haʊˈɛvɚ, hiː mˈoːɹ ðɐn lˈaɪkli sˈɔː ænd wʌz ˈɪnfluːənst baɪ dˈeɪvɪd bᵻlˈæskoʊ ænd dʒˈɑːn lˈuːðɚ lˈɔŋz nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd tˈuː bɹˈɔːdweɪ plˈeɪ ðə dˈɑːɹlɪŋ ʌvðə ɡˈɑːdz stˈɑːɹɹɪŋ blˈɑːnʃ bˈeɪts, ɹˈɑːbɚt tˈiː. hˈeɪnz, ænd jˈʌŋ dʒˈɔːɹdʒ ˈɑːɹlɪs, wˌɪtʃ hɐz ɐ sˈɪmɪlɚ θˈiːm ʌv ɹᵻwˈɔːɹd fɔːɹ ɹˈɛskjuːɪŋ ɐ tʃˈaɪld ænd ɐ lˈɑːɹdʒ ɑːnsˈɑːmbəl kˈæst.
However, he more than likely saw and was influenced by David Belasco and John Luther Long's 1902 Broadway play The Darling of the Gods starring Blanche Bates, Robert T. Haines, and young George Arliss, which has a similar theme of reward for rescuing a child and a large ensemble cast.