Walter Hackett

{{Short description|American dramatist (1876–1944)}} {{About|the playwright|the baseball player|Walter Hackett (baseball)|the American football coach|Walt Hackett}} {{Use American English|date=April 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox writer | name = Walter Hackett | image = American playwright Walter Hackett (November 10, 1876 – January 20, 1944).png | alt = Black-and-white newspaper headshot of Walter Hackett. He then was a clean-shaven, middle-aged, white man with glasses and a suit. | caption = | birth_name = Walter Laurence Hackett | birth_date = {{Birth date|1876|11|10}} | birth_place = [[Oakland]], California, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1944|01|20|1876|11|10}} | death_place = [[Manhattan]], New York, U.S. | resting_place = | occupation = {{hlist|Playwright|theater manager}} | alma_mater = [[University of California, Berkeley]] | spouse = {{Marriage|[[Marion Lorne]]|1911}} | signature = | signature_alt = }} '''Walter Laurence Hackett''' (usually referred to as '''Walter Hackett''', sometimes given as '''Walter L. Hackett''' or '''Walter Lawrence Hackett''', and erroneously given as '''Walter C. Hackett'''){{efn|Some sources such as the ''Historical Dictionary of American Theater: Modernism'' list Hackett's middle initial as C and refer to him as Walter C. Hackett.{{sfn|Fisher|Hardison Londré|2017|page=293}} However, this middle initial is in error as it does not match primary documents which indicates he was born with the name Walter Laurence Hackett. Walter L. Hackett is the name used in the [[1880 United States census]],<ref name="CENSUS" /> and Walter Laurence Hackett is the name used in the 1942{{nbsp}}World War{{nbsp}}II draft registration card,<ref name="Draft" /> and his 1896 voter registration record in California uses Walter Lawrence Hacket.<ref name="Vote">Walter Lawrence Hackett in the ''California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898'', Great Register Alameda County, City of Oakland, Fifth Ward, Precinct No. 5, page 234</ref> Newspaper reports from his native city of Oakland, California also refer to him as Walter L. Hackett,<ref name="ES">{{Cite news |date=December 5, 1901 |title=Walter Hackett Scores Success as Playwright |work=[[Oakland Tribune]] |page=4}}</ref> as do British newspaper reports and court documents from Hackett's 1940 filing of bankruptcy.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 12, 1940 |title=£12,000 Liabilities of Walter Hackett |work=[[Evening Standard]] |page=5}}</ref> As a writer he was predominantly known as Walter Hackett without a middle initial.<ref name="obitnyt" /> However, as a journalist he did use Walter L. Hackett as his byline.<ref name="Roosevelt" /> His 1899 short story "In the Service of the Czar" was republished in 1904 with his full name, Walter Laurence Hackett.<ref name="KR" /> The Digital Collections at the [[New York Public Library]] has hand written letters by Hackett in which he signs his name Walter Laurence Hackett; indicating the author had a preference for this spelling of his middle name.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hackett, Walter Laurence |url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/f6caded0-23a3-0135-6ecf-193a7f59322f |access-date=March 27, 2025 |publisher=Digital Collections, [[New York Public Library]]}}</ref> |group=n}} (November 10, 1876 – January 20, 1944) was an American playwright and theater manager.<ref name="obitnyt">{{Cite news |date=January 22, 1944 |title=Walter Hackett, Playwright, Dead |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E01E5DC1030E53BBC4A51DFB766838F659EDE |work=The New York Times |page=13}}</ref> A native of [[Oakland]], California, Hackett attended grammar school in that city before continuing his education at a boarding school in Canada, the country of his father's birth. He ran away from that institution to become a sailor, and subsequently worked in a variety of professions including horse trainer and school teacher. By 1901, he was working as a journalist for the ''[[Chicago American]]'', and that same year his first plays were staged with casts led by the actress [[Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith|Lillian Burkhart]]. His first significant play as a solo playwright was ''The Prince of Dreams,'' staged in Chicago in 1902.

Hackett was primarily active as a journalist and a writer of short stories until he had three successful plays in succession, written with other writers: ''The Invader'' (1908, co-authored with [[Robert Hobart Davis]]); ''The Regeneration'' (1908, co-authored with [[Owen Kildare]]); and ''[[The White Sister (play)|The White Sister]]'' (1909, co-authored with [[Francis Marion Crawford]]). The latter two plays were his first works staged on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. His next two plays to reach Broadway, ''Our World'' (1911) and ''Don't Weaken'' (1914) were flops, but he rebounded with the hit play ''[[It Pays to Advertise (play)|It Pays to Advertise]]'' (1914). In 1911, he married the actress [[Marion Lorne]]. Many of his plays were written with Lorne in mind, and she was often the star of his works. In 1914, the couple moved to London, England where they remained for more than 25 years. From this point on, most of his plays were staged in London's [[West End theatre|West End]], and he earned the nickname Walter "Long Run" Hackett for his many plays that had lengthy runs in London.<ref name="GE" /> In Britain some of his most successful plays included ''[[Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure]]'', ''The Fugitives'', and ''London After Dark''. Not long after the outbreak of [[World War II]], Hackett and his wife returned to the United States and settled in New York City. He died in Manhattan in 1944.

==Early life== [[File:Fabiola Hospital (Pacific Rural Press, 1891).png|thumb|Fabiola Hospital in Oakland, California]]

Walter Laurence Hackett was born in [[Oakland, California]], on November{{nbsp}}10, 1876.{{sfn|Moses|1925|page=676}}<ref name="Draft">Walter Laurence Hackett in the ''U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards'', 1942</ref><ref name="Vote" /> He was the son of Captain Edward Hackett, who lived in Oakland at a home at 1303 Jackson Street.<ref name="ES" /><ref name="Vote" /> Walter was listed as living at that address with his father and his mother, Mary Ann Hackett (née Haight), and as an attendee of [[Oakland Unified School District|public schools in Oakland]], in the [[1880 United States census]].<ref name="CENSUS">1880 United States Federal Census for Walter L. Hackett, California, Alameda County, Oakland, Supervisor District No. 2, Enumeration District No. 14, page number 27</ref> Walter later attended boarding school in Canada,<ref name="GE" /> the nation of his father's birth.<ref name="CENSUS" /> He ran away from that institution to obtain work as a sailor.<ref name="GE">{{Cite news |date=January 22, 1944 |title=Death of "Long Run" Hackett |work=[[The Gloucestershire Echo]] |page=1}}</ref> He later attended the University of California, Berkeley.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 22, 1944 |title=Walter Hackett, Playwright, Dead |work=[[Oakland Tribune]] |page=2}}</ref>

In his young adulthood, Hackett worked in a variety of professions, including careers as a horse trainer, school teacher, journalist, and writer of short stories.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 22, 1944 |title=American Who Wrote "London After Dark" |work=[[The Bolton News]] |page=4}}</ref> By 1895 he was working in Oakland as a horse trainer. He was head of the planning committee for the horse races held at the 1895 Mayday fete of the [[Fabiola Hospital|Fabiola Hospital Association]] which took place at Oakland Trotting Park as a fund raiser for the hospital.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 26, 1895 |title=Horse Committee |work=[[The Oakland Times]] |page=5}}</ref> This also included organizing a burro race for which he acquired ten donkeys.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 18, 1895 |title=Burro Race |work=[[The Oakland Times]] |page=1}}</ref> He also served as one of the judges for the horse races, and was praised for his work on the front page of ''The Oakland Times'' on May{{nbsp}}13, 1895.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 13, 1895 |title=Oakland's Floral Triumph |work=[[The Oakland Times]] |page=1}}</ref> The following year he was appointed to the executive committee of the fete.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 1, 1896 |title=Work Progressing: Preparations for the Fabiola May Day Fete |work=[[Oakland Enquirer]] |page=3}}</ref> His 1896 voter registration record indicates he was living in the Hackett family home on Jackson Street.<ref name="Vote" />

