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Franz Simon von Schönthan, Edler von Pernwald (1849–1913) was an Austrian actor and playwright.

His most successful comedy, The Abdiction of the Sabine Women, was written together with his brother Paul von Schönthan. Posthumously, several film versions and radio plays were created with this plot. This comedy can still be found in the repertoire of some theatres in German speaking countries.

Biography

He was born on 20 June 1849 in Vienna. His father was Johann Paul von Schönthan, a merchant dealing with iron. His brother Paul von Schönthan (1853–1905) became a dramatist. One of his cousins was the art historian Franz Wickhoff. In 1867, he joined the Austro-Hungarian Navy as a cadet. Four years later, he resigned for health reasons and devoted himself to acting – instead of pursuing a military career, as expected by his family.

As an actor

Schönthan took private acting lessons and debuted in a small role as an extra at the Hoftheater Dessau. Subsequently, he alternated with various ensembles i.e. in Zerbst, Köslin and Wesel among others. Over the years, he advanced to the roles of a "youthful lover". The highlight of this career were his guest appearance at the Royal Theatre and shortly thereafter at the Residenztheater, both in Berlin.

As a playwright

His plots were well suited for operettas. For example, in 1920 his comedy Renaissance became the basis of a score by German composer Eduard Künneke; it's titel though was changed into Wenn Liebe erwacht [When Love Awakens].

His last plot was the script for one of Germany's first mystery films, Where Is Coletti?, a silent movie directed by Max Mack. After his death, several of his comedies were transferred to the big screen.

Humoristic essays

Already during his time as an actor, he wrote humoristic essays and published them in several newspapers and magazines. Together with his brother Paul, from 1882 to 1887, he published four volumes of lighthearted shortstories. Publisher was the well known Reclam Verlag in Leipzig, who also edited several of his plays. In the years that followed, Schönthan took private acting lessons and was soon able to make his debut in a small role as an extra at the Hoftheater Dessau. Subsequently, he alternated with various ensembles from Zerbst, Köslin and Wesel, among others; in the process, he advanced from an extra to a "youthful lover". The highlight of this career was his guest appearance at the Royal Theatre and shortly afterwards his appearance at the Residenztheater. From 1887 on he took part in writing and editing a satirical magazine in Berlin, the Lustige Blätter [Funny Papers]. Due to another commitment in Vienna, for Wiener Tagblatt, he had to commute reguarly between the two cities. In 1888, Schönthan and his family settled in Blasewitz, then a noble village next to Dresden, today a borrough of the city. Blasewitz is en route from Berlin to Vienna. In 1892, he moved to the Pernwaldhaus, an extravagant villa in Blasewitz, constructed for him and his family. Though he did not live there for very long, between two and four years according to different sources. Thereafter he moved to Vienna. In 1896, he sold the villa.

Literary work

Sole authorship

Das Mädchen aus der Fremde (1879, Thalia Theater, Hamburg)
Sodom und Gomorrha (1879, Wallner Theater, Berlin)
Der Schwabenstreich (1882)
Roderich Heller (1883)
Kleine Hände (adaptation of a comedy by French playwright Eugène Labiche, publ. 1884)
Villa Blancmignon (adaptation of a comedy by French playwright Henri Chivot, publ. 1884)
Die goldene Spinne (publ. 1885)
Circusleute (1894)
Die goldene Eva (1896)
Maria Theresia (1903)

Co-author with Gustav von Moser

Krieg im Frieden (1880)
Der Zugvogel (1880)
Unsere Frauen (1881)
Der Saisontyroler (1885)

Co-author with Paul vom Schönthan

Der Raub der Sabinerinnen (1884)

Co-author with Gustav Kadelburg

Goldfische (1886)
Die berümte Frau (1888)
Zwei glückliche Tage (1892)
Der Herr Senator (1894)
Zum wohltätifen Zweck (1895)

Further collaborations

Komtesse Guckerl (1895, with Franz Koppel-Ellfeld)
Renaissance (1897, with Franz Koppel-Ellfeld)
Im bunten Rock (publ. 1906, with Wolf Ernst Hugo Emil Baudissin)
Der Retter in der Not (around 1912, with Rudolf Presber)

Translation into English

A Kettle of Fish, a Farcical Comedy in Three Acts (1890)

Adaptations by Augustin Daly

Seven-twenty-eight or Casting the Boomerang, a Comedy of Today (1883)
The Passing Regiment, a Comedy of the Day, in Five Acts (1885)
A Night Off or A Page from Balzac, a Comedy in Four Acts (1885)
Railroad to Love [adaptation of Goldfische]
The Great Unknown, a Comedy in Three Acts (1890)

Film versions of his plays

The Abdiction of the Sabine Women

Romulus and the Sabines, 1945

Zwei glückliche Tage

Zwei glückliche Tage, 1965

Private life

Schönthan was married to Elisabeth Henriette née Blume. The couple had six children, five girls and one boy. In addition, he adopted an orphan, Doris von Schönthan, who later-on became a wellknown journalist and a photographer.

He died on December 2, 1913 in Vienna. His widow died in 1940.

External links

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