"Captain Kettle's" Creator

New Zealand Listener, Volume 10, Issue 253, 28 April 1944, Page 26

"Captain Kettle's" Creator

well-known writer whose death was re cently announced was Charles John Cutcliffe Hyne, better known as Cutcliffe Hyne, aged 78. Here is part of a tribute to him, broadcast by 2YA. WitH the possible exception of Sherlock Holmes, the creation of Conan Doyle, no other fiction character is better known to English readers than Captain Kettle, whom we owe to Cutcliffe Hyne. This lively little man made his first appearance quite casually in a story which came out in one of Alfred Harmsworth’s early publications. When the story had run to its appointed end, Harmsworth remarked to the author: "That little red-haired sailor man, who

come in once or twice, was the best touch in your story. If you picked him out and wrote short yarns about him, you might make a hit like Conan Doyle is doing with his Sherlock Holmes." "You are bringing out a magazine soon?" inquired the author. "Thinking of it," replied Harmsworth. "Run a Captain Kettle series?" asked Hyne. % "I might do that. I'll give you 30 bob a thousand words for him," said Harmsworth. _ When the author told the Napoleon of publishing where to go to, Harmsworth explained that he never gave authors more, as it only drove them to drink. The novelist asked Harmsworth later, when the little sailor was well on his feet elsewhere, why he did not buy him up, and all the reply he got was, "Don’t know. Didn’t feel inclined that way at the moment. Sorry and all that now of course, but you’ve done a darned sight better on your own than you could have managed with me." Cutcliffe Hyne once confessed that "Captain Kettle" was invented because the author was going to be married and wanted money to buy the furniture. Somewhat later, while Hyne was on his travels tramping through Lapland, he found waiting for him at his base a cable from his agents which read: "Pearson’s offer 50 guineas apiece for serial rights of six short Kettles." Needless to add, he accepted, and on his return (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) Cyril Arthur Pearson and he addressed themselves to the problem of finding an illustrator. Stanley L. Wood was the man suggested by Pearson, and an excellent choice he proved in the long run. Actually he was a specialist in drawing hotses, afd asked if Hyne’s little sailor couldn’t be turned into some kind vuf cavalry brigand who could do at least one all-out charge per story. When Hyne refused, Wood became very cross and abusive, saying that people bought magazines to look at the pretty pictures, and not to waste time over the stupid text. However, Wood saw reason at last after he had read one of the stories, How popular the Captain Kettle series of books became is known history -six million of these volumes have been sold, and through the sales, American and other rights for radio, screen, and stage, something between £80,000 and £100,000 was made by the author,