George Ades four-act comedy opened at the Garden Theatre on 20 September 1904 for 278 performances. This lightweight play set at Atwater College focuses on Jane Wither-spoon, daughter of the college president. Liked by all, Jane's mental acuity is challenged when she is called upon to prevent Billy Bolton, an outstanding football player, from playing for rival Bingham College. Jane's efforts lead to a romance between the two. The collegiate humor made The College Widow a prototype for other campus comedies on stage and screen. Motion picture versions of The College Widow were made in 1915 and 1927, but it attained its most enduring form when Jerome Kern, Guy Bolton, and P. G. Wodehouse adapted it into the hit musical Leave It to Jane (1917).
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.