Smith, Winchell (1871-1933).

actor, director, playwright. Smith, born in Connecticut, first appeared on the stage in 1892; by 1904 he had become a successful producer and director. In 1906 he collaborated with Byron Ongley on <IR> BREWSTER'S MILLIONS </IR> (based on George Barr McCutcheon's novel of 1902), which was a great success; The Fortune Hunter (1909) first gave prominence to John Barrymore. Greatest of all Smith's hits, however, was <IR> LIGHTNIN </IR> ' (1918), written in collaboration with <IR> FRANK BACON </IR> , who took the leading role. His other plays include The Boomerang (with Victor Mapes, 1915); Turn to the Right (1916); and Thank You (with Tom Cushing, 1921).