In 1899, he performed in a show called ''Chirps'' put on by Oakland's Athenian Club of which he was a member.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 2, 1899 |title=An Evening At Athenian Club: "Chirps" Last Saturday Evening Was A Great Success |work=[[Oakland Tribune]] |page=6}}</ref> He had his first professional experiences in theatre working as a "corner-man" in a [[minstrel show]] operated by [[J. H. Haverly]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 22, 1939 |title=From a London Club Window |work=[[Liverpool Daily Post]] |page=8}}</ref>

==Early writing career in the United States==

===Short story writer and journalist=== [[File:Emlen McConnell illustration for the short story "A Life for A Life".png|thumb|Illustration from Hackett's 1907 short story "A Life for a Life" by artist Emlen McConnell]]

Hackett began his writing career as a writer of [[short stories]]. His short story "In the Service of the Czar" was published by the Short Story Publishing Company in 1899 under his full name, Walter Laurence Hackett.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 7, 1899 |title=New Publications |work=[[Sacramento Record Union]] |page=5}}</ref> It was later republished in ''[[The Kansas Review]]'' on July{{nbsp}}29, 1904,<ref name="KR">{{Cite news |last=Walter Laurence Hackett |date=July 29, 1904 |title=In the Service of the Czar |work=[[The Kansas Review]] |page=4}}</ref> and was subsequently picked up by other American newspapers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Laurence Hackett |date=August 4, 1904 |title=In the Service of the Czar |work=[[Carlisle Evening Herald]] |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Laurence Hackett |date=August 9, 1904 |title=In the Service of the Czar |work=[[Stevens Point Journal]] |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Laurence Hackett |date=August 22, 1904 |title=In the Service of the Czar |work=[[Mt. Carmel Republican]] |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Laurence Hackett |date=August 5, 1904 |title=In the Service of the Czar |work=[[Paris Bourbon News]] |page=6}}</ref>

Hackett also worked as a journalist and by 1901 was in Chicago working as the city editor for the ''[[Chicago American]]''.<ref name="ES" /> He later became a dramatic editor at the paper,<ref name="BT">{{Cite news |date=November 30, 1902 |title=Brief Dramatic News Notes of Timely Interest |work=[[Davenport Morning Star]] |page=15}}</ref> and succeeded A. P. Dunlap as lead drama critic and editor in 1903.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 12, 1903 |title=Hermit's Letter: Latest Moves in Literary World |work=[[Fall River Globe]] |page=3}}</ref> He was present at the [[First inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt]] on September 14, 1901, in [[Buffalo, New York]], and his reporting on that event appeared as a special dispatch in newspapers nationally.<ref name="Roosevelt">{{Cite news |last=Hackett |first=Walter L. |date=September 15, 1901 |title=Exit M'Kinley---Enter Roosevelt: Solemn Scene When Roosevelt Became President of the United States |work=[[Minnesota Star Tribune]] |page=2}}</ref> In 1903, he was listed as a member of the [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]]'s Auxiliary Committee.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 5, 1903 |title=If You Will Act On This Today the Orchestra Will Be Assured |work=[[The Inter Ocean]] |page=46}}</ref>

Hackett's short [[ghost story]] "Bill Bowden, A.B. Sees Things" was published in American and Canadian newspapers in February 1906.<ref name="Bill BowdenO">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=February 16, 1906 |title=Bill Bowden, A.B. Sees Things |work=Beaver Dam Argus |page=6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=February 17, 1906 |title=Bill Bowden, A.B. Sees Things |work=[[Vancouver Daily World]] |page=8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=February 16, 1906 |title=Bill Bowden, A.B. Sees Things |work=[[The Stoughton Courier]] |page=6}}</ref> This was followed by the short story "Bill Bowden on Hoodoos" the following month.<ref name="Bill BowdenT">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=March 10, 1906 |title=Bill Bowden on Hoodoos |work=[[Vancouver Daily World]] |page=19}}</ref> On July{{nbsp}}29, 1906, several larger papers published his short story "In the Valley of the Shadow", including ''[[The Washington Star]]''<ref name="Shadow">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=July 29, 1906 |title=In the Valley of the Shadow |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=30}}</ref> and the ''[[New-York Tribune]]''.<ref name="Governors Decision">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=July 29, 1906 |title=In the Valley of the Shadow |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=25}}</ref> These papers also published his short stories "The Governors Decision" (1906),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=October 28, 1906 |title=The Governors Decision |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=October 28, 1906 |title=The Governors Decision |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=34}}</ref> "His Father's Son" (1907),<ref name="Father's Son">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=January 6, 1907 |title=His Father's Son |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=January 6, 1907 |title=His Father's Son |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=35}}</ref> "The Cardinal's Decision" (1907),<ref name="Cardinal">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=March 31, 1907 |title=The Cardinal's Decision |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=33}}</ref> "The Derelict" (1907),<ref name="Derelict">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=May 26, 1907 |title=The Derelict |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=33}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=May 26, 1907 |title=The Derelict |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=29}}</ref> "Winchester and Company" (1907),<ref name="Winchester and Company">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=June 23, 1907 |title=Winchester and Company |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=33}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=June 23, 1907 |title=Winchester and Company |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=29}}</ref> "The Oasis in the Desert" (1907),<ref name="Oasis in the Desert">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=July 20, 1907 |title=The Oasis in the Desert |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=July 20, 1907 |title=The Oasis in the Desert |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=16}}</ref> "The District Attorney" (1907),<ref name="District Attorney">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=September 29, 1907 |title=The District Attorney |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=37}}</ref> "A Life for a Life" (1907),<ref name="Life for a Life">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=August 25, 1907 |title=A Life for A Life |work=The Washington Star |page=29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=August 25, 1907 |title=A Life for A Life |work=New-York Tribune |page=25}}</ref> "Sonia" (1908),<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 5, 1908 |title=Sonia |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=31}}</ref><ref name="Sonia">{{Cite news |date=April 5, 1908 |title=Sonia |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=29}}</ref> and "Pardners" (1908).<ref name="Pardners">{{Cite news |date=January 5, 1908 |title=Pardners |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=January 5, 1908 |title=Pardners |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=29}}</ref> He also contributed work as a journalist to ''The Washington Star'' and ''New-York Tribune''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=October 6, 1907 |title=The Conscience Fund |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=39}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=October 6, 1907 |title=The Conscience Fund |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=39}}</ref>

