Paddy the Next Best Thing (novel)

Paddy the Next Best Thing (also written as Paddy-The-Next-Best-Thing) is a 1908 romantic comedy novel by the British writer Gertrude Page.

The heroine of the story is Paddy Adair, the daughter of an impoverished Irish landowner near Carlingford. Her father, General Adair, had hoped she would be a boy, but is delighted by the high-spirited Paddy who dubs herself as "the next best thing" to a boy. Paddy falls in love with another landowner, who had once been involved with her elder sister.

Adaptations
Gayer Mackay and Robert Ord adapted the novel into a successful 1920 West End play of the same title. The cast was: The play opened at the Savoy Theatre on 5 April 1920, transferred briefly to the Strand Theatre in February 1922, and moved back to the Savoy in March, completing its run of 867 performances on 22 April 1922.
 * General Adair – J. H. Barnes
 * Dr Davy Adair – Clive Currie
 * Eileen Adair – Betty Faire
 * Mary O'Hara – Margaret Nicholls
 * Jack O'Hara – Anew McMaster
 * Laurence Blake – Ion Swinley
 * Doreen Blake – Eithne McChee
 * Gwendoline Carew – Winifred Evans
 * Lord Sellahy – H. V. Tollemache
 * Micky – Hyland T. O'Shea
 * Webb – Ethel Callanan
 * Mrs Bingley – Christine Jensen
 * Mrs Putter – Rose Edouin
 * Paddy – Peggy O'Neill.

The novel has been made into films on two occasions: a 1923 British silent film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Mae Marsh and a 1933 American sound film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Janet Gaynor