R.R. Ryan - another primary source

 Another brief but interesting source of information about Rex Ryan/R.R. Ryan.  The 1939 England and Wales Register provides details about Rex Ryan and his wife, Anne.  Rex Ryan's occupation is given as 'writer (fiction)' - not surprising given that he'd written a succession of thrillers under the name R.R. Ryan and other pseudonymous names for Herbert Jenkins.  This indicates he'd given up acting and managing theatres by this time. The occupation of his wife, Anne, is given as 'unpaid domestic duties'.

The address on the book contract for R.R. Ryan's final novel, No Escape (1940), is the same as the residence given in the register - 80b Lansdowne Place, Hove. The contracts for his previous novels give the address 16 Granville Road. Electoral rolls and telephone directories indicate that the Ryans moved from Granville Road to Lansdowne Place in 1939. 

Rex Ryan, Midnight Love

Book collector and researcher extraordinaire, Andrew Parry, has found a "lost" Rex Ryan novel, Midnight Love, published by the Anglo-Eastern Publishing Co. in the mid-1920s.  The book is listed in Anglo-Eastern advertising, but a copy has not heretofore turned up.  A newspaper report of the mid-1920s indicated that Ryan had written "2 or 3 novels" around this time, but only Tyranny of Virtue, written under the pseudonym, Noel Despard, was known with any certainty.  In the 1930s Ryan began to publish thriller novels as R.R. Ryan.

While it's always dangerous to tell a book by its cover, the image of a young woman in an opium den appears to reflect the plots of Rex Ryan's alter ego, Dennis Clyde's early plays.  Andrew will provide a synopsis in the coming weeks which may tell us one way or the other.  Well done, Andrew, on a great find!

Also shown above is a Louise Heilgers novel published by the Anglo-Eastern Publishing Co. first published by Stephen Swift and Co. in 1912.

REX RYAN, THE BLACK TRIANGLE

I mentioned in a previous post that we can’t really understand the R.R. Ryan novels without understanding the milieu in which they were written: the popular provincial theatre of the day.  One would reasonably expect traces of Rex Ryan’s plays to be found in the series of excessive thrillers he wrote for Herbert Jenkins in the 1930s.  One of his plays, written in 1927 and licensed at the Hippodrome in Mexborough, was The Black Triangle.  We know it was written by Rex Ryan because he advertised it for sale along with other plays of his in the Stage Directory in 1929.  I acquired a copy of the play from the Lord Chamberlain’s archive at the British Library, and it makes entertaining if typically crude reading.

It is a crime thriller reminiscent of his later books with bizarre goings on and a plot that stretches the imagination.  The play is mostly set in a country house belonging to James Sullivan.  There is a crowded household consisting of Sullivan, his son, Colin, Sullivan’s sister, Mrs Temperley, and her two daughters, Estelle and Nadine, and a cousin, Carlyle.  On top of this, Sullivan and Nadine like to take in unfortunate types in the neighbourhood, including a blind and deaf cripple named Paul who acts more like an animal than a man (but who responds to Morse code being tapped on his arm!), and most recently, an escaped freak from a passing circus called the Lion-Faced Man who horrifies all who see him. 

There are various love interests happening, with Nadine at the centre of it all – she is courted by both Colin and Carlyle, whom she despises.  Paul and the Lion-Faced man don’t like each other and after a fierce fight the Lion-Faced man says that they knew each other in the circus.  James Sullivan then reveals that today is the 20th anniversary of his escape from the clutches of a Chinese secret organisation called the Brotherhood of Black Triangle, controlled by arch-criminal Soo Ki.  Evidently, when Sullivan was in China 20 years earlier he fell in love with a beautiful Chines woman who was betrothed to Soo Ki – when Soo Ki found out about the affair Sullivan was only able to escape death by joining the Black Triangle.  He obtained government protection and managed to escape, but Sullivan has been expecting retribution ever since.

It quickly arrives with the appearance of a black triangle painted on a canvas that Colin, a budding artist, was about to use.  And shortly afterwards THE TERROR (in upper case, as is THE INEXPLICABLE in Echo of a Curse) appears at the window during a violent storm: “THE TERROR appears at the window, clad in black, with a black veil falling over his face on which is a death’s head.  On his breast and on a background of white is a black triangle.  His hands are the hands of a skeleton, and the fingers end in terrible claws.  The veil rises, apparently by no agency of his own, and a ghastly Chinese face is seen.  He fixes his huge eyes on Sullivan and they never waver in their gaze.”

Sullivan is murdered and Colin makes the awful discovery of his father’s head in a trunk with a black triangle painted on his forehead.  The police are called in and a bumbling investigation ensues until Kit Temple, a Melbourne detective investigating the Brotherhood of the Black Triangle, arrives.

Nadine is kidnapped and there’s a nice scene where she apparently wakes up in an underground laboratory in Marsh Retreat strapped to a slab with a huge vat of acid nearby: “Above her is a dull green light, which just reveals her.  At the back hang huge black curtains.  Otherwise the place is rough stone, with a door L.C. at back.  After the curtain has been up a little, the light above Nadine goes out. An illuminated scull (sic), and the upper structure of a skeleton is seen, with arms extended.  It is about 6 feet above the floor, but slowly descends and moves back, then forward to Nadine.  She screams.  The face fades. Scream after scream is heard…”

Sadly, the skeleton turns out to be dream, though the underground laboratory and vat of acid are real – no doubt an excuse to use a prized prop.  A black, hooded figure appears and orders Nadine to yield her body to him: “When I have done with that the devil can have your soul.  Strip off those clothes.  Surrender to me, and then you shall go in peace.”

Feisty Nadine declares, “I choose the vat rather than you.”  However, The Figure won’t take no for an answer: “The figure springs upon her and tears off a large portion of her dress.  A tremendous fight ensues, in which her clothes are torn to rags.  She fights the figure like a man.  They wrestle, roll over and over. But he gets her.  Raises her in his arms.”

THE TERROR arrives in the nick of time and forces the Figure into the vat of acid.  He then picks up Nadine and races off with her just as Colin and the others arrive.  Colin sees that there’s something in the vat: “Besides the vat are two huge pincers.  Silently Temple takes them up and hands one to Colin indicating their use.  Together from the vat they raise a complete skeleton.”  So the prized skeleton prop gets a reprise.  Needless to say the Figure turns out to be Carlyle.

After more shenanigans, Nadine is rescued and THE TERROR is revealed to be Paul, the deaf and blind cripple, who is in fact Soo Ki, the dreaded leader of the Black Triangle, and The Lion-Faced Man turns out to be Kit Temple in disguise!  What’s more, when THE TERROR’s identity is revealed he throws himself into the vat of acid rather than face justice.

The play was cleared by the Lord Chamberlain’s office, though with some provisos: according to Nicholson’s Censorship of British Drama: “In 1927 [the Lord Chamberlain, the Earl of] Cromer reluctantly licensed a touring melodrama on condition that “the lion-faced man must not be made too monstrous or like an animal,” that his fight with the blind mute “must not be too realistic”, and that “the appearance of the ‘terror’ as described on page 11 must be modified.”  Typically he also attempted to absolve himself from possible criticism by making the manager responsible for ensuring that it must not be staged in such a way as to cause offence to the audience.”  You can still see the pencil marks on the passages in the typescript that the Lord Chamberlain's Office had problems with.

There are several parallels with the R.R. Ryan novels - freaks (though in this case they are disguised men) with animal characteristics and named accordingly,  vats of acid, nefarious laboratories, Morse code, are all in Freak Museum, while using capitals to emphasize the name of a creature was used in Echo of a Curse.

The play was the subject of an article in the Sheffield Independent on 13 October 1927, titled "Too Much Blood: Super-Thriller Banned."  

"'The Black Triangle,' presented as the most thrilling of all thrillers, which was to have been presented by the Imperial Players in the Mexborough Hippodrome to-night, to-morrow and on Saturday, has been banned by the censor because it is too thrilling.

"Mr Rex Ryan, who owns the company, has received a wire from the censor forbidding the play to be produced in its current form.

"'I suppose it is the realities to which objection is made,' he said to the 'Sheffield Independent.'  "'The Black Triangle', the name of the author of which I cannot divulge, is a super-thriller.'

"There are ghosts, a deaf mute, two murders, a hanging, a head showing apart from its body, an iron face and plenty of blood and tears.  In addition to making ones hair stand on end it is mysterious.

"'The censor is a new man and I suppose his pet aversion is blood.  The old censor was concerned more about bare legs, but this one won't allow a hanging.  The play is not banned altogether, and when the censor has done we shall be able to produce it in its revised form.'"

Who Wrote the R.R. Ryan Novels?

Someone recently asked me to draw together the various Wormwoodiana posts on Rex Ryan to explain why I believe he wrote the R.R. Ryan novels.  This struck as a useful thing to do, especially now now that Ramble House continues to issue the books as though they were written by Rex Ryan's daughter, Denice Bradley-Ryan.

When I first became interested in the identity of R.R. Ryan I thought like most people that the name was probably a pseudonym.  Nevertheless I went through the motions of looking through the birth/marriage/death indices for Great Britain looking for a Ryan whose first name started with “R.”  I checked the indices from 1940 – the year the last book was published – into the 1950s.  There were several candidates, including a few servicemen who died during the war (eg a few Richard Ryans, Robert Ryans etc), which would explain why no R.R. Ryan novels were published after 1940.   One of the possible candidates was a Rex Ryan, who had died at Hove in 1950.

When Random House finally allowed access to the R.R. Ryan file, the address on the contracts led me to the same Rex Ryan who had died in 1950.  All of the books are contracted to R.R. Ryan of 16 Granville Road, Hove, Sussex, except No Escape, Ryan’s last novel, which is addressed to 80B Lansdowne Place, Hove, Sussex.  Electoral rolls and phone directories show that Rex Ryan and his wife, Anne, had moved from 16 Granville Road to 80B Landsowne Place in 1939.  Rex Ryan’s death certificate revealed that he was a “retired theatrical manager and author”:

           

So, the primary documents point to Rex Ryan as the author of the books.  "R.R. Ryan" is not a pseudonym at all - seven of the Herbert Jenkins books were written under his own name (the exceptions being three books written under the name Cameron Carr, and one under the name John Galton).  Why the two pseudonyms?  R.R. Ryan was a prolific author – eleven novels were published in just five years – and the publisher may have felt it prudent to break up the torrent of R.R. Ryan titles so as not to flood the market.

There are two types of evidence used to establish an author’s identity – external documentary evidence and internal textual evidence.  “Internal,” as Altick and Fenstermaker observe in The Art of Literary Research, “is the more slippery.”  My view is that the documentary evidence is enough to prove Rex Ryan’s authorship.  Nevertheless, a powerful case can also be made for Rex Ryan on internal evidence. 

The biographical information that has emerged about Rex Ryan has been compelling in the context of the R.R. Ryan novels and shows the development of the writer – from an unusual and eccentric childhood in a large house replete with homemade theatre, a “Bluebeard’s Chamber,” and hidden rooms, plus the ignominy of his father going to prison; to his professional work in the theatre as actor, manager, playwright and novelist; and his unusual domestic life, constant travelling with his repertory companies, untimely pregnancies with children placed in foster homes.  The evidence shows that in the 1910s and early 1920s he wrote plays, many in collaboration with his partner, Annie Howard, and from the mid-1920s he wrote novels for the Anglo-Eastern Publishing Co.

Let’s have a look at some of the characteristics of the R.R. Ryan novels.

The theatre - even before I was aware of the existence of Rex Ryan it was clear that the author of the novels had a background in the theatre.  The protagonist in Devil’s Shelter is a London theatre actress.  The villain in The Right to Kill is a budding actor.  Cameron Carr’s A New face at the Door is set in a boarding-house (which Rex Ryan was familiar with) and the characters are members of a repertory company in a provincial theatre. The use of stage expressions and words are also suggestive.  In Echo of a Curse for example: ‘His head was bare, revealing a tough looking thatch, which was almost too course for human hair and resembled nothing so much as what is known in theatrical circles as a scratch wig.’  Similarly, slang such as “soger” for soldier, and expressions such as “we’re in, Meredith”, which derives from a music hall sketch called “The Bailiff”, first produced in 1907, indicate familiarity with popular theatre.  The melodramatic elements in the novels, which has led some modern critics to believe that Ryan was a woman, also reflect a background in theatre: ‘Mary, a bruise on her forehead, stood, in an unconscious attitude of crucifixion, back against the mantelpiece, her arms extended.’  This could almost be stage direction.

Dwayne Olson’s introduction to the Midnight House edition of Echo of a Curse is the best and most comprehensive essay on the R.R. Ryan novels, and he identifies common themes and interests across the novels: 

The moral angle – Herbert Jenkins billed The Right to Kill as a “profound study” of whether it was morally defensible to kill a person in certain circumstances, in this case where a woman’s virtue is at stake.  A similar theme is explored in Death of a Sadist and No Escape. 

Other R.R. Ryan novels have professed "serious" themes.  Consider the following contemporary review of The Subjugated Beast that appeared in the Aberdeen Journal in January 1938: “Those who read Mr Ryan’s “Devil’s Shelter” will find in this book similar elements, and if you liked the earlier book you will enjoy this one much more.  To Many, however, the thrill element is lost in the scientific and philosophic sidelights which tend to slow up the pace at which the grotesque plot should move to inspire unreservedly “the creeps.” Reading this book is like being drawn up in a train at every wayside station, when a metropolitan terminus is the destination.  There is much heaviness in the telling which should be got rid of.”

Other novels like Gilded Clay deal with moral dilemmas around abortion and unwanted pregnancy, and the hypocrisy of self-righteous men and women who judge “fallen” women who have lost their virtue through events they cannot control.  Jenkins' blurb for Gilded Clay says: "This is an important book: not only because it is a good story well told, but also because it deals with certain serious social problems in a most graphic and telling manner."

This moral content – often referred to in advertising material and reviews - is also a feature of many of his plays:

            

The Newcastle Daily Journal wrote of his play, “Slaves of Vice”, in February 1914: “This piece has been written with a purpose, for it exposes some of the evils of the white slave traffic.”

The moral angle is also explicit in much of the output of the Anglo-Eastern Publishing Co, which Rex Ryan wrote for – the exposés of the white slave trade, the difficulties faced by poor, young woman placed in difficult circumstances.  Rex Ryan’s novel, The Tyranny of Virtue, written under the name Noel Despard, is a prime example of this, and even has an author’s preface where he sets out his moral theme at some length.

The sadism of Ryan’s villains – R.R. Ryan novels are noted by modern critics for their sadistic villains and descriptions of depravities.  We see something of this already in his play The Secret Mother (1920): the censors “insisted on removing as ‘an unnecessary horror’ the visual evidence of a character having been flogged, and demanded ‘a written undertaking that the towel and shoulders marked with red will be omitted.” 

Madness – as with sadism, we also find madness in his plays: Ambrose in The Hooded Death has a split personality as a result of a head injury, leading a pious life on the one hand, and a life as the Hooded Death, desiring the death of his mother and sister, on the other - we see similar characters in Cameron Carr's The Other and Echo of a Curse.  Mad scientists, homicidal maniacs, demented wives, husbands or children were staples of the popular theatre of the day and, certainly, the R.R. Ryan novels can only be fully understood in the context of the popular theatre of the 1920s and ‘30s.

Black humour – in a couple of places Dwayne Olson emphasizes Ryan’s use of black humour.  Contemporary reviews of his plays also emphasize this aspect of his work.

Untimely pregnancy – untimely pregnancy often out of wedlock is another staple of R.R. Ryan’s novels, and this is also a feature of a number of his plays.  Rex Ryan and Anne Howard of course had first-hand experience of this and of the guilt and personal difficulties that arise as a consequence.

Difficult marital relationships – again, Rex Ryan may well have had first-hand experience of this with the break-up of his second marriage.  In 1924 the successful acting and writing pair Dennis Clyde and Annette Howard suddenly changed their names to Rex Ryan and Pauline Duke and their profile dropped markedly.  It could well be that Rex Ryan’s second wife had caught up with them and they felt it prudent to change their identities. 

Denice Bradley-Ryan - Ramble House has been reprinting the R.R. Ryan novels in recent times with introductions by John Pelan, who follows David Medhurst’s lead in asserting that Rex Ryan’s daughter, Denice Bradley-Ryan, wrote the novels published by Herbert Jenkins.  David Medhurst is the son of Denice Bradley-Ryan, and I've recently learnt that he is also now the R.R. Ryan estate holder. 

As far as I can make out no documentary evidence has ever been forthcoming linking Denice Bradley-Ryan to the novels R.R. Ryan, however David Medhurst says that his mother told him that she wrote more than the four Kay Seaton novels published between 1946-49, and that the style of the Herbert Jenkins novels is hers.  

This seems a curious position to take.  If Denice Bradley-Ryan wrote the R.R. Ryan novels why, when casting around for a pseudonym, would she choose one that so closely reflected her father’s name?

Whoever wrote the novels for publisher Herbert Jenkins was a prolific novelist – eleven books were published in four years.  And yet here is an article on Denice Bradley-Ryan (kindly sent to me by David Medhurst a few years ago) in The NAAFI News for Christmas 1949:

“If you have read “Phantom Fear” or “Tyranny Within” or “Pawns of Destiny,” by Kay Seaton, you have been entertained by a Naafi girl. “Kay Seaton” is the pen [name of] Miss Denice Bradley-Ryan, who works […] in H.Q. Staff Branch on BAOR, and writes novels in her hostel in the evenings. [Only her] closest friends knew her secret. She [writes the] books in longhand and sends the manuscript to her father in Hove, who has them [typed and] sent to the publishers. She is now working on a fourth novel, drawing on material […] BAOR.” Italics mine.

The article speaks for itself.

Rex Ryan and Dennis Clyde

In an earlier post on Rex Ryan I traced some of his history as an actor and playwright from 1925 until 1930 with his wife, Annie Howard, who used the stage name Pauline Duke.  Elspeth Caton, their granddaughter, recently told me in an email that he also used the stage name Dennis Clyde and that he was a partner in a theatre company called “Kimberley & Clyde.”  Another search of The Stage Archive reveals that he used the name Dennis Clyde from about 1907 to 1924, and that Kimberley & Clyde was in fact a repertory company. 

Dennis Clyde is listed in the 1911 census and it seems clear from the entry that he is Rex Ryan.  He is an actor, born in Liverpool around 1881 and has been married for less than twelve months to Nita Clyde, also an actor.  Both are living in a boarding house in Brixton with other actors.

The marriage is confirmed by a notice in The Stage dated 12 Jan 1911: “Dennis Clyde & Nita Imeson thanks all their friends who sent congratulations and handsome presents on the occasion of their marriage; also compliments of the season.”

'Nita Imeson' was almost certainly the stage name of Elizabeth Hornsby, as we know they were married on 21 December 1910, and had a son, Peter.  

The first appearance of Dennis Clyde that I've found is in August 1906 (playing the villain in "The Rich and the Poor of London"), four years after his father was found guilty of company fraud and sent to prison for 18 months.  On 23 May 1907 there is an advertisement for “Mr and Mrs Dennis Clyde (Miss Violet Lesborough)”, which indicates that Rex Ryan was married at this time to Violet Lesborough (it seems likely this was the stage name of Rex Ryan's wife, Florence Bailey, who died shortly after the birth of their son, Lancelot, in 1909; certainly the name 'Violet Lesborough' does not appear in either the 1901 or 1911 census). 

Dennis Clyde and Nita Imeson were the billed stars of Almost His Bride and A Woman’s Passion, which may have been written by Clyde.  The marriage didn’t last long.  By July 1913 he was advertising his own plays – in this case, Slaves of Vice - and acting in them with Annette Howard, who I take to be Annie Howard, his partner for the rest of his life.  From that time Clyde and Howard were the principals in his plays – in 1914 these included The Sorrows of a Nun and Should Girls Marry Young, popular melodramas that were typical of the period.  Either from the beginning of their relationship or shortly afterwards, Dennis Clyde and Annette Howard collaborated on writing plays, and they had significant successes, including Anna of the Night Club.

   

Advertisements claimed that they collaborated on twenty five plays in a variety of genres, including titles that reflect the themes and titles of the Anglo-Eastern Publishing Co, who we know Rex Ryan wrote for, such as The White Slave’s Wedding, The Painted Woman, Forbidden Love and Should Girls Marry Young? 

Digitised copies of The Stage Yearbook are available online up to 1919, and a check of these reveals that some Clyde & Howard plays made the Plays of the Year list: in 1914, Slaves of Vice by Dennis Clyde, in 1915, What Every Woman Wants by Dennis Clyde, and in 1917, Anna of the Night Club and The Temptations of a Lonely Wife by Dennis Clyde and Annette Howard.

Other successes were Tommy’s Best Pal (1919):

The Woman and the Beast:

Fear!:

Another interesting collaboration between the two was The Hooded Death, here is a contemporary review:

"The Hooded Death"

On Friday, September 16, 1921, was produced at the Royal, Wolverhampton, a drama in three scenes, by Dennis Clyde and Annette Howard, entitled:

“The Hooded Death”

Ambrose Richmond…Mr Dennis Clyde

John Hanna….Mr Paul Ash

Lemuel Richmond…Mr Alan Ward

Sam Bristol….Mr Morris Maud

Elvira Bristol….Mis Olga Jefferson

Faith Richmond….Miss Margaret English

Rose Paline….Miss Mabel Stacey

Marissa Richmond…Miss Annette Howard

Mr Dennis Clyde and Miss Annette Howard’s latest production enjoyed a capital reception in the Black Country metropolis on Friday.  Their repertory company have occupied the Royal boards for a fortnight.  The piece is not really so eerie or weird as the title suggests, and the story is soon told.  Marissa Richmond is the mother of grown-up children, Ambrose and Faith.  The former is a priest in a monastery in Cornwall, in the vicinity of which is his parent’s home.  Marissa’s husband, Lemuel, is and has been for a long period a selfish man about town and fond of paying too much attention to the opposite sex.  In fact, in the opening scene he is guilty of love-making with Rose Paline, a guest of the Richmonds.  The conversation is mainly about a spectre that has repeatedly appeared in the district and become known as “the hooded death”. Visitors are announced in the persons of a local fisherman, Sam Bristol, a man with a strong Scottish accent, and his stepdaughter Elvira. Bristol gives vent to his feelings regarding “the hooded death,” and implores his hearers to leave the district.  The Bristols go home, and the others retire for the night, Richmond, senr., meanwhile arranging to meet Rose later. Rose returns, and is surprised to see one whom she believes to be Ambrose enter by the window in his monastic garb, but with his head covered. Rose realises that she is found out, whereupon the nocturnal visitor raises the hood, revealing a white skull. Rose dies from fright. Ambrose enters, and, finding the body, awakens the household. Richmond senior admits his duplicity, and holds himself responsible for Rose’s death. Hereabouts Mrs Richmond acquaints her daughter and prospective son-in-law, John Hannan, a medical practitioner, with something of her own past life. It appears that she also had a second son, but by her own interference with nature he was born to be a curse, and at her own request was taken away whilst an infant by Sam Bristol. She implores Faith and John to do the right thing should they have children, which they promise to do. Elvira warns them again of “the hooded death,” remarking that when it calls in silver tones “Come to me,” none can resist it. Faith and John are last to retire, the former insisting on remaining downstairs. John departs, ostensibly for the night, when Faith hears the fatal call and leaves by the window. John returns to find her missing, and the household is again awakened. Eventually John decides upon tracing her whereabouts, armed with a revolver, but Mrs Richmond objects, instructing her husband and son to detain him by force whilst she searches for her daughter. Faith is next seen bound hand and foot in a house amongst the rocks, calling for help. John appears first and releases her, but an ankle injury prevents her moving. Mrs Richmond next arrives, and John goes to find help. Mrs Richmond discovers the head and skull previously mentioned. Later Ambrose enters, but not as the loveable son. He reproaches his mother with her past sin, and demands that she shoot him, thereby saving his sister, whom he intends to kill. It transpires that long ago Ambrose suffered an injury to the head, since when he has led a double life, acting the good Samaritan according to his calling, and yet desirous of his mother’s and sister’s death. Elvira has been mainly responsible for the latter, blackmailing Ambrose by telling him of his mother’s sin, but eventually admitting that the second son died in infancy, and did not now exist, as was thought by the Richmonds. Mrs Richmond refuses to shoot her son, but threatens to turm the weapon on herself.  With the return of John there is reconciliation.

Despite their change of programme nightly, the company were letter-perfect in their parts, and everything pointed to careful and skilled rehearsals. The chief acting honours fell to Miss Annette Howard and Mr Dennis Clyde, the former being pathetic as Mrs Richmond, the latter giving a capital delineation of the son, Ambrose. As John, Mr Paul Ash acquitted himself creditably.  Miss Olga Jefferson was pleasing in the difficult role of Elvia, and Miss Margaret English found favour as Faith.  Mr Alan Ward was well placed as Lemuel, and the little required of Mr Morris Maud as Sam Bristol and Miss Mabel Stacey as Rose was well done.

The play also seems to have been known as The Hooded Terror:

Steve Nicholson’s excellent Censorship of British Drama 1900-1968 mentions The Hooded Death in a chapter on Horror; the Comptroller described it as “three acts of horror and gloom” and “a farrago of rubbish,” and went on to say “the horror is too silly to frighten educated people but it is a question if an average audience should be exposed to it” and observed that “the growing taste for horrors needs discouragement.”  Another Clyde/Howard play mentioned by Nicholson is The Secret Mother (1920) which was done for a touch of sadism, a feature of the R.R. Ryan novels: the censors ‘insisted on removing as ‘an unnecessary horror’ the visual evidence of a character having been flogged, and demanded ‘a written undertaking that the towel and shoulders marked with red will be omitted.’

It's also apparent that the popular theatre of the time influenced the excessive horrors of the R.R. Ryan novels.  Nicholson describes a play call The Horror, which was licensed for the county theatre, St Albans, in August 1928 (author unknown): 'a play centring on a creature which is half man and half bird, and which is the resulting offspring of a woman who has been raped by vultures.  The monster, Veldt, has been kept in a cage in his house by Sir Gordon, whose daughter rescued the woman who gave birth to it; however, after declaring its love for a young woman in the house, the creature commits a series of violent attacks on the males whom it identifies as its rivals.'  Bizarre stuff.  

At some point Dennis Clyde partnered with the playwright F.G. Kimberley to form the Kimberley & Clyde Repertory Co. that travelled around the country putting on plays written by Kimberley and by Clyde & Howard with the latter as the principal actors.

The company evidently continued to perform Kimberley & Clyde plays up to 1924, although a notice in the London Gazette says it was wound up by mutual consent in 1922.

In 1924 the names Dennis Clyde and Annette Howard cease to appear in The Stage and in 1925 Rex Ryan and Pauline Duke start to appear.  I'm not sure what precipitated this, but it is conceivable that Elizabeth Hornsby had tracked him down seeking child support. What is clear from the notices in The Stage is that Dennis Clyde and Annette Howard were constantly travelling around the country performing and staying for short periods in different towns and cities where he would often manage local theatres.

Here is an image of Olga Jefferson, one of the main actors in the Kimberley and Jefferson repertory company:

Rex Ryan addendum

Further to the post below, Rex Ryan's granddaughter, Elspeth Caton, discovered the following fascinating newspaper article, probably from the Fleetwood Chronicle.  The date is uncertain, but judging from the evidence of other articles in the clipping, it appears to date to about May 1926.

The relevant section of the article reads: "Next week the company [The Fleetwood Palace Stock Co.] will present "David Garrick." The rare comedy of this famous play should endear it to every patron of "Our home of drama." The production will witness the return to Fleetwood of Rex Ryan, who will be remembered as a member of last year's dramatic company. Mr Ryan will be the David Garrick, as well as the producer of the play. He has had a unique experience in repertory of every kind, including all Shakespeare's plays. He is himself an author, not only of many successful plays, but of two or three novels of which the best known is "The Tyranny of Virtue," a best-seller in Australia and by no means unknown in this country."

So it appears there are still a couple of Rex Ryan novels to be found.  Kudos to the first person to discover these books!

A note of caution, though - I'm not sure that The Tyranny of Virtue was a bestseller in Australia - there are only two references to it in the NLA's digitised Australian newspapers - for the copies sent to The Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Argus. And no copy exists at any library in the UK, which might suggest it is unknown in this country!

Rex Ryan/ R.R. Ryan

A useful resource I wasn't aware of until today is The Stage Archive, with searchable digitised images of the long running theatrical advertiser, The Stage Directory.  Unfortunately it's not free to use, and the search engine isn't necessarily accurate in picking up names, however there is a wealth of material including some references to Rex Ryan, better known as the cult 1930s thriller writer, R.R. Ryan.  Using the Stage Archive it is possible to trace  the activities of Ryan and his wife, Anne, who used the stage name Pauline Duke.

The first reference I could track was an advertisement dated 29 October 1925: "Wanted to let, unproduced farce, small cast, simple scenery. One big scream. Suit St. Char. Com. - Ryan, 78, Clarendon Rd, C.-on-M., Manchester."

Next is an advertisement from 5 November 1925, which confirms their address in Manchester:

Unexpectedly disengaged and looking for work. Perhaps to save a few pennies they refer to themselves as R.R. and P.D. A similar advertisement with the same address appears in the next issue, dated 12 November 1925.

The next reference is dated 8 July 1926 and refers to a play of Mary Roberts Rinehart's, The Bat, put on by Stephen C. Venner's Venner Repertory Co. at the Rotherham Repertory. According to the reviewer "The audience liked, too, the acting of Mr Rex Ryan as Dr Wells." On 2 December 1926 at the same venue, the Venner Repertory Co opened with "If Winter Comes" and Rex Ryan was one of the principals.

The following year, Rex Ryan and Pauline Duke started their own company, the Imperial Players.  They were advertising for small-part actors and a stage carpenter in July 1927. (Interestingly,  in October 1930, The Stage describes the court case of a stage carpenter named William Lawrence Thompson. Amongst his other offences is the following: "For a short time in 1928 Thompson was employed as a stage carpenter by a Miss Pauline Duke, of Kidderminster. In August, 1928, he was given instructions by Miss Duke to take care of scenery, and was handed sums of money to pay for haulage and the company's railway fares to Rugby. He adsconded with both amounts, and also stole gramophone records valued at 7 pounds, the property of Miss Duke.")

On 8 December 1927 the Imperial Players presented "Lady Windermere's Fan" at the Royal at Castleford (which was managed by Ryan's former colleague at Venner's Repertory Co, Rex R. Stewart), with Rex Ryan playing Lord Windermere.  The review says that "The Mad Doctor" will be presented tonight."  One week later the Imperial Players presented "Ashes of Virtue" at the Royal.  The reviewer notes that "Rex Ryan gave an excellent characterisation of the Jew," and goes on to say that "Pauline Duke was charming as Peace Meredith." The review goes on to say that "The Black Triangle" will be presented during the week.  On 22 December, also at the Royal, the Imperial Players put on "The Mystery of Mrs Drew," with Pauline Duke in the title role.

Early in 1928 the Imperial Players are at the Royal in Worthing, near Brighton, where Ryan seems to have been manager.  He advertises for players in April, with rehearsals on 24 April. The address for prospective players is Manager, 28 Grafton Rd, Worthing.

On 12 July 1928 the Imperial Players presented "The Volga Boatman" at the Royal and Empire in Peterborough, with Rex Ryan as the Boatman and Pauline Duke as Princess Paula.  On 19 July they played at the Alexandra in Pontefract, with Ryan giving "an excellent representation of Carol, the boatman," and Pauline Duke playing Princess Paula "with dignity." On 9 August they were at the Kidderminster Opera House and on 30 August at the Royal at Bilston.