Hackett's short story "The Society Dinner" was published in ''Broadway Magazine'' in June 1907.<ref name="Society Dinner">{{Cite news |date=May 25, 1907 |title=June Magazines; Broadway Magazine |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=26}}</ref> Other short stories written by Hackett that were published in periodicals included "Captain Arthur's Bride" (1907)<ref name="Captain Arthur's Bride">{{Cite journal |last=Walter Hackett |date=June 18, 1907 |title=Captain Arthur's Bride |journal=[[Midland Counties Tribune]] |page=4}}</ref> "Pie" (1907),<ref name="Pie">{{Cite journal |last=Walter Hackett |date=September 1907 |title=Pie |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_cosmopolitan_1907-09_43_5/mode/2up?q=%22Walter+Hackett%22 |journal=[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]] |volume=43 |page=564 |number=5}}</ref> "The Electric Light Bill" (1907),<ref name="Electric Light Bill">{{Cite news |date=October 26, 1907 |title=Broadway Magazine |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=28}}</ref> "Rodman's Ambition" (1907),<ref name="Rodman's Ambition">{{Cite news |date=December 8, 1907 |title=Classified Index of Today's Journals |work=[[The Minneapolis Journal]] |page=1}}</ref> "The Name She Whispered" (1907),<ref name="Name She Whispered">{{Cite news |date=November 23, 1907 |title=Your Sunday Will Be Dull Without the Post |work=[[The Pittsburgh Post]] |page=1}}</ref> "In Deep Waters" (1908),<ref name="In Deep Waters">{{Cite news |date=November 17, 1908 |title=The December Smart Set |work=[[The Mount Holly News]] |page=3}}</ref> "Mr Garfield's Matrimonial Experiment" (1908),<ref name="Matrimonial Experiment">{{Cite news |date=November 22, 1908 |title=Popular |work=[[Times Union (Albany)|Times Union]] |page=15}}</ref> "Miss Lowell's Lover" (1908),<ref name="Lowell's Lover">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=January 8, 1908 |title=Miss Lowell's Lover |work=[[Hinckley Echo]] |page=4}}</ref> "The Theft of the Dudley Diamonds" (1908),<ref name="Theft of the Dudley Diamonds">{{Cite journal |date=September 1908 |title=The Theft of the Dudley Diamonds |journal=[[Munsey's Magazine]] |volume=39 |number=6}}</ref> "The Wheel of Fortune" (1909),<ref name="Wheel of Fortune">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=August 1909 |title=The Wheel of Fortune |url=https://archive.org/details/TheAll-storyAugust1909/page/n199/mode/2up?q=%22Walter+Hackett%22 |work=The All-Story |page=62}}</ref> "The Gazebrook Necklace" (1909),<ref name="Gazebrook Necklace">{{Cite journal |last=Walter Hackett |date=September 1912 |title=The Gazebrook Necklace |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_munseys-magazine_1909-12_42_3/page/324/mode/2up?q=%22Walter+Hackett%22 |journal=[[Munsey's Magazine]] |volume=42 |number=3}}</ref> and "Otto Schmalz, Hypnotist" (1909).<ref name="Otto Schmalz">{{Cite news |last=Walter Hackett |date=October 19, 1909 |title=A Short Story: Otto Schmalz, Hypnotist |work=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |page=7}}</ref>

In addition to working as a writer, Hackett also worked on the business staff of producers [[Klaw and Erlanger]] in the first decade of the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 21, 1908 |title=The Theater |work=[[The Washington Star]] |page=22}}</ref>

===Playwright===

====Early plays==== [[File:Lillian Burkhart by George Habenicht.png|thumb|[[Lillian Burkhart]] starred in Hackett's first plays.]]

Hackett's first stage work, the musical "playlet" ''Jessie's Jack and Jerry'' was given its premiere at Keith's Theatre in Philadelphia on March{{nbsp}}11, 1901. He co-wrote this work with playwright Francis Livingston, and the production starred [[Camille D'Arville]] and [[Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith|Lillian Burkhart]].<ref name="Jessie's Jack and Jerry">{{Cite news |date=March 12, 1901 |title=Bright Stars At Keith's |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |page=5}}</ref> The production toured in 1901–1902, including performances at Chicago's Olympic Theater<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 4, 1901 |title=Haymarket and Olympic Vaudeville |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=16}}</ref> and Shea's Garden Theatre in Buffalo, New York.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 24, 1902 |title=Shea's Garden Theatre |work=[[The Buffalo Commercial]] |page=5}}</ref>

Hackett collaborated with Livingston again on a second play, the one-act farce ''The Way to Win a Husband'' , which they wrote specifically for Burkhart. Burkhart toured in this play in 1901–1902, including performances in Chicago,<ref name="ES" /> Los Angeles,<ref name="ES" /> and New York City.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 31, 1902 |title=Behind the Footlights |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=32}}</ref> In 1902, the actor [[Emmett Corrigan]] acquired the rights to Hackett's first full-length play, the three act comedy ''The Prince of Dreams''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 24, 1902 |title=Topics of the Theater |work=[[The Inter Ocean]] |page=6}}</ref> It premiered at the Grand Opera House in [[Freeport, Illinois]], on November{{nbsp}}17, 1902, in a performance by the Player's Stock Company of Chicago.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 18, 1902 |title=Corrigan As A Star: Appeared in "The Prince of Dreams" at the Grand Last Night |work=[[Freeport Daily Bulletin]] |page=1}}</ref> It then transferred to the [[Bush Temple of Music]] in Chicago.<ref name="BT" />

====Hit plays of 1908: ''The Regeneration'' and ''The Invader''==== Hackett spent the next several years focused on writing short stories, and his next play, ''My Mamie Rose'', did not reach the stage until 1908. It was co-written with [[Owen Kildare]] and premiered at Poli's Theater in [[Waterbury, Connecticut]], on January{{nbsp}}27, 1908, in a cast led by [[Arnold Daly]], [[Chrystal Herne]], [[Helen Ware]], and [[Holbrook Blinn]].<ref name="My Mamie Rose">{{Cite news |date=January 28, 1908 |title=Daly in New Play |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |page=4}}</ref> The production toured the United States,<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 30, 1908 |title=Parson's Theater |work=[[Hartford Courant]] |page=7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 1, 1908 |title=Amusements |work=[[Times Leader|The Times Leader]] |page=10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=February 6, 1908 |title=In the Theaters |journal=[[Times Leader]] |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 16, 1908 |title=Lyric-Arnold Daly |work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] |page=28}}</ref> including a stop at the [[Fine Arts Building (Chicago)|Studebaker Theater]] in Chicago where it opened in March 1908.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 8, 1908 |title=In the Theaters |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=43}}</ref> In Chicago the play was reworked and re-titled ''The Regeneration''.<ref name="Regeneration">{{Cite news |date=March 14, 1908 |title=At the Studebaker |work=[[The Chicago Live Stock World]] |page=4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 15, 1908 |title=Daly's Drama of Regeneration |work=[[The Inter Ocean]] |page=39}}</ref> Daly brought the play to Broadway later in the year but with some cast alterations. It opened at [[Wallack's Theatre]] on September{{nbsp}}1, 1908, to a glowing review in ''[[The New York Times]]'' which predicted a long run for the play.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 2, 1908 |title=Daly Scores in "The Regeneration" |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=7}}</ref>

Hackett co-wrote his next play, ''The Invader'', with [[Robert Hobart Davis]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 14, 1908 |title=Attractions of the Week at the Theaters |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=70}}</ref> It was given its premiere in Milwaukee by the Pabst Theatre English Stock Company on May{{nbsp}}18, 1908, with a cast led by [[Christine Norman]], [[Janet Beecher]], [[Jack Standing]], and [[Robert Conness]]. The play was based on the real life events of the [[Panic of 1907]] and the role [[F. Augustus Heinze]] played in that financial crises.<ref name="Invader">{{Cite news |date=May 19, 1908 |title="Invader" Based on the Heinze Crash |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=7}}</ref> The play was then staged at [[McVicker's Theater]] in Chicago.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 12, 1908 |title=News of the Theaters |work=[[The Inter Ocean]] |page=6}}</ref> The Chicago production was with a completely different cast which included the actors [[Florence Rockwell]], [[Edmund Breese]], [[Thomas A. Wise]], Charles H. Riegel, and [[William B. Mack]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 22, 1908 |title=News of the Theaters |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=8}}</ref> Later that year the play was staged at the [[Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall|Shrine Auditorium]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 11, 1908 |title=Blackwood Back |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |page=20}}</ref>

====''The White Sister''==== {{Main|The White Sister (play)}}

Hackett co-wrote ''The White Sister'' with [[Francis Marion Crawford]], a work which Crawford had previously written as first an unperformed play and then as a [[serialized novel]] in ''[[Munsey's Magazine]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 12, 1908 |title=Books and Authors |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=9}}</ref><ref name="SUN">{{Cite news |date=December 24, 1908 |title=News of Plays and Players |work=[[The Sun (New York City)|The Sun]] |page=5}}</ref> The idea for this collaborative project was birthed in 1907 when Hackett visited Crawford at his home in [[Sorrento]], Italy.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 15, 1909 |title=Plays and Players |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=3}}</ref> The play tells the tale of lovers Giovanna and Giovanni who separated by the events of a war. Giovanni is believed to have been killed and Giovanna becomes a nun only to be unexpectedly reunited with him years later while nursing him in a hospital. Crawford then collaborated with Hackett on a new stage adaptation which was the dramatic version that ultimately made it to the stage.<ref name="SUN" />

