Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch is a 1901 novel by American author Alice Hegan Rice, telling of a southern family's humorously coping with poverty. The book was highly popular on its release,[1] and has been adapted to film several times.

Original illustration for the first illustrated edition of Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

Rice was inspired to write the book during her "philanthropic work in a Louisville, Kentucky slum area, where she met an optimistic and cheerful woman" who served as the model for the book's main character.[1]

The setting of the book is a white turn-of-the-century urban slum, with two somewhat wealthy individuals wanting to help the inhabitants. The title character is a widow with several daughters—named after the continents, because she thinks that geographical names are refined—and an employed young son, who dies before the middle of the book.I

As of 1997, the book had sold more than 650,000 copies in a hundred printings.[1]

A sequel written by Rice was published in 1903 under the title "Lovey Mary" and featured many of the characters from the earlier book.[2]

Adaptations

Play

In 1904 the book was premiered as a play on Broadway at the Savoy Theatre. It was written by Anne Crawford Flexner, starring Madge Carr Cook.[3] It had been performed in October 1903 in Louisville, Kentucky. Helen Lowell who appeared in the cast was able to tour to Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and across America for the next seven years playing Miss Hazy "in the Cabbage Patch".[4]

Film

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1914 film), a 1914 silent film starring Blanche Chapman
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1919 film), a 1919 silent film starring Marguerite Clark and Mary Carr
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934 film), a 1934 film released by Paramount Pictures starring Pauline Lord
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1942 film), a 1942 film also released by Paramount Pictures starring Fay Bainter

Radio

The book was also adapted into a radio series which aired from 1935 to 1938.[5]

References

Lowell Hayes Harrison, A New History of Kentucky (1997), p. 324.
Lovey Mary by Alice Caldwell Hegan Rice
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch on Broadway at Savoy Theatre, September 1904 – January 1905
Axel Nissen (12 August 2016). Accustomed to Her Face: Thirty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood. McFarland. pp. 116–. ISBN 978-0-7864-9732-4.
Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 462. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-12-18. Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, soap opera.

External links

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch at Project Gutenberg

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[Harrison-1] Lowell Hayes Harrison, A New History of Kentucky (1997), p. 324.

[2] Lovey Mary by Alice Caldwell Hegan Rice

[3] Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch on Broadway at Savoy Theatre, September 1904 – January 1905

[Nissen2016-4] Axel Nissen (12 August 2016). Accustomed to Her Face: Thirty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood. McFarland. pp. 116–. ISBN 978-0-7864-9732-4.

[Dunning-5] Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 462. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-12-18. Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, soap opera.