PEPLE, EDWARD

(1867-1924)

Born Edward Henry Peple in Richmond, Virginia, he was arailroadman before becoming a playwright. He scored major hits with two plays,The Prince Chap(1905) andA Pair of Sixes(1914), both of which had Broadway runs and further success on tour. Peple'sThe Littlest Rebel(1911) was later adapted into the popular 1935 Shirley Temple motion picture of the same name. His libretto and lyrics for the 1912 musicalThe Charity Girlcaused a scandal when it was closed by New York police because of objectionable lyrics in the song "I'd Rather Be a Chippie than a Charity Bum." His other plays includeThe Love Route(1906),The Silver Girl(1907),The Call of the Cricket(1910),The Spitfire(1910), andFriend Martha(1917).