Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday, on a Tuesday! Coverage of Modern Family will officially begin tomorrow. But in the meantime, I’m sharing the latest in my “potpourri” series on midcentury plays, specifically comedies, that I’m reading for (mostly) the first time. For this entry, I’ve spotlighted three of the longest-running Broadway shows of the 1940s, each of which were also made even more famous by classic movie adaptations in the 1950s.
HARVEY (1944)
Logline: A widow is fed up with her hard-drinking brother and his best friend, an invisible six-foot-tall rabbit.
Author: Mary Chase | Original Director: Antoinette Perry
Original Broadway Cast: Frank Fay, Josephine Hull, Fred Irving Lewis, Janet Tyler, Tom Seidel, Jane Van Duser, Jesse White, John Kirk, Dora Clement, Robert Gist, Frederica Going, Eloise Sheldon
Thoughts: Running for over 1700 performances, Harvey was so popular on Broadway that its translation to film was inevitable. That eventual motion picture, starring Jimmy Stewart, is how everybody remembers this title today, associating it with his charming performance as the lovable Elwood P. Dowd. But I’ve always loved Harvey in every form, having also seen a local stage production. Of course, the play and the movie are so alike — the latter just opens up the action (taking us to the bar, for instance) while also boasting an even more sensitive air as a result of Stewart’s utterly impossible-to-dislike Elwood. The play is also more self-contained, going between the home and the sanitarium. This simplification better emphasizes the plot’s farcical elements, which are balanced well with the encroaching warmth of Elwood’s positive effect on others, which becomes more evident as the action progresses and Chase’s thesis about how people are better off being pleasant than smart is corroborated. Indeed, Harvey is a well-crafted piece that boasts laughs and a well-laid lump-in-your-throat message about humanity. It’s beautiful. However, reading the play for this post I’m also reminded about a thought I had when I first saw it staged: what if Chase made no effort to make the audience question the existence of Harvey? That is, what if there were no practical effects or any supernatural indications that the pookah was present? What if the only testimony was Elwood’s insistence? You could still have other characters come to “see” Harvey too, but it would principally be the result of Elwood’s suggestion. And from there, Veta’s choice to keep her brother the way he is wouldn’t rest on any shadow of a doubt regarding Harvey, but more specifically, on Elwood’s personal kindness and what his belief in Harvey does to others. Personally, I think a production that fully avoided the fantasy could be interesting — I think it might make Chase’s argument even stronger. But, that’s just a thought. Again, Harvey‘s already sublime — in every form.
Jackson’s Verdict: Like the film, the play is a charming, illuminating study of humanity.
BORN YESTERDAY (1946)
Logline: A crooked political lobbyist hires an idealistic journalist to educate his idiotic girlfriend.
Author: Garson Kanin | Original Director: Garson Kanin
Original Broadway Cast: Judy Holliday, Paul Douglas, Gary Merrill, Otto Hulett, Larry Oliver, Mona Bruns, Frank Otto, and more
Thoughts: In its initial Broadway run (of over 1600 performances), Born Yesterday made a star out of the terrific, magnetic, one-of-a-kind Judy Holliday, whose career further ascended after her Academy Award-winning turn in the 1950 film adaptation. That’s how most people remember this title today (not to mention its lesser 1993 remake). And, frankly, that’s actually to the story’s benefit, for the 1950 screenplay — credited to Albert Mannheimer but heavily sculpted by both director George Cukor and playwright Garson Kanin himself — is probably the best version of the material anywhere. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the original play is terrific and has all the basics that make the forthcoming movie a classic. In particular, it’s a deliciously snappy and thoughtful character piece built for a star, as Billie Dawn’s journey to enlightenment is one of the greatest comic arcs written for the 20th century stage. And with clever dialogue, plus an inspiring post-war attitude about the clash between American idealism and the opportunity for individuals to take advantage of it, Kanin’s Born Yesterday is genius. But the film strengthens the trajectory of this plot, largely because it smooths out and better traverses ellipses in time, such that Billie’s transformation, and the development of her romance with her teacher, are better observed and thus feel more believable. To that point, the movie also expands on our time with said teacher, and that’s to the text’s overall benefit, as their characters’ scenes are accordingly strengthened by this extra attention. Of course, it’s tough to fully adjudicate the play alone here after having seen the film and knowing all the differences. But simply because the meat and potatoes are present — specifically the central character and her brilliant arc — it’s clear Born Yesterday is a triumph of mid-century playwriting, with lots of laughs to boot. A gem.
Jackson’s Verdict: A great character piece, elegantly told.
MISTER ROBERTS (1948)
Logline: The executive officer of a navy cargo ship longs to be transferred into active combat.
Author: Thomas Heggen & Joshua Logan | Original Director: Joshua Logan
Original Broadway Cast: Henry Fonda, William Harrigan, Robert Keith, David Wayne, Joe Marr, Harvey Lembeck, Ralph Meeker, Karl Lukas, Steven Hill, Casey Walters, Fred Barton, and more
Thoughts: With a Broadway run of “only” 1157 performances, Mister Roberts is nevertheless the most influential title in today’s post. That’s because it not only begat a memorable and decorated 1955 film adaptation, but because its basic premise would indirectly inspire so many military sitcoms over the next few decades — including a literal single-season series from 1965-1966 called Mister Roberts. In that regard, I felt like I knew it even before I read it or saw the movie — that’s how much I recognize its footprint. But this is a great text in and of itself, with a simple and well-plotted main arc built around a compelling title character, a good guy on a boring cargo ship who craves the chance to participate in active combat and fight for something important. And he’s surrounded by a terrific group of individually well-defined supporting players, some of whom — like the big-talking but conflict-avoidant Pulver (Jack Lemmon in the film) — get subplots of their own. Indeed, what I most like about Mister Roberts is that it, too, is a character piece, with the dynamics between the leads — like between Roberts and the ship’s blustering Captain — driving the plot. Additionally, the writing — by Joshua Logan and Thomas Heggen, on whose earlier 1946 novel the play is based — really captures an affable spirit of camaraderie, with a command on believable dialogue that’s loaded with both laughs and truth. In fact, I think the movie, which is fun because of its fine performances (aside from Lemmon, there’s Henry Fonda, William Powell, and Jimmy Cagney), loses a bit of the play’s comedic charge and authentic edge. Mainly, Hollywood’s take is sanitized, removing a lot of the vulgar but true-to-life language, along with the more explicit sexual discussions that help define a few of the characters. For that reason, I think this is the opposite of Born Yesterday. Instead of improving upon the play by strengthening its ideas, I think the movie of Mister Roberts slightly waters them down. Not terribly though — for the primary character arc is strong enough to endure, and that’s a testament to the show’s foundational strengths. Another gem.
Jackson’s Verdict: Another great character study inside a smart, well-written text.
Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned tomorrow for Modern Family!