Mr. Ernest Stanley-m, solid, substantial American businessman. 40s-50s. Head of the Stanley household.
Mrs. Daisy Stanley-f, frantic matriarch of the Stanley household. 40s-50s.
John-m, loyal, white coated servant to the Stanley's who is married to the cook, Sarah. 50s.
Richard Stanley- m, Stanley's oldest child, a smart boy of 21.
June Stanley- f, youngest child of the Stanley's, an attractive girl of 20, who falls in love with Sandy.
Sarah-f, the Stanley's capable cook, married to John. 50s.
Mrs. Dexter and Mrs. McCutcheon- f, friendly neighborhood women of Mesalia who know the Stanley family. 40s-50s.
Sheridan Whiteside-m, Falstaffian, portly, famed critc, lecturer, radio personality who breaks his hip at the Stanley's and quickly monopolizes their home, also known as "Sherry". 50s.
Maggie Cutler- f, business- like looking young woman about 30. Whiteside's long suffering assistant who falls in love with local newspaper man, Bert, much to Whiteside's dismay.
Dr. Bradley- m, Mr. Whiteside's local quack physician who endures a good deal of punishment from Whiteside. 50s-60s.
Bert Jefferson-m, interesting looking young man in his early 30s, aspiring playwright and local newspaper reporter, the object of Maggie's affection.
Adolph Metz- m, strange looking little man in his 50s. Scientist who speaks with a mild Teutonic accent who brings Whiteside 10,000 cockroaches as a gift.
Harriet-f, odd older sister of the Stanley's, resides in the household and conceals a secret past.
Sandy-m, 23-4, keen looking labor union worker June attempts to elope with.
Lorraine Sheldon-f, described as the most chic actress on the New York and London stages. Beautiful, glam siren of no mean talents and knows it. She comes to Whiteside's aid in hopes to win over Bert and the lead in his play. 30s-40s.
Beverly Carlton-m, charming, very confident. very British friend of Whiteside's and old co-star/ lover of Lorraine's who heads up the prank to get rid of her. 40s.
Banjo-m, pixie-like gentlman, a living caricature. Hollywoood friend of Whiteside and Maggie who comes to Sherry's side at the very end of the action.30s- 40s.
Westcott- m, radio operator
Baker- m, prison guard who brings in 3 famed convicts for lunch with Whiteside.
* choir of boys also mentioned to sing carols
Friday, July 17, 2009
Fable/Plot Summary
Fable:
Act one opens to a bustling household around Christmas time located in Mesalia, Ohio in the 1930s. The main rooms staged indicate that it’s inhabitants are fairly well off and perhaps, fairly ordinary. There are people moving up and down stairs and opening and closing doors, greeting visitors anticipating Sheridan Whiteside’s arrival. When we meet Sherry, he is in a wheelchair due to a broken hip inflicted upon him while leaving the Stanley’s residence. Sheridan Whiteside is a famed radio personality and greatly regarded by many circles in society, namely Hollywood. He learns he is to be confined for up to six weeks in these strangers home. Meanwhile, we meet his right- hand lady, Maggie. She is witty and sharp tongued enough to keep up with Whiteside and his antics and can almost predict his schemes before he’s had the chance to see them through. Immediately he more than makes himself at home, making the Stanley family near fugitives in their own household. He takes over the library and living space and starts getting down to business, making trans-atlantic telephone calls and sending cables to everyone from Ghandi to Walt Disney. Needless to say, Sheridan Whiteside is less than thrilled his holidays will be spent in Ohio. Whiteside destroys the heirarchy of the Stanleys’, encouraging both of their children to run away, one to get married and the other to go on a photographer’s safari. Strange gifts start arriving from Sheridan’s various admirers along with many surprise guests, further aggravating the imprisoned family. In the midst of all this commotion, his beloved secretary begins to fall in love with a local newspaper man by the name of Bert. Afraid of losing her, Whiteside hatches a scheme to steal Bert away from Maggie with the help of his good friend and famous actress, Lorraine Sheldon. He baits her with a play that Bert has written in a part he describes as one of a lifetime for Lorraine. She arrives as a surprise to everyone but Whiteside. Maggie then, not to be outdone, arranges a prank phone call in which the prankster proposes to Lorraine in the voice of a Lord she wishes to marry. She’s ready to sail away on a cruise liner when suddenly, Whiteside becomes the wiser and exposes Maggie’s trick. Fueled by anger at becoming a laughing stock, Lorraine makes it her mission to ensure Bert becomes only a memory for Maggie. Finally, Whiteside relinquishes his selfishness and tries to find a way to rid the situation of Miss Sheldon, when quite conveniently, a mummy case arrives as a gift. Somehow, he fools Lorraine to step inside the mummy case. As the lid shuts, two delivery men usher her out. Whiteside’s sentence has finally been fulfilled and he is well enough make a grand departure from the Stanleys’. As he steps outside, a second crash is heard and Whiteside is brought back into the house with a broken hip.
Plot Summary:
Act One, Scene One: opens in Stanley living room in Mesalia, Ohio, 1939, December:
*Stanley family, Miss Preen and servants run around frantically, readying the house for Mr. Whiteside. They welcome Mrs. Dexter and McCutcheon who have brought gifts and read a newspaper article explaining Mr. Whiteside's condition. Mr. Stanley enters, already annoyed with the changes in the household.
* Maggie enters before Dr. Bradley wheels Whiteside into the room. Sheridan announces his plan to sue the family for his injury, rejects the gifts from the women, and kicks the family out of their own living room. Dr. Bradley gives Whiteside his novel to look over as he and Miss Preen are ushered out as well.
* Maggie reprimands Sherry for his behavior and the two settle in for business as usual when they are interrupted by the strange sister, Harriet. Dismissing her, he continues to dictate various wires to Maggie. The phone rings and both of them delightedly talk with Banjo. Maggie then reads a telegram from Lorraine Sheldon and introduces her ill feelings toward the famous actress.
* Doorbell rings and Bert Jefferson enters, a local newspaper reporter who Whiteside initially tells to amscray. Persistent and charming Bert gains Whiteside's interest and tells him of a play he's written and the two hit it off. They are interrupted by scientist Metz, a surprise for Sherry, who brings him a cockroach hotel as a gift. Again, the doorbell rings and a prison guard toting three convicts enter to have lunch with Whiteside. Bert gains an invite as the curtain comes down.
Act I, Scene Two. A week later in the Stanley household where it is evident Whiteside has made himself more than comfortable:
*Opens with Whiteside trying to lure the Stanley servants away from them while he learns Maggie has gone out with Bert for the day from Miss Preen. Another encounter with Harriet leaves Sherry wondering how he recognizes her. Mr. Stanley enters, enraged at all of the visitors and ridiculous phone bill Whiteside has accrued and the fed up couple exit.
* June and Richard return from ice skating and as they turn to sneak up the stairs, Whiteside befriends them. They report that Maggie and Bert accompanied them at the ice skating rink.
* A smitten Maggie comes through the door much to Whiteside's disgust. She announces that she's fallen in love with Bert and when he learns of her plan to resign, his jealous rampage leads to a falling out.
* Maggie exits, furious, and Whiteside immediately dials Lorraine. While he awaits her to phone back, Dr. Bradley enters and explains to Whiteside that his hip is in fact, not broken and is free to leave. Whiteside promises to publish the doctor's book if he keeps quiet so he can complete his scheme.
* Lorraine calls back and Whiteside baits her with what he describes as the "part of a lifetