The Misleading Lady (play)

The Misleading Lady is a 1913 play by Charles W. Goddard and Paul Dickey. It is a farcical comedy in three acts, with two settings and sixteen characters. The story concerns an already engaged young woman, who for a wager convinces a man to propose in front of a secret audience, but who is then kidnapped by her victim after his public humiliation. The action of the play takes place during one night. The play popularized the trope of a mentally disturbed person identifying as Napoleon.

The play was first produced by William Harris Jr., starring Lewis Stone and Inez Buck. This production also marked the first Broadway appearance of George Abbott. Tryouts began in November 1913 at Atlantic City and two locales in Pennsylvania. The Broadway premiere came in late November 1913, with the run lasting to May 1914.

The play went on national tour, but was never revived on Broadway. The Misleading Lady served as the basis for a 1916 silent film, a 1915 novelization of the play, a 1920 silent film, a 1932 film, and a 1949 episode of Kraft Television Theatre.