''The White Sister'' was given its premiere on February{{nbsp}}8, 1909, at the Stone Opera House in [[Binghamton, New York]],<ref name="Premiere">{{Cite news |date=February 9, 1909 |title=The White Sister |work=[[Press and Sun-Bulletin]] |page=4}}</ref> and ran on Broadway later that year at [[Daly's Theatre (30th Street)|Daly's Theatre]] with [[Viola Allen]] as Giovanna and [[William Farnum]] as Giovanni.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mantle |first=Burns |title=The Best Plays of 1899-1909 |last2=Sherwood |first2=Garrison P. |last3=Chapman |first3=John Arthur |publisher=[[Dodd, Mead & Co.]] |year=1944 |page=400 |chapter=The White Sister}}</ref> A success, ''[[The New York Times]]'' later listed ''The White Sister'' along with ''[[It Pays to Advertise (play)|It Pay's to Advertise]]'' and ''Captain Applejack'' as the works for which Hackett was "best known" when he died in 1944.<ref name="obitnyt" /> The play was adapted into films in [[The White Sister (1915 film)|1915]], [[The White Sister (1923 film)|1923]], [[The White Sister (1933 film)|1933]], and [[The White Sister (1960 film)|1960]].{{sfn|Thompson|1985|page=229}}{{sfn|Isenberg|1973|page=465}}

====''C.O.D.'' and other plays of 1910–1912==== On [[Valentine's Day]]{{nbsp}}1910, Hackett's play ''In the Mountains'' was performed for the first time at the [[Mayfair Theatre, Baltimore|Auditorium Theatre]] in [[Baltimore]] with a cast led by the actress [[Percy Haswell]]. The play told the tale of two feuding families, the Lees and the Claybournes, who live along the Kentucky and Tennessee border.<ref name="Mountains">{{Cite news |date=February 15, 1910 |title=Haswell at Auditorium |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |page=9}}</ref> After this he collaborated with dramatist [[Stanislaus Stange]] on the play ''Get Busy With Emily'', an English-language adaptation of the 1906{{nbsp}}French farce ''Vous n'avez rien à déclarer?'' by [[Maurice Hennequin]] and [[Pierre Veber]]. Produced by [[A. H. Woods]], it premiered at the [[Cort Theatre (Chicago)|Cort Theatre]] in Chicago on May{{nbsp}}8, 1910.<ref name="Emily">{{Cite journal |date=May 14, 1910 |title=Get Busy With Emily |journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |volume=XVIII |page=18 |number=10}}</ref>

He next collaborated with [[Ren Shields]] in writing the book for the musical ''The Simple Life'' which had a score by composer P. D. DeCoster. It premiered on August{{nbsp}}8, 1910, at the Savoy Theatre in Atlantic City with a cast of 50 led by [[Charles J. Ross]].<ref name="Simple Life">{{Cite news |date=August 9, 1910 |title=Charles J. Ross in "The Simple Life" Made Big Hit At the Savoy Last Night |work=[[Atlantic City Daily Press]] |page=8}}</ref>

Hackett sold the rights to a play he wrote<ref name="Vexed">{{Cite news |date=December 31, 1910 |title=Hackett is Vexed |work=[[The Cleveland Press]] |page=3}}</ref> entitled ''C.O.D.''<ref name="SUE">{{Cite news |date=December 21, 1912 |title=Notes of the Theatre |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=1}}</ref> to playwright [[Eugene Walter (playwright)|Eugene Walter]].<ref name="Vexed" /> Walter altered the play and retitled it ''Homeward Bound'' for its premiere in December 1910 with Hackett credited as inspiring the theme of the play. Hackett disputed this credit, claiming he should be billed as a co-author of the work. Walter disputed Hackett's claim; stating that while Hackett had written the initial play, that after Walter purchased the rights to the work that he had almost completely remade the entire work. He stated that "less than 200 words" of Hackett's original text remained in the play.<ref name="Vexed" /> The play was later retitled ''Mrs. Maxwell's Mistake'' and was presented on Broadway at [[Maxine Elliott's Theatre]] in April 1911,<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 5, 1911 |title=Theatrical Notes |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=9}}</ref> and was retitled yet again as ''[[Fine Feathers (play)|Fine Feathers]]'' for a production in Chicago.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Karl K. Kitchen |date=November 13, 1912 |title=Grubstaking Playwrights |work=[[The Plain Dealer]] |page=10}}</ref> In 1912, Hackett sued Walter for failing to credit him as a co-author of the work.<ref name="SUE" /> In December 1912, Justice [[Edward Everett McCall]] of the [[New York Supreme Court]] granted an injunction preventing ''Fine Feathers'' from being performed unless Walter was credited as a co-author while the court considered the case.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 29, 1912 |title=Chats of Plays and Players |work=[[The Inter Ocean]] |page=46}}</ref> Ultimately the court determined that Walter had sufficiently transformed the work, and could claim to be the sole author of the piece.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 6, 1913 |title=The Theaters |work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] |page=46}}</ref>

Hackett's play ''Our World'' was given its premiere at the [[Fulton Opera House]] in [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]], on January{{nbsp}}27, 1911, with Amelia Gardner, [[Doris Keane]], [[Campbell Gullan]], Malcolm Duncan, and [[Vincent Serrano]] in the lead roles.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 28, 1911 |title=A New Drama |work=[[Lancaster Daily Intelligencer]] |page=3}}</ref> It then toured to Broadway's [[Garrick Theatre (New York City)|Garrick Theatre]] where it opened on February{{nbsp}}6, 1911.<ref name="Our World">{{Cite news |date=February 7, 1911 |title=The Drama: "Our World" by Walter Hackett, at Garrick Theatre |work=[[New-York Tribune]] |page=7}}</ref> The play investigated the theme of [[heredity]] with an examination of the daughter of a [[courtesan]], and whether or not she was able to rise above the vices of her mother's tainted past.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 12, 1911 |title=Heredity is the Theme |work=[[The Kansas City Star]] |page=28}}</ref>

After this, Hackett was one of many writers who worked on the book for the musical ''A Certain Party'' which toured prior to reaching Broadway's [[Wallack's Theatre]] on April{{nbsp}}23, 1911.<ref name="Certain Party">{{Cite news |date=April 30, 1911 |title=Theatrical Attractions in the Metropolis |work=[[The Buffalo Sunday Morning News]] |page=35}}</ref> He then created the play ''Honest Jim Blunt'' for the character actor Tim Murphy, but the play had only a short life on the New York stage in 1912.<ref name="Honest Jim Blunt">{{Cite news |date=October 1912 |title=Storm Signals Flying in Big Time Vaudeville |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=10}}</ref>

====Marriage and plays of 1913 and 1914==== [[File:It Pays to Advertise, original cast.png|thumb|1914 Broadway cast of ''[[It Pays to Advertise (play)|It Pays to Advertise]]'']]

