governor'')
- ''The Boss'' (1911), made into the 1915 motion picture of the same name
- ''The High Road'' (1912), made into the 1915 motion picture of the same name
- ''Romance'' (1913), notable for its London run of 1,049 performances. Also made into the 1931 motion picture starring Greta Garbo . Produced as a musical, ''My Romance'', with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Rowland Leigh , in 1948.
- ''Song of Songs'' (1914), dramatization of the novel by Hermann Sudermann , made into the 1918 and 1933 motion pictures of the same name and the 1924 motion picture ''Lily of the Dust''
- ''The Garden of Paradise'' (1914), from "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen
- ''The Jest'' (1919), adaptation from the Italian of Sem Benelli
- ''The Czarina'' (1922), adaptation of the Hungarian play by Melchior Lengyel and Lajos Biro
- ''Bewitched'' (1924), with Sidney Howard
- ''Lulu Belle'' (1926), with Charles MacArthur , made into the 1948 motion picture of the same name
- ''Jenny'' (1929), with Margaret Ayer Barnes
- ''Dishonored Lady'' (1930), with Margaret Ayer Barnes, made into the 1947 motion picture of the same name, starring Hedy Lamarr and directed by Robert Stevenson (alternate title ''Sins of Madeleine'')
