FITCH, CLYDE

born May 2, 1865, Elmira, N.Y., U.S. died Sept. 4, 1909, Chlons-sur-Marne, France in full William Clyde Fitch American playwright best known for plays of social satire and character study. Fitch graduated from Amherst College in 1886. In New York City he began writing short stories for magazines. A prolific writer, he produced 33 original plays and 22 adaptations, including Beau Brummel (1890), written for the actor Richard Mansfield, The Climbers (1901), Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines (1901), The Girl with the Green Eyes (1902), The Truth (1907), and The City (1909). His earlier plays were largely melodramas and historical plays of lesser significance. Fitch excelled in comedy, realistic dialogue, and theatre technique; but the popularity of his plays hardly exceeded his own lifetime.