On September{{nbsp}}16, 1911, Hackett and the actress [[Marion Lorne]] acquired a marriage license in [[Jersey City, New Jersey]], with plans to have a wedding ceremony at a future date.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 17, 1911 |title=Walter Hackett Will Marry |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=7}}</ref> The couple remained married until his death in 1944, and Lorne starred in many of her husband's plays.<ref name="obitnyt" /> Her first appearance in one of Hackett's plays was as Mrs. Kent in ''Don't Weaken'' which was given its premiere at The Playhouse in [[Wilmington, Delaware]], on December{{nbsp}}29, 1913.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 30, 1913 |title='Don't Weaken' Goes Strong At Playhouse |work=[[The Evening Journal]] |page=2}}</ref> That play was produced by [[William A. Brady]] and [[George Broadhurst]], and ran on Broadway for a short period at Maxine Elliott's Theatre. While ''[[The Brooklyn Citizen]]'' gave the play a glowing review that described it as "out of the ordinary",<ref name="Don't Weaken">{{Cite news |date=January 15, 1914 |title=Don't Weaken |work=[[The Brooklyn Citizen]] |page=5}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' described the work as "pleasant" and an "optimistic little comedy" but found the work derivative and therefore unlikely to generate much interest.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 15, 1914 |title=Don't Weaken Seen at Maxine Elliott's |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=9}}</ref>

''Don't Weaken'' was preceded by another failure for Hackett, the one act play ''To Die Like a Man''. It premiered on [[Labor Day]]{{nbsp}}1913 at the Colonial Theater in Cleveland, Ohio to scathing reviews in the local press.<ref name="Die Like a Man">{{Cite news |last=Archie Bell |date=September 2, 1913 |title=Two New Plays at Colonial |work=[[The Plain Dealer]] |page=12}}</ref> Hackett rebounded however with the hit 1914{{nbsp}}play ''[[It Pays to Advertise (play)|It Pays to Advertise]]'' which he co-authored with [[Roi Cooper Megrue]]. It had a lengthy run of more than a year at the [[George M. Cohan's Theatre]],{{sfn|Bordman|1995|page=8}} and was notably the longest running play of the 1914–1915 Broadway season.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 24, 1915 |title=Manhattan Attractions |work=[[The Brooklyn Daily Times]] |page=16}}</ref> Samuel Field converted the play into a novel which was published in 1915 by Duffield & Company.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Megure |first=Roi Cooper |url=https://archive.org/details/itpaystoadvertis0000roic/page/n7/mode/2up?q=%22Walter+Hackett%22 |title=It Pays To Advertise |last2=Hackett |first2=Walter |last3=Field |first3=Samuel |publisher=Duffield & Company |year=1915}}</ref>

==Life in England==

===Move to London and 1910s plays=== In February{{nbsp}}1914, Hackett and his wife traveled to England on what was supposed to be a belated honeymoon. They ended up staying and lived in London for the next 25{{nbsp}}years.<ref name="GE" /> His first play staged in London was ''{{nobr|9 to 11}}'' which was performed for the grand re-opening of [[Wyndham's Theatre]] which just been extensively renovated.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 15, 1914 |title=Eastbourne |journal=[[The Guardian]] |page=7}}</ref> It opened there one July{{nbsp}}14, 1914, with a cast led by [[Allan Aynesworth]] and [[Lettice Fairfax]].{{sfn|Wearing|2014a|page=286}} ''[[The Times]]'' described the work as a "wild burlesque of the detective romance", and, while noting positive response from the audience, its critic stated that the play "may be found amusing by playgoers whose critical sense melts in the July temperatures."<ref name="Nine">{{Cite journal |date=July 15, 1914 |title=From 9 to 11: Detective Drama at Wyndham's |journal=[[The Times]] |page=37}}</ref> American newspapers reported that the play might have been plagiarized off of [[Charles Hawtrey (actor, born 1858)|Charles Hawtrey]]'s ''Seven Keys to Baldspate'' which was planned to premiere in the autumn of 1914;<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 16, 1914 |title=English Play Might Have Been Pirated |journal=[[Oakland Tribune]] |page=10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 17, 1914 |title=May Have Pirated Baldpate in London |journal=[[The Santa Barbara Daily News and the Independent]] |page=5}}</ref> however, the ''[[Boston Evening Transcript]]'' was skeptical of the accusation stating "the similarity is very difficult to discover".<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 30, 1914 |title=A Story Within A Play |journal=[[Boston Evening Transcript]] |page=10}}</ref>

Hackett's second play for the London stage, ''He Didn't Want to Do It'', premiered at the [[Prince of Wales Theatre]] on March{{nbsp}}6, 1915, with a cast led by [[Joseph Coyne]], [[Frederick Kerr]], and [[Lydia Bilbrook]].{{sfn|Wearing|2014a|page=316}} Co-written with [[George Broadhurst]] It fared better with the critics. ''[[The Observer]]'' stated in its review, "This is the most audacious piece of farcical complication ever attempted. If it had not 'come off' it would have been silly beyond endurance. But it does 'come off'; it goes on coming off until the spectator can bear it no longer."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=March 7, 1915 |title=Prince of Wales Theatre: He Didn't Want to Do It |journal=[[The Observer]] |page=12}}</ref> The play notably marked the London stage debut of Hackett's wife who portrayed Marjorie Thompson in the production.{{sfn|Wearing|2014a|page=316}} Lorne also starred in Hackett's next play, ''Mr. and Mrs. Ponsonby'',<ref>{{Cite journal |date=June 1, 1915 |title=Marion Lorne in the London play "Mr. and Mrs. Ponsonby" |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_musical-times_1915-06-01_56_868/page/330 |journal=[[The Times]] |page=11}}</ref> which premiered at London's [[Harold Pinter Theatre|Comedy Theatre]] in June 1915.<ref name="Ponsonby">{{Cite journal |date=June 15, 1915 |title=A Game of Complications |journal=[[The Guardian]] |page=6}}</ref> The American press noted at the time that Hackett had achieved greater success with London audiences and critics than he had in America.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=June 20, 1915 |title=The Stage |journal=[[The Minneapolis Journal]] |page=32}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=June 28, 1915 |title=The Stage and Its People |journal=[[Los Angeles Evening Express]] |page=14}}</ref>

Hackett's next work was the murder mystery play ''[[The Barton Mystery (play)|The Barton Mystery]]'' which was first performed to success at the [[Savoy Theatre]] in London where it opened on March{{nbsp}}22, 1916.<ref name="Barton Mystery">{{Cite journal |date=March 31, 1916 |title=Successful Dramatic |journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |volume=XLII |page=4 |number=5}}</ref> The character of Beverley in the play, portrayed by [[Harry Brodribb Irving]],<ref>{{Cite journal |date=April 25, 1916 |title="Barton Mystery" Walter Hackett's Play In London |url=https://archive.org/details/per_christian-science-monitor_1916-04-25_8_128/page/n7/mode/1up?q=%22Walter+Hackett%22 |journal=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]}}</ref> is a [[psychic medium]] who is brought in to investigate a murder.{{sfn|Lachman|2014|page=173}}<ref>{{Cite journal |date=March 23, 1916 |title=The Barton Mystery: Play of "Psychometry" at the Savoy |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_los-angeles-times_the-los-angeles-times_1916-03-23/page/11 |journal=[[The Times]] |page=11}}</ref> An article in ''[[The Theosophist]]'' described the play "as being remarkable, if only for the fact it is the first in which psychic research has been introduced seriously on the English stage."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=W.D.S.B. |date=November 1916 |title=Theosophy in the Magazines |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.22939/page/n237/mode/2up?q=%22Walter+Hackett%22 |journal=[[The Theosophist]] |volume=38 |page=233}}</ref> While the London production had a respectable run of 165 performances, a 1917 Broadway production at New York's [[Comedy Theatre (New York City)|Comedy Theatre]] closed after just 20 performances.{{sfn|Wearing|2014a|page=371}} However, the work was successfully staged in a French-language translation at the [[Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau]] in Paris in 1917, with [[Firmin Gémier]] as Beverley.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=January 21, 1917 |title=The Barton Mystery in French |journal=[[Sunday Dispatch]] |page=6}}</ref>