On 4 October 1928 they are advertising for players again, this time the contact is DUKE, 3 Willow Cottages, West St, Brighton. This was the address of Zoe Elsworthy (ie Mrs Adderley Howard), the mother of Pauline Duke (ie Anne Ryan), who passed away at that address on 18 March 1936.

However, on 2 May 1929 the follow advertisement appeared: "Wanted to sell.  All the successes of the recently disbanded Imperial Players. 'The Volga Boatman.' Refer Barnsley, Worthing, Percy B. Broadhead, Bognor, Peterborough, Lincoln, Doncaster, Rugby, Lidderminster, W.H. Glaze, Scunthorpe, S.C. Venner etc etc. An entire repertoire of real money-makers for a song: 'The Black Triangle,' 'A Cry in the Night,' 'The Demon,' 'Ashes of Virtue,' 'Mystery of Two-Gun Jules,' 'The Trap,' 'The Capital Change." Anyone interested is asked to write to the AUTHOR, 96 Victoria St., Fleetwood, Lancashire.

On 8 August 1929, Rex Ryan's own play, "The Mandarin Wong Koo" (licensed as "Yellow Vengeance") was presented at the Palace in Trent Bridge and reviewed in The Stage:

 The review goes on to say that "Mr Atholl-Douglas gave a fine impersonation of the Mandarin Wong Koo, observing throughout an impressive restraint. Mr J. Templar Ellis supplied a contrast with a telling embodiment of the frenzied Pearson, whose distraught state was graphically portrayed. Miss Maureen O'Mara sounded the emotional note with skill and judgment as Miriam, and Mr Noel Mackintosh supplied acceptable comic relief to the tension by his good-humoured rendering of the role of Dr James. Mr R. Clifford Holmes convincingly indicated the subtlety of Yen Ling with whom Miss Lesley Deane as Grace Lewis played her scene admirably. Miss Lily Adeson was a capital San Ming Lee, and Mr Harold Baker did well as the porter. The piece is crude, but its sensational theme and exciting situations invest it with appeal as an attraction for popular audiences. It had an unmistakably hearty reception."

On 31 October 1929 Rex Ryan is advertising the play, spruiking its obvious virtues:

Again, the contact address is Zoe Elsworthy's.  He must have had some success because The Burnley Times of 24 June 1931 advertises The Mandarin Wong Koo "by Rex Ryan", which is being staged at the Victoria Theatre by the Julian and Ward Players.

In 1930 Rex Ryan and Pauline Duke were in Ireland.  On 12 June the Empire Players present "Heart of a Thief" at the  Empire in Belfast with Rex Ryan and Pauline Duke acting in it. On 17 July the Empire Stock Company presents "Ignorance" at the same venue.  According to the reviewer, "Rex Ryan as the Rev. Frank Hastings is natural in all he does," and "Pauline Duke is a restrained and finished Mary Martin."  In 19 June the pair were performing in "Under Two Flags," the popular Harry Collingwood novel; on 31 July, "Beggers on Horseback," on 14 August, "A Sinner in Paradise," and on 4 September, "When the Man is Away."

By 13 November 1930 they are in Liverpool advertising for once again for work: "Pauline Duke and Rex Ryan. Dis. Leads. General Manmgt. 165, Islington, Liverpool."

From this point I haven't found Rex Ryan mentioned in The Stage, though there may well be references I've missed. Presumably Rex and Anne settled in Brighton and Rex started writing novels.

It's also worth noting a reference on 20 September 1928 to a play called "Stone the Woman!"  The reviewer calls it "a strong, outspoken play based on the novel, "Tyranny of Virtue" by Noel Despard. A good house on Monday greeted the play with enthusiasm."  Rex Ryan is known to have written "Tyranny of Virtue" under the name Noel Despard.

The British Newspaper Archive has a couple of references to "Stone the Woman!" - the Derby Daily Telegraph of 11 August 1926 says "Mr Alfred Denville has secured the rights to "Stone the Woman!" by Noel Despard from Mr Leonard Harrison who produced and toured the piece. Mr Harrison, I believe is part author of the play in addition."  It is worth noting that Harrison ran a repertory company with Stephen C. Venner from 1924 to January 1925 - as we have seen, in 1926 Rex Ryan was one of the principals in Venner's repertory company.

There is also an advertisement for the play, showing at the Grand Theatre, Plymouth, in The Western Morning and Mercury dated 14 April 1927, "by Noel Despard, author of the daring novel The Tyranny of Virtue."