Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’m sharing the latest in my “potpourri” series on midcentury Broadway plays, specifically comedies, that I’m reading for (mostly) the first time. In this entry, I’ve got three plays notably performed during the run of What’s My Line? by regular panelist Arlene Francis, who was born on October 20, 1907!
OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1940)
Logline: Two lifelong pals struggle to sustain a friendship despite their natural competitiveness.
Author: John Van Druten | Original Director: Auriol Lee
Original Broadway Cast: Jane Cowl, Peggy Wood, Adele Longmire, Kent Smith, Hunter Gardner, Edna West, and Anna Franklin
Thoughts: My familiarity with Old Acquaintance stems from its 1943 film adaptation with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins playing two childhood best friends who have a complex relationship in adulthood due to different career paths in the same field and different romantic histories, despite once sharing a love for the same man. The movie makes more hay out of that love triangle than the original 1940 play, which is exclusively set many, many years after the triangle and therefore only uses a reveal of it as an added layer to the ladies’ present-day dynamic. Although that romantic rivalry makes for a smoother and more digestible plot, I particularly enjoy the play for more specifically focusing on other aspects that complicate the ladies’ relationship and put them at odds — like the fact that they’re both authors with distinct types of success (one is rich, the other is respected), or that they live different lifestyles (one is a prudish divorcée; the other a more liberal bachelorette, currently fooling around with a younger associate). And there’s even time in the play to explore smaller differences that make it challenging for them to maintain their connection, which mostly exists due to their shared history. That’s a rich, universally relatable theme, predicated on strong, individualized characters delineated well by John Van Druten. And the rivalry plot is helped by it not being about a man, but the divorcee’s daughter, who respects her mom’s best friend more than she respects her mom, fueling the proverbial fire. Okay, I’m not crazy about the eventual romantic linkup between the daughter and the younger associate — it’s soapy and convenient, setting up the never-married pal to nobly give away her man, just as she did years ago with her bestie’s then-husband — but I appreciate this story for consciously trying to channel the main conflict between the two ladies in a wider variety of ways, instead of having them in competition for a guy or a job, which would be the usual impulse. Indeed, the thing I like best in Druten’s play — which Francis toured a lot with in the 1960s (playing that noble Bette Davis role) — is when it subverts or avoids clichés, finding moments to deliver an insightful take on the intricacies of human relationships, specifically female friendships. (The 1981 film Rich And Happy is another adaptation, zeroing in on their innate competitiveness, but with more camp than humanity.)
Jackson’s Verdict: An interesting play about complex characters with rich tension.
LATE LOVE (1953)
Logline: A visiting portraitist aims to free a widowed writer’s house from its draconian rule.
Author: Rosemary Casey | Original Director: John C. Wilson
Original Broadway Cast: Arlene Francis, Lucile Watson, Neil Hamilton, Frank Albertson, Elizabeth Montgomery, Cliff Robertson, and Ann Dere
Thoughts: This is one of those classically designed comedies where one character enters a rigid world and disrupts the entire status quo simply by the sheer force of her being. That character here is the one originally played by this post’s subject, Arlene Francis, taking on the role of a famous portraitist who’s come to stay for a week at the country home of a widower author. This house seems to be run by his stern mother, whose draconian rule precludes anyone from having any fun. But that’s clearly going to change, for before long, the portraitist is fostering a romance between the writer’s daughter and his shy secretary, and finding herself courted by both the writer and his visiting best friend, both of whom endeavor to marry her. It’s really a rather formulaic setup, particularly when it appears that the conflict is going to be about this lady confronting the menacing old woman and teaching her son, and all those around him, how to stand up to the harridan and live for themselves. But then Late Love does something smarter, pivoting from a mediocre, generic play into a fresher, more personalized one, for it reveals that the mean mother is actually a regular ol’ gal, and she’s only been taking on the reputation of a dictator to cover for her son, who’s really the disagreeable bore demanding that his house be run with such an unrelenting iron fist. It’s a surprising move that re-contextualizes everything that came before while being honest about the fact that it was a deliberate ruse. And from there, the play is no longer about the charming guest trying to embolden the meek to stand up to a matriarch; it’s about a scheme where the entire house works together to crack the true antagonist and free themselves from his strict order, all led by the crafty visitor who’s charmed him. So, merely in terms of plot, this one breaks expectations and benefits for it, making its story ultimately more unique to these characters than it first looked to be. Is it a gimmick? Oh, sure, but the twist is a relief from formula, and that’s enough to push it just above average. (Also, note the great original cast — including, among others, Elizabeth Montgomery!)
Jackson’s Verdict: A twist saves the play from its own clichés, rendering it decent.
BEEKMAN PLACE (1964)
Logline: A retiring violinist finds a new zest for life upon a visit from his wife’s pal and her adult daughter.
Author: Samuel Taylor | Original Director: Samuel Taylor
Original Broadway Cast: Fernand Gravet, Arlene Francis, Leora Dana, Carol Booth, Laurence Luckinbill, Mary Grace Canfield, and George Coulouris
Thoughts: Beekman Place is a contemporary drawing room comedy about a brilliant violinist who, to the chagrin of his devoted wife, has retired himself to the world. That is, until they get a visit from her childhood best friend, the worldly widow of an English Lord, who brings with her a daughter whose romantic complications, and interest in activism, reignite the reclusive violinist’s spark for life. The problem is that, while that logline seems mildly engaging, the plot itself is terribly predictable, with all its big narrative twists telegraphed well before they arise for the characters. Specifically, it’s evident right away that there’s romantic tension between the violinist and the Lady — indeed, we learn that they had a weekend together during the war — and it’s painfully obvious that the Lady’s daughter is the product of that liaison, making the violinist the kid’s real father. Accordingly, this entire show is just one big clichéd triangle, attempting to dress itself up with distractions that nevertheless bely what it is at its core: a drama about a man who discovers he’s a father from a long-ago affair with his wife’s bestie. And I don’t think the text is funny enough or well-crafted enough to make that primary idea look particularly clever or fresh, or even unique to the characters, all of whom feel subjugated to the contrivances of this utterly formulaic plot. However, the linchpin role of Lady Pamela, the worldly guest whose secret liaison with her best pal’s husband mirrors the deception of her adult daughter, who’s gotten pregnant by the son of another of Pam’s former lovers, is the most interesting because she’s got the most layers. That was Arlene Francis’ role (and Eve Arden played it regionally after the Broadway run as well). But nobody else is as well-designed, especially the doting wife, whose initial anger is as expected, and whose quick forgiveness is absurdly convenient but equally as expected. What’s more, the central arc of the violinist returning to his career again after a life-affirming event with his daughter is also ham-fisted and predictable, cementing Beekman Place as, I’m afraid, a weaker effort by playwright Samuel Taylor.
Jackson’s Verdict: Tries too hard but not well enough to disguise its formulaic ideas.
Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned Monday for a musical treat!