In October 1916, Hackett's play ''Mr. Jubilee Drax'' premiered at the [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=October 7, 1916 |title=The Playhouses: "Mr. Jubilee Drax" at the Haymarket |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_illustrated-london-news_1916-10-07_149_4042/page/432/mode/2up?q=%22Walter+Hackett%22 |journal=[[The Illustrated London News]]}}</ref> He co-wrote the work with [[Horace Annesley Vachell]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=October 2, 1916 |title=Mr. Jubilee Drax |journal=[[The Times]] |page=11}}</ref> Another play in the detective genre, it failed to repeat the success of ''The Barton Mystery''. ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' noted in its critical assessment that "the American trick of presenting past events in action was carried beyond the limits of all reason."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=December 29, 1916 |title=Drama of the Year |journal=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |page=5}}</ref> Actor [[Walker Whiteside]] portrayed the role of the lead detective in production staged in Chicago in 1917.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 16, 1917 |title=Mr. Jubilee Drax |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=15 |volume=XLVIII |issue=12}}</ref> His next work, the [[revue]] ''£150'', was also a critical failure. It premiered at the [[Ambassadors Theatre (London)|Ambassadors Theatre]] on April{{nbsp}}30, 1917.<ref name="Pounds">{{Cite news |date=May 1, 1917 |title=Playwrights Revue: Reflections On Economy at The Ambassadors |work=[[Evening Standard]] |page=10}}</ref> [[Charles B. Cochran]] produced the work, and the cast included [[Daisy Burrell]] and [[Alec Clunes]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 6, 1917 |title=At the Play |work=[[The Observer]] |page=5}}</ref>

Hackett's next play, ''The Invisible Foe'', fared far better when it premiered at the Savoy Theatre in August 1917.<ref name="IF" /> Another mystery with supernatural undertones, the play was based on the pseudoscientific spiritualism beliefs of [[Oliver Lodge]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 8, 1918 |title=The Invisible Foe |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=11}}</ref> The actress [[Fay Compton]] received high praise in the press for her role in this production.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 1, 1917 |title=Some of the New Plays |work=[[The Graphic]] |page=30}}</ref> It closed in December 1917.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 2, 1917 |title=Music and Drama |work=[[Sunday People|The People]] |page=4}}</ref>

In 1918, Hackett's play ''[[The Freedom of the Seas (play)|The Freedom of the Seas]]'' was staged at the [[Royalty Theatre]].{{sfn|Wearing|2014a|page=483}} He wrote the play on commission from [[Seymour Hicks]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 29, 1918 |title=Hackett Writing for Seymour Hicks |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=4}}</ref>

===1920s plays=== [[File:Other Men's Wives (play).jpg|thumb|[[Leslie Banks]] and [[Fay Compton]] in ''[[Other Men's Wives (play)|Other Men's Wives]]'']]

In 1920, Hackett's play ''[[Mr. Todd's Experiment]]'' was staged at the [[Sondheim Theatre|Queen's Theatre]].{{sfn|Wearing|2014b|page=5}} His play ''[[Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure]]'' was first performed at the [[Theatre Royal, Brighton]] in July 1921 before running on the West End in 1921–1922 at first the [[Criterion Theatre]] and later the Savoy Theatre.{{sfn|Wearing|2014b|pages=107, 184-185}} It was also staged on Broadway at the [[Cort Theatre]] in 1921 under the name ''Captain Applejack''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Woollcott |first=Alexander |author-link=Alexander Woollcott |date=December 31, 1921 |title=The Play |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1921/12/31/archives/the-play.html |work=The New York Times |page=14 |volume=71 |issue=23,352}}</ref>

Hackett's ''[[Other Men's Wives (play)|Other Men's Wives]]'' (1928) was another play that premiered Theatre Royal, Brighton before moving to the West End in May 1928 where it played first at [[Wyndham's Theatre]] followed by further performances at [[St Martin's Theatre]], ultimately closing there in August 1928.{{sfn|Wearing|2014b|page=584}} His next play, ''[[77 Park Lane]]'', premiered at St Martin's Theatre on October{{nbsp}}25, 1928, and was later revived in the West End at the Regent Theatre in 1930.{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=2}}

Hackett also had two plays premiere at [[His Majesty's Theatre, London|His Majesty's Theatre]] in the 1920s, ''[[The Wicked Earl]]'' (1927),{{sfn|Wearing|2014b|page=499}} and ''[[Sorry You've Been Troubled]]'' (1929).{{sfn|Wearing|2014b|page=700}}

===1930s plays=== On September 29, 1930, Hackett's ''The Way to Treat a Woman'' was performed for the inauguration of the newly built [[Trafalgar Theatre|Whitehall Theatre]] near [[Trafalgar Square]] after previously having that play's premiere at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]] on June{{nbsp}}11, 1930.{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=38}} Hackett was manager of the Duke of York's Theatre in 1930,<ref name="obitnyt" /> and then he and his wife were in control of the Whitehall Theatre from 1930 to 1934.{{sfn|Hartnoll| Found|1992|page=554}} Several of Hackett's plays were premiered at Whitehall during this period, including ''[[Take a Chance (play)|Take a Chance]]'' (1931),{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=135}} ''[[Good Losers]]'' (1931),{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=93}} ''[[The Gay Adventure (play)|The Gay Adventure]]'' (1931), ''[[Road House (play)|Road House]]'' (1932),{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=234}} and ''[[Afterwards (play)|Afterwards]]'' (1933).{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=318}}

After leaving the Whitehall Theatre, Hackett took up the lease at the [[Apollo Theatre]] where the premieres of his plays ''[[Hyde Park Corner (play)|Hyde Park Corner]]'' (1934),{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=388}} ''[[Espionage (play)|Espionage]]'' (1935),{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=473}} and ''London After Dark'' (1937) occurred.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 8, 1937 |title=A New Play and A Revival: "London After Dark", "Anna Christie" |work=[[The Guardian]] |page=10}}</ref> He left the Apollo in 1938 when he took over the lease of the [[Vaudeville Theatre]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 17, 1938 |title=Theatrical Notes |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |page=19}}</ref> His tenure at that theatre began with the premiere of his play ''Toss of a Coin'' on March{{nbsp}}17, 1938; a murder mystery in which Hackett's wife Marion portrayed both a mother and her daughter.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 18, 1938 |title=Mr. Walter Hackett's New Play |work=[[The Guardian]] |page=10}}</ref> It was the 22nd of Hackett's plays staged in the West End that Marion starred in.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 19, 1939 |title=Petition Against Walter Hackett |work=[[Daily Herald (United Kingdom)|Daily Herald]] |page=1}}</ref>

==Later life in New York== [[File:Marion Lorne Sally 1957.JPG|thumb|Hackett's wife [[Marion Lorne]] in the 1957 American television sitcom ''[[Sally (1957 TV series)|Sally]]'']] In 1940, Hackett returned to the United States and settled with his wife in New York City. He died at [[Mount Sinai Hospital (Manhattan)|Mount Sinai Hospital]] in [[Manhattan]] after being ill for a short period of time on January{{nbsp}}20, 1944.<ref name="obitnyt" />

