Porter Emerson Browne was an American playwright (June 22, 1879 – September 20, 1934), born Beverly, Massachusetts.
The Mabel Normand dramatic vehicle Joan of Plattsburg (1918) was also based on a Browne play.
Barely a teenager, Toland aspired to be a writer, and was enthralled when Browne came to live with his family.
Browne filled the boy’s imagination with stories about serving as Pancho Villa’s secretary, writing speeches for Theodore Roosevelt, and pursuing research in China and Japan.
He credited Browne for teaching him how to listen, even as he interviewed heinous figures important in history, without judgement.