Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’m sharing the latest in our “potpourri” series on midcentury Broadway plays, specifically comedies. For this entry, I selected three iconic late 1930s pieces that, I admit, I’ve read and enjoyed before — but I wanted to add a few top-tier selections to our catalogue, thereby providing some context to my previous ratings.
THE WOMEN (1936)
Logline: A housewife’s gossipy circle learns that her husband is having an affair.
Author: Clare Boothe | Original Broadway Director: Robert B. Sinclair
Original Broadway Cast: Margalo Gillmore, Ilka Chase, Betty Lawford, Audrey Christie, Marjorie Main, Adrienne Marden, Phyllis Povah, Jane Seymour, Margaret Douglas, Charita Bauer, Jessie Busley, more here
Thoughts: Following a stellar 1939 film adaptation led by Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell, The Women has remained a cultural reference point to anyone with a passing interest in cinema history. The play, like the film, is notable for featuring an all-female cast in a wide variety of roles, as its story follows a housewife who, thanks to her gossipy group of girlfriends, learns that her husband is having an affair with a shopgirl, leading to an unwanted divorce, and eventually, a plot to put the duplicitous man-stealer back in her place. Despite focusing on women entirely and centering their lives and interactions, the text takes a primarily harsh and unpleasant view of its subjects — highlighting their competitiveness with each other, particularly when it comes to their pursuit of men, around whom their identities seem to revolve. In the 21st century, this can make modern audiences uncomfortable — but as I always note, every piece is a period piece, and indeed, The Women isn’t just a passive reflection of 1930s mores; it’s social criticism by Clare Boothe Luce, taking aim not merely at the “fairer” sex, but of a society whose rules and values are such. That some of the characters are unpleasant — like Sylvia Fowler, the chief gossip who relishes in other’s misfortune until she gets her own comeuppance (Ilka Chase’s role on stage, Rosalind Russell’s in the movie) — is a testament to the show’s actual bite, which not only has something thoughtful to say, but of course, is very funny as well. And that’s ultimately what I love about The Women — it’s rich in everything, especially humor, courtesy of well-defined characters… from the leads down to the bit parts. In fact, that’s one of the things the play and movie both boast — an entire universe of femininity, showcasing an array of different people and attitudes. M-G-M’s version is perhaps more clarifying around the stars and the central story, and actually massages a few plot points in a way that’s helpful (such as, Mary meets her divorcee pals on the train to Reno, so they’re more bonded by the time Sylvia arrives there and we get the Miriam reveal). The play also misses several choice lines from the Anita Loos and Jane Murfin screenplay, but for the most part, Luce’s text crackles with the same wit — rendering it a terrific read, and one of the best comedic works of the 1930s, something that deserves to be staged forever.
Jackson’s Rating: 9/10
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1939)
Logline: A socialite’s wedding is threatened by her ex and a pair of nosy journalists.
Author: Philip Barry | Original Broadway Director: Robert B. Sinclair
Original Broadway Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Joseph Cotten, Van Heflin, Shirley Booth, Lenore Lonergan, Dan Tobin, Frank Fenton, Vera Allen, more here
Thoughts: Also remembered for its delectable film version, The Philadelphia Story is probably best understood as a vehicle for star Katharine Hepburn, who strategically used Philip Barry’s wonderful property to reignite her Hollywood appeal after a string of cinematic failures got her labeled “box office poison.” By taking a gamble on this stage play, she was able to parlay her Broadway success into a big screen comeback when she optioned the motion picture rights to MGM on the condition of her involvement, thus entirely changing the course of her career. And indeed, The Philadelphia Story was designed, even during its theatrical origins, to redefine Hepburn’s image — giving audiences a new way to view her and scripts a new way to use her: as the obviously excellent heroine whose natural superiority made her in constant need of humanizing via a comedown, which would then allow her to be root-for-able and relatable in spite of the excellent qualities that often threaten to make her distant or condescending. Eventually, she’d pair both on screen and off with Spencer Tracy, a partner who naturally humbled her in the same way Tracy Lord, her character in The Philadelphia Story, is made to come down to Earth here — when, through her own experience with human folly, she’s able to realize the kind of grace necessary for love and happiness. Heck, the best thing about the play — which is otherwise a comedy of remarriage — is her arc; its completion was transformative for Hepburn, but even taking the text alone, its human insight is eloquent and exciting, and it really makes the whole dramatic event worthwhile. Of course, it’s very funny too — Barry is sharp and direct when he needs to be, wispy and poetic when he wants to be — and the film emphasizes the elements of screwball that were also associated with its stars’ images. To that point, the movie also allows itself to be as much a vehicle for Hepburn as both Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, and the biggest changes in Donald Ogden Stewart’s adaption involve the expansion of those two guys’ roles — their bond is built through new centerpieces (like a fun drunk scene) and, crucially, by affiliating Grant’s ex-husband character with the journalistic storyline (which happens due to the deletion of Tracy’s brother). Accordingly, I think the film ends up tighter and funnier, but that’s only made possible by the play’s strong foundation.
Jackson’s Rating: 9/10
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1939)
Logline: A radio celebrity takes over a small-town house after he trips and falls on their porch.
Author: George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart | Original Broadway Director: George S. Kaufman
Original Broadway Cast: Monty Woolley, Edith Atwater, Theodore Newton, Carol Goodner, John Hoysradt, David Burns, George Lessey, Virginia Hammond, Gordon Merrick, Barbara Woodell, Mary Wickes, more here
Thoughts: As with the other plays in this entry, The Man Who Came To Dinner was blessed with a fairly faithful film adaptation that has kept it more visible than most of its stage contemporaries. The film, which boasted a great ensemble that included both Bette Davis and Ann Sheridan, also retained its Broadway lead — the perfectly cast Monty Woolley, whose terrific performance is rightfully dominating and provides the entire piece with its tone and pace. But while the other movies discussed above made tweaks to their plays that were genuinely positive, there’s nothing in the film version that improves upon what Kaufman and Hart first provided. In fact, I actually think it works better on the stage as a matter of principle — largely because it’s centered around a person whose theatricality influences the whole course of events, which become more madcap and, well, theatrical as the action progresses. As a result, The Man Who Came To Dinner feels so much like a work of the theatre that, even with Woolley in the movie, there’s an authenticity to it being stage bound that emphasizes its charms. That said, it’s enjoyable in all forms — not merely due to its “difficult guest is immobilized at the home where he injured himself” premise, which has reverberated through many other pieces of entertainment (especially sitcoms), but also because of its handful of delicious characters… starting obviously with Woolley’s Sheridan Whiteside, who’s aided and combatted by a coterie of outrageous people. What’s more, there’s some winning show biz satire that’s both specific to the period — Whiteside was based on Alexander Woollcott; Lorraine on Gertrude Lawrence; Beverly Carlton on Noël Coward; Banjo on Harpo Marx — and universally identifiable through the egotism and entitlement that fuels their characterizations, thereby creating a phony world of hammy histrionics that can propel the plot and serve as a necessary contrast to the tenor of the small town, and specifically this family that Whiteside is polluting. Accordingly, it’s another very funny show — with a strong premise supported by strong characters and a smart plotting. That smart plotting is particularly evident in Whiteside’s efforts to keep his secretary Maggie from leaving him for her small-town beau — his resulting scheming showcases his persona and makes for some of Dinner’s funniest moments, building to a dynamite climax that caps off a play that is, simply, well-made.
Jackson’s Rating: 9/10
Come back next week for a new Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for more Curb!