Common Clay is a 1915 play by the American writer Cleves Kinkead. A social drama, it shows the relationship between a servant and a member of the wealthy family which she serves. When she becomes pregnant she finds herself ostracized by them. The play was controversial on its release, but enjoyed a lengthy run on Broadway. It was the outstanding success of Kinkead's career, and he struggled to repeat it with his later works such as Your Woman and Mine (1922).
Adaptations
It was the basis for a 1919 silent film starring Fannie Ward and two further adaptations during the 1930s: Common Clay starring Constance Bennett released in 1930 and a 1936 version called Private Number starring Loretta Young. A novelisation by D. Torbett was published by The Readers Library, to coincide with the release of the 1930 film.
References
Bibliography
Bordman, Gerald. American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama 1914-1930. Oxford University Press, 1995. Brown, Jared & Hayes, Helen. The Fabulous Lunts: A Biography of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Atheneum, 1986.