Edward Salisbury Field

He was born on February 28, 1878, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Edward Salisbury and Sarah Mills Hubbard Field.{{Cite book|editor-last=Stevens|editor-first=Otheman|chapter=Edward Salisbury Field|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/beingportraitsbi02pres/page/432/mode/2up|title=Being the Portraits and Biographies of the Progressive Men of the West|date=1915|publisher=International News Service|others=Press Reference Library|series=Notables of the West, Western edition|volume=2|location=New York, NY|page=433|language=en}} He was the husband of Isobel Osbourne (the step-daughter of Robert Louis Stevenson) and he was step-father of playwright Austin Strong (Isobel's son from a former marriage).{{Cite news|date=1936-09-23|title=Obituary for Edward Salisbury Field (Aged 56)|pages=1|work=The San Bernardino County Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39128765/obituary-for-edward-salisbury-field/|url-access=limited|access-date=2020-11-27|via=newspapers.com}}

Field was an employee and friend of William Randolf Hearst where he made drawings for Hearst newspapers, signing his drawings with the nom de plume Childe Harold. As a young news man in his 20s, Field became the secretary, protégé, and possibly lover of Fanny Stevenson (who was 38 years older), after the death of her husband Robert Louis Stevenson.{{Cite book|last=Harman|first=Claire|url=https://archive.org/details/myselfotherfello0000harm/page/460/mode/2up|title=Myself and the Other Fellow: A Life of Robert Louis Stevenson|year=2006|publisher=Harper Collins|isbn=978-0-06-093525-2|page=460|language=en}} After Fanny's death in 1914, Field married her daughter, Isobel Osbourne, who was 20 years his senior. Field became a successful Southern California real estate developer. In the 1920s, oil was discovered on some of his property which made them wealthy.

In 1926, Field purchased Zaca Lake and surrounding land on Figueroa Mountain near Los Olivos, California.{{cite web |url=http://www.zacalakeretreat.com/history.html |title=Zaca Lake history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522165251/http://www.zacalakeretreat.com/history.html |archive-date=May 22, 2010 |publisher=Zaca Lake Foundation}} His wife, Isobel, built an artists studio there, and the Field home became a popular meeting place for writers and actors.

Field's best known works were the film scripts for Wedding Bells (based on his play of the same name) and Twin Beds (based on his 1913 screwball comedy novel and its stage adaptation). Twin Beds was filmed four times:{{cite web |last=Bigelow |first=Brad |title=Twin Beds |work=The Neglected Books Page |date=February 2011 |access-date=2025-06-20 |url=http://neglectedbooks.com/?p=861 }} as Twin Beds in 1920 starring Carter and Flora Parker DeHaven;[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011796/ Twin Beds] (1920) at IMDb Twin Beds in 1929 starring Jack Mulhall;[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020524/ Twin Beds] (1929) at IMDb as The Life of the Party in 1934;[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025394/ The Life of the Party] at IMDb and as Twin Beds in 1942 with George Brent and Joan Bennett.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035479/ Twin Beds] (1942) at IMDb

Field died September 20, 1936, at Zaca Lake, of an apparent heart attack while taking a nap.{{cite news |title=Noted Playwright Dies in his Cabin |date=September 22, 1936 |work=United Press |quote=Death came as Field was taking a nap and apparently was due to an attack of heart disease.}} He was 58 years old.

• {{Cite book|last=Field|first=Edward Salisbury|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8TNBAQAAMAAJ|title=The Quest, and Other Poems|publisher=R.G. Badger, The Gorham Press|year=1904}}
• {{Cite book|last=Harold|first=Childe|title=A Child's Book of Abridged Wisdom|publisher=Paul Elder & Company|others=Edward Salisbury Field|year=1905}}
• {{Cite book|last=Field|first=Edward Salisbury|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0xBAQAAMAAJ|title=In Pursuit of Priscilla: A Chronicle of the Man Willing and the Woman Wilful|publisher=Henry Altemus Company|others=Will Grefé (illustrator)|year=1906}}
• {{Cite book|last=Field|first=Edward Salisbury|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a5s4AQAAMAAJ|title=A Six-Cylinder Courtship|publisher=Grosset & Dunlap|others=Clarence F. Underwood (illustrator)|year=1907}}
• {{Cite book|last=Field|first=Edward Salisbury|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b1BAAQAAMAAJ|title=Cupids Understudy|publisher=Grosset & Dunlap|others=Will Grefé (illustrator)|year=1909}}
• {{Cite book|last=Field|first=Edward Salisbury|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tkpBAQAAMAAJ|title=The Sapphire Bracelet|publisher=W.J. Watt and Company|others=Will Grefé (illustrator)|year=1910|location=New York City, NY}}
• {{Cite book|last=Field|first=Edward Salisbury|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MnRTAAAAYAAJ|title=The Purple Stockings|publisher=W.J. Watt and Company|year=1911|location=New York City, NY}}
• {{Cite book|last=Field|first=Edward Salisbury|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ofYgAAAAMAAJ|title=The Rented Earl|publisher=W.J. Watt and Company|others=Will Grefé (illustrator)|year=1912|location=New York City, NY}}
• {{Cite book|last=Field|first=Edward Salisbury|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aWdEAQAAMAAJ|title=Twin Beds|publisher=Grosset & Dunlap|year=1913}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{Gutenberg author |id=1232| name=Salisbury Field}}
• {{Internet Archive author |sname=Edward Salisbury Field |sopt=t}}
• {{IBDB name}}
• {{IMDb name|0276040}}
• {{find a Grave|69065479}}

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Category:1878 births

Category:1936 deaths

Category:Writers from Indianapolis

Category:Robert Louis Stevenson

Category:American male novelists

Category:Novelists from Indiana