==Works== ===Selected short stories=== {{div col|colwidth=18em}} * "In the Service of the Czar" (1899)<ref name="KR" /> * "Bill Bowden, A.B. Sees Things" (1906)<ref name="Bill BowdenO" /> * "Bill Bowden on Hoodoos" (1906)<ref name="Bill BowdenT" /> * "In the Valley of the Shadow" (1906)<ref name="Shadow" /> * "The Governors Decision" (1906)<ref name="Governors Decision" /> * "His Father's Son" (1907)<ref name="Father's Son" /> * "The Cardinal's Decision" (1907)<ref name="Cardinal" /> * "The Derelict" (1907)<ref name="Derelict" /> * "Winchester and Company" (1907)<ref name="Winchester and Company" /> * "The Oasis in the Desert" (1907)<ref name="Oasis in the Desert" /> * "The District Attorney" (1907)<ref name="District Attorney" /> * "A Life for a Life" (1907)<ref name="Life for a Life" /> * "Captain Arthur's Bride" (1907)<ref name="Captain Arthur's Bride" /> * "Pie" (1907)<ref name="Pie" /> * "The Electric Light Bill" (1907)<ref name="Electric Light Bill" /> * "Rodman's Ambition" (1907)<ref name="Rodman's Ambition" /> * "The Name She Whispered" (1907)<ref name="Name She Whispered" /> * "In Deep Waters" (1908)<ref name="In Deep Waters" /> * "Sonia" (1908)<ref name="Sonia" /> * "Pardners" (1908)<ref name="Pardners" /> * "Mr Garfield's Matrimonial Experiment" (1908)<ref name="Matrimonial Experiment" /> * "Miss Lowell's Lover" (1908)<ref name="Lowell's Lover" /> * "The Wheel of Fortune" (1909)<ref name="Wheel of Fortune" /> * "Otto Schmalz, Hypnotist" (1909)<ref name="Otto Schmalz" /> * "The Grocers" (1915)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Walter Hackett |date=June 11, 1915 |title=The Grocers |journal=[[The South Western Advertiser]] |page=4}}</ref> {{div col end}}

===Selected plays and film adaptations=== The following is an incomplete list of plays by Walter Hackett. Many of Hackett's plays were adapted into films. Only film adaptations with articles on the English Wikipedia are included in this chart. This is not a complete list of all film adaptations of Hackett's plays.

The dashed cells only indicate the absence of coverage of a film adaption of a particular play currently on the English Wikipedia.

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |- ! width="0" | Play ! width="0" | Playwright(s) ! width="0" | Film ! width="0" | Film director ! width="0" class="unsortable" | {{Refh}} |- | ''Jessie's Jack and Jerry'' (1901) | {{ubl|Francis Livingston|Walter Hackett}} | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Jessie's Jack and Jerry" /> |- | ''The Way to Win a Husband'' (1901) | {{ubl|Francis Livingston|Walter Hackett}} | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="ES" /> |- | ''The Prince of Dreams'' (1902) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="BT" /> |- | ''The Invader'' (1908) | {{ubl|[[Robert Hobart Davis]]|Walter Hackett}} | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Invader" /> |- | {{sort cell|Regeneration|''The Regeneration''}} (1908, original title ''My Mamie Rose'') | {{ubl|Walter Hackett|[[Owen Kildare]]}} | ''[[Regeneration (1915 film)|The Regeneration]]'' (1915) | {{sortname|Raoul| Walsh}} | <ref name="My Mamie Rose" /><ref name="Regeneration" /> |- | rowspan="4" | ''[[The White Sister (play)|The White Sister]]'' (1909) | rowspan="4" | {{ubl| {{sortname|Francis Marion|Crawford}}|Walter Hackett}} | {{sort cell|White Sister|''[[The White Sister (1915 film)|The White Sister]]''}} (1915) | {{sortname|Fred E.| Wright|dab=director}} | <ref name="Premiere" /> |- | {{sort cell|White Sister|''[[The White Sister (1923 film)|The White Sister]]''}} (1923) | {{sortname|Henry| King|dab=director}} | {{sfn|Affron|2002|page=167}} |- | {{sort cell|White Sister|''[[The White Sister (1933 film)|The White Sister]]''}} (1933) | {{sortname|Victor| Fleming}} | {{sfn|Murphy|Moore|1993|page=159}} |- | {{sort cell|White Sister|''[[The White Sister (1960 film)|The White Sister]]''}} (1960) | {{sortname|Tito| Davison}} | {{sfn|Suaréz Ramírez|2013|page=266}} |- | ''In the Mountains'' (1910) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Mountains" /> |- | ''Get Busy With Emily'' (1910)<ref name="Emily" /> | {{ubl|[[Stanislaus Stange]]|Walter Hackett}} | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Emily" /> |- | ''The Simple Life'' (1910) | {{ubl|Walter Hackett|[[Ren Shields]]|P. D. DeCoster}} | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Simple Life" /> |- | ''C.O.D.'' (1910, adapted into ''[[Fine Feathers (play)|Fine Feathers]]'' by [[Eugene Walter (playwright)|Eugene Walter]]) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Vexed" /><ref name="SUE" /> |- | ''Our World'' (1911) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Our World" /> |- | ''A Certain Party'' (1911) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Certain Party" /> |- | ''Honest Jim Blunt'' (1912) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Honest Jim Blunt" /> |- | ''To Die Like a Man'' (1913) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Die Like a Man" /> |- | ''Don't Weaken'' (1913) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Don't Weaken" /> |- | ''9 to 11'' (1914) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Nine" /> |- | rowspan="4" | ''[[It Pays to Advertise (play)|It Pays to Advertise]]'' (1914) | rowspan="4" | {{ubl|{{sortname|Roi Cooper|Megrue}}|Walter Hackett}} | ''[[It Pays to Advertise (1919 film)|It Pays to Advertise]]'' (1919) | {{sortname|Donald|Crisp}} | {{sfn|Bordman|1995|page=8}}{{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}}{{sfn|Wearing|2014b|page=272}} |- | ''[[It Pays to Advertise (1931 film)|It Pays to Advertise]]'' (1931) | {{sortname|Frank|Tuttle}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}} |- | ''{{ill|Criez-le sur les toits|fr}}'' (1932) | {{sortname|Karl| Anton}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}} |- | ''[[It Pays to Advertise (1936 film)|It Pays to Advertise]]'' (1936) | {{sortname|Anders|Henrikson}} | |- | ''He Didn't Want to Do It'' (1915) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | {{sfn|Wearing|2014a|page=316}} |- | ''Mr. and Mrs. Ponsonby'' (1915) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Ponsonby" /> |- | rowspan="3" |''[[The Barton Mystery (play)|The Barton Mystery]]'' (1916) | rowspan="3" |Walter Hackett | {{sort cell|Barton Mystery|''[[The Barton Mystery (1920 film)|The Barton Mystery]]''}} (1920) | {{sortname|Harry T.|Roberts}} | <ref name="Barton Mystery" />{{sfn|Goble|2011|page=200}} |- | {{sort cell|Barton Mystery| ''[[The Barton Mystery (1932 film)|The Barton Mystery]]''}} (1932) | {{sortname|Henry|Edwards|dab=actor}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=200}} |- | {{sort cell|Barton Mystery|''[[The Barton Mystery (1949 film)|The Barton Mystery]]''}} (1949) | {{sortname|Charles| Spaak}} | |- | ''Mr. Jubilee Drax'' (1916) | {{ubl|[[Horace Annesley Vachell]]|Walter Hackett}} | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | {{sfn|Wearing|2014a|page=395}} |- | ''Taken from Life'' (1916) | {{ubl|W. Taylor|Walter Hackett}} | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dramaticcomposit02libr/page/3004/mode/2up?q=%22Walter+Hackett%22 |title=Dramatic Compositions Copyrighted in the United States, 1870 to 1916 |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |year=1918 |page=2804}}</ref> |- | ''£150'' (1917) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref name="Pounds" /> |- | ''The Invisible Foe'' (1917) | Walter Hackett | ''[[Whispering Shadows]]''(1921) | {{sortname|Émile| Chautard}} | <ref name="IF">{{Cite news |date=August 24, 1917 |title=Savoy Theatre: The Invisible Foe by Walter Hackett |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |page=6}}</ref> |- | {{sort cell|Freedom of the Seas |''[[The Freedom of the Seas (play)|The Freedom of the Seas]]''}} (1918) | Walter Hackett | ''[[Freedom of the Seas (film)|Freedom of the Seas]]'' (1934) | {{sortname|Marcel| Varnel}} | {{sfn|Wearing|2014a|page=483}}{{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}} |- | ''[[Mr. Todd's Experiment]]'' (1920) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | {{sfn|Wearing|2014b|page=5}} |- | rowspan="2" |''[[Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure|Captain Applejack]]'' (1921, also known as ''Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure'') | rowspan="2" |Walter Hackett | ''[[Strangers of the Night]]'' (1923) | {{sortname|Fred|Niblo}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}}{{sfn|Wearing|2014b|pages=107, 184-185}} |- | ''[[Captain Applejack]]'' (1931) | {{sortname|Hobart|Henley}} | |- | ''Pansy's Arabian Nights'' (1924) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | {{sfn|Wearing|2014b|page=314}} |- | ''[[The Wicked Earl]]'' (1927) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | {{sfn|Wearing|2014b|page=499}} |- | ''[[Other Men's Wives (play)|Other Men's Wives]]'' (1928) | Walter Hackett | ''[[Sweethearts and Wives]]'' (1930) | {{sortname|Clarence G.| Badger}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}}{{sfn|Wearing|2014b|page=584}} |- | rowspan="3" | ''[[77 Park Lane]]'' (1928) | rowspan="3" | Walter Hackett | ''[[77 Park Lane (film)|77 Park Lane]]'' (1931) | {{sortname|Albert de| Courville}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=200}}{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=2}} |- | ''[[77 Rue Chalgrin]]'' (1931) | {{sortname|Albert de| Courville}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=200}} |- | ''[[Between Night and Day]]'' (1932) | {{ubl|{{sortname|Albert de|Courville}}|Fernando Gomis}} | |- | rowspan="2" |''[[Sorry You've Been Troubled]]'' (1929) | rowspan="2" |Walter Hackett | ''[[Life Goes On (1932 film)|Life Goes On]]'' (1932) | {{sortname|Jack|Raymond}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}}{{sfn|Wearing|2014b|page=700}} |- | ''[[One New York Night]]'' (1935) | {{sortname|Jack| Conway|dab=filmmaker}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}} |- | ''The Way to Treat a Woman'' (1930) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | {{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=38}} |- | ''[[Good Losers]]'' (1931) | {{ubl|Walter Hackett|[[Michael Arlen]]}} | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | {{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=93}} |- | ''[[Take a Chance (play)|Take a Chance]]'' (1931) | Walter Hackett | ''[[Take a Chance (1937 film)|Take a Chance]]'' (1937) | {{sortname|Sinclair| Hill}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}}{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=135}} |- | {{sort cell|Gay Adventure|''[[The Gay Adventure (play)|The Gay Adventure]]''}} (1931) | Walter Hackett | {{sort cell|Gay Adventure|''[[The Gay Adventure]]''}} (1936) | {{sortname|Sinclair| Hill}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}} |- | ''[[Road House (play)|Road House]]'' (1932) | Walter Hackett | ''[[Road House (1934 film)|Road House]]'' (1934) | {{sortname|Maurice| Elvey}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}}{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=234}} |- | ''[[Afterwards (play)|Afterwards]]'' (1933) | Walter Hackett | ''[[Their Big Moment]]'' (1934) | {{sortname|James| Cruze}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=200}}{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=318}} |- | ''[[Hyde Park Corner (play)|Hyde Park Corner]]'' (1934) | Walter Hackett | ''[[Hyde Park Corner (film)|Hyde Park Corner]]'' (1935) | {{sortname|Sinclair| Hill}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}}{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=388}} |- | ''[[Espionage (play)|Espionage]]'' (1935) | Walter Hackett | ''[[Espionage (1937 film)|Espionage (film)]]'' (1937) | {{sortname|Kurt| Neumann|dab=director}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}}{{sfn|Wearing|2014c|page=473}} |- | ''The Fugitives'' (1936) | Walter Hackett | ''[[Love Under Fire]]'' (1937) | {{sortname|George| Marshall|dab=director}} | {{sfn|Goble|2011|page=201}} |- | ''London After Dark'' (1937) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref>{{Cite news |date=April 8, 1937 |title=Miss Lorne is Loosed in London After Dark |work=[[Evening Standard]] |page=12}}</ref> |- | ''Toss of a Coin'' (1938) | Walter Hackett | {{N/A}} | {{N/A}} | <ref>{{Cite news |date=March 18, 1938 |title=Pierrots and Spies |work=[[Evening Standard]] |page=9}}</ref> |}

