Wiman, Dwight Deere, 1895-1951

Theatrical producer, Dwight Deere Wiman produced 56 plays and musicals in 26 years on Broadway making his most distinctive imprint in the musical comedy and revue fields. He was born on August 8, 1895 in Moline, IL, a direct descendant of John Deere, inventor of the steel plow and founder of what became Deere and Co., the farm equipment company and family business in Moline. After World War I service, graduation from Yale, and two years in the family business, Wiman and friends organized an independent film production company, Film Guild, in Astoria (Queens), 1920-1924. When that dissolved due to marketing difficulties, he formed a partnership in 1925 with William A. Brady, Jr. presenting 23 plays in New York of which 5 or 6, including Road to Rome, were profitable. That partnership ended on friendly terms in 1929 as only Wiman was interested in musical theater. From 1930 until his death on January 20, 1951, Wiman produced and occasionally directed his own shows including works by Paul Osborn, John Van Druten, Clifford Odets and others, and had a long association with Rodgers and Hart. During World War II he was director of entertainment for the Red Cross in Britain.

From the guide to the Dwight Deere Wiman papers, [microform], 1922-1950, (The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.)

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