Blue-grass and Broadway by Maria Thompson Daviess: Southern Charm Meets the Great White Way

In the exuberant cultural landscape of post-World War I America, the American theatre was experiencing a golden era of commercial vitality, while the nationwide campaign for women’s suffrage was marching toward the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Few writers captured the spirit of this modern, independent American womanhood with greater warmth, regional charm, and sparkling wit than Kentucky-born painter, author, and suffragist Maria Thompson Daviess (1872–1924).

In her irresistible 1919 novel, Blue-grass and Broadway, Daviess created a masterclass in cross-regional romantic comedy. Contrasting the tranquil, pastoral traditions of Kentucky’s legendary Bluegrass horse-farming country with the electric, cynical, high-pressure machinery of Times Square’s theatrical district, the novel follows a spirited young Southern woman who writes a play to save her grandfather’s mortgaged farm—only to be hurled headlong into the chaotic, glamorous vortex of Broadway rehearsals, temperamental divas, and high-stakes romantic intrigue.

Classic American Comedy

Step Behind the Velvet Curtains of 1919 Broadway

Read Maria Thompson Daviess's delightful romantic comedy Blue-grass and Broadway, annotated with historical context on early Broadway theatres, suffrage history, and Southern culture.

Read Blue-grass and Broadway Now

The Plot: From Thoroughbred Pastures to the Electric Lights of 42nd Street

The premise of Blue-grass and Broadway crackles with classic American optimism and comedic ingenuity:

• The Mortgaged Homestead: Patricia Adair, a luminous, clever young woman raised among the rolling meadows and thoroughbred horse farms of Kentucky, discovers that her beloved grandfather’s historic ancestral estate is facing imminent foreclosure. Needing thousands of dollars in a matter of weeks, Patricia decides on an audacious gamble: she mails an unproduced theatrical manuscript she has written to a prominent Broadway producer.
• The Call to New York: To her astonishment, hard-nosed Broadway theatrical manager Godfrey Vandeleur buys the option and summons Patricia to Manhattan. Arriving with wide-eyed Southern innocence but a formidable spine of steel, Patricia discovers that the New York theatre world is an anarchic battleground of egos, commercial rewrites, and backstage rivalries.
• The Clashing Worlds: As Patricia’s rustic folk play is rewritten into a sophisticated society drama, she must defend the artistic integrity of her vision against cynical theatre veterans, outmaneuver glamorous Broadway leading ladies, and navigate her growing, complicated attraction to the brilliant but skeptical Godfrey Vandeleur.

Daviess executes the comedy with effortless grace, capturing the exhilarating sensory contrast between the mint-julep pace of provincial Kentucky and the deafening clatter of subway trains, motor-taxis, and opening-night champagne receptions.

A Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Golden Age of Broadway

What gives Blue-grass and Broadway enduring historiographical delight is Daviess’s authentic, insider knowledge of early twentieth-century American show business:

• The Mechanics of the Rehearsal Room: Daviess takes the reader behind the stage door of 42nd Street theatres: the dark, dusty auditoriums lit by a solitary work light, the nervous cigarette smoke, the furious midnight script cuts by lighting directors, and the agonizing out-of-town tryouts in Atlantic City or New Haven.
• The Theatrical Archetypes: The novel sparkles with colorful, affectionately drawn show-business personalities: the tyrannical stage director who communicates exclusively in shrieks, the vain matinee idol who counts his lines, the seasoned character actress with a heart of gold, and the exhausted business manager balancing ledger sheets against opening-night disasters.
• The Modern Woman as Creator: Patricia Adair is not an actress trading on her physical beauty; she is a playwright, the intellectual architect of the production. In 1919, when the American theatre was overwhelmingly dominated by male producers and writers, Daviess’s depiction of a woman asserting creative authority in the rehearsal room was an inspiring feminist statement.

"They told her that Broadway was a stone jungle where tender green things
were trampled beneath electric signs; but they forgot that Kentucky grass
has roots that can split granite, and that a woman with a purpose
is more dangerous in an office than an army with banners."
— Maria Thompson Daviess, Blue-grass and Broadway

Maria Thompson Daviess: Painter, Suffragist, and Storyteller

To fully appreciate the vibrant spirit of Blue-grass and Broadway, one must know the extraordinary woman who wrote it:

• Artistic Training in Paris: Daviess originally studied fine art at the prestigious Académie Julian in Paris, exhibiting paintings at the Paris Salon before returning to Tennessee and Kentucky to establish an art school. Her training as a visual painter shines through her lush, colorful descriptions of both Kentucky landscapes and New York stage lighting.
• Feminist and Suffrage Leadership: Daviess was a prominent leader in the Southern woman suffrage movement, organizing rallies, lobbying state legislators, and writing essays arguing that women’s creative and political liberation would enrich American society. In 1918, she wrote and directed a major suffrage pageant in Nashville.
• Hollywood Adaptations: Like many of Daviess’s bestsellers (such as The Melting of Molly and Phyllis), Blue-grass and Broadway was quickly snapped up by the fledgling film industry. In 1921, Universal Pictures adapted the novel into a hit comedy film starring Constance Binney, bringing Daviess’s irrepressible Kentucky heroine to movie screens across the globe.

Interlinking with Related Romance, Motoring, and Adventure Guides

Readers who delight in sparkling romantic comedy, high-spirited independent heroines, and vivid early twentieth-century period settings will enjoy discovering complementary titles in our catalog:

• Manhattan Slang & Post-WWI Newlywed Comedy: Dive into Wall Street financial escapades, suburban domesticity, and Jazz-Age vernacular with Sewell Ford’s Torchy and Vee Guide.
• Irish Coastal Comedy & Espionage Farce: Sail along the wild Atlantic shores of Connemara in George A. Birmingham’s Priscilla’s Spies Guide.
• Edwardian Motoring Comedy: Discover another delightful rom-com of cross-class romantic masquerades and open-road adventure in Louis Tracy’s Cynthia’s Chauffeur Guide.
• Lake Como Glamour & Operatic Romance: Experience Harold MacGrath’s glittering international romance between an opera prima donna and a daring American traveler in The Place of Honeymoons Guide.
• Aesthetic Romance & Musical Independence: Follow another independent heroine who takes the musical stage by storm in Grant Allen’s Linnet by Grant Allen Guide.
• Spirited New Woman Broadway Ambition: Discover another witty, audacious heroine secretly writing smash-hit Broadway comedies in Marjorie Benton Cooke’s Bambi Guide.
• Kentucky Bluffs Folk Romance & Mystery: Follow another charming Kentucky heroine navigating romance, pride, and murder suspense in Louisville in Alice Caldwell Hegan Rice’s A Romance of Billy-Goat Hill Guide.
• Story-Paper Melodrama & Feminine Pluck: Compare Daviess’s sophisticated Broadway comedy with the sensational working-girl dime-novel tradition in Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller’s Dainty’s Cruel Rivals Guide.

Why the DodaBooks Edition of Blue-grass and Broadway Is Essential

Out of print in standard library editions for generations, Blue-grass and Broadway is a joyful discovery for fans of classic American comedy and theatre history. The DodaBooks Edition restores this charming novel with exceptional care:

• Theatrical & Historical Glossary: Details early 20th-century Broadway theatre terms, historic Manhattan landmarks, and Kentucky equestrian traditions referenced in the text.
• Biographical Sketch of Maria Thompson Daviess: Explores Daviess’s artistic career in Paris, her suffrage leadership, and her literary legacy.
• Flawless Formatting: Crisp typography, verified chapter links, and complete cross-platform reading optimization for Kindle, tablets, and smartphones.

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