==Notes== {{Notelist}}

==References==

===Citations=== {{Reflist}}

===Bibliography=== * {{Cite book |last=Affron |first=Charles |title=Lillian Gish: Her Legend, Her Life |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |year=2002 |isbn=9780520234345}} * {{Cite book |last=Bordman |first=Gerald |author-link=Gerald Bordman |title=American Theatre – A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1914–1930 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1995 |isbn=0195090780}} * {{Cite book |last=Fisher |first=James |title=Historical Dictionary of American Theater: Modernism |last2=Hardison Londré |first2=Felicia |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield Publishers]] |year=2017 |isbn=9781538107867 |chapter=Hackett, Walter (1876–1944)}} * {{Cite book |last=Goble |first=Alan |title=The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film |date=2011 |publisher=[[Bowker-Saur]] |isbn=9783110951943}} * {{Cite book |title=The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1992 |isbn=0198661363 |editor-last=Hartnoll |editor-first=Phyllis |editor-last2=Found |editor-first2=Peter}} * {{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qSsPAQAAIAAJ&q=%22November%2010,%201876%22%20%22Walter%20Hackett%22 |title=California and Californians, Volume V |publisher=Lewis Publishing Company |year=1926 |editor-last=Hunt |editor-first=Rockwell D. |location=Chicago}} * {{Cite book |last=Isenberg |first=Michael T. |title=War on Film: The American Cinema and World War I, 1914-1941 |publisher=[[University of Colorado]] |year=1973}} * {{Cite book |last=Lachman |first=Marvin |title=The Villainous Stage: Crime Plays on Broadway and in the West End |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |year=2014 |isbn=9780786495344}} * {{Cite book |title=Representative American Dramas, National and Local |publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]] |year=1925 |editor-last=Moses |editor-first=Montrose Jonas |editor-link=Montrose Jonas Moses}} * {{Cite book |last=Murphy |first=Donn |title=Helen Hayes: A Bio-Bibliography |last2=Moore |first2=Stephen |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]] |year=1993 |isbn=9780313277931}} * {{Cite book |last=Suaréz Ramírez |first=Jorge |title=Cine Mudo, Ciudad Parlante: Historia del Cine Guayaquileño, Volume 2 |publisher=Publicación del Programa Editorial de la Muy Ilustre Municipalidad de Guayaquil |year=2013 |isbn=9789942858719}} * {{Cite book |title=Between Action and Cut: Five American Directors |publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]] |year=1985 |isbn=9780810817449 |editor-last=Thompson |editor-first=Frank T.}} * {{Cite book |last=Wearing |first=John Peter |author-link=J. P. Wearing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KMFnAgAAQBAJ |title=The London Stage 1910–1919: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=2014a |isbn=9780810893009}} * {{Cite book |last=Wearing |first=John Peter |author-link=J. P. Wearing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5vFEAwAAQBAJ&q=The+London+Stage+1920 |title=The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=2014b |isbn=9780810893023}} * {{Cite book |last=Wearing |first=John Peter |author-link=J. P. Wearing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2mYAwAAQBAJ |title=The London Stage 1930-1939: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=2014c |isbn=9780810893047}}

==External links== {{Sister project auto}}

* {{IBDB name}} * {{IMDb name}} * {{Gutenberg author}} * [https://www.greatwartheatre.org.uk/db/person/1411/ Works by Walter Hackett] on Great War Theatre

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackett, Walter}} [[Category:1876 births]] [[Category:1944 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American male writers]] [[Category:20th-century American dramatists and playwrights]] [[Category:American male dramatists and playwrights]] [[Category:American male short story writers]] [[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]] [[Category:Writers from Oakland, California]]