Sophie Treadwell

Sophie Treadwell (October 3, 1885 – February 20, 1970), was a leading female playwright and American journalist of the first half of the 20th century. Among her prominent works are Machinal (French for "mechanical," "automatic," or "involuntary.") and For Saxophone. As a journalist, she conducted an exclusive interview with Pancho Villa http://jamaica.u.arizona.edu/ic/mcbride/ws200/mex-cox.html for the New York Tribune in 1921. She was also an actress and was mentored by renound Polish actress Helena Modjeska. The majority of Treadwell's works are stored at the University of Arizona Library Special Collections and the rest at The Billy Rose Theatre Collection at the New York Public Library. The rights to them are owned by the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Tucson: A Corporation Sole.

Trivia

• Treadwell's play Machinal was inspired by the life and execution of convicted murderess Ruth Snyder.
• Clark Gable was the lead male actor in an early Broadway production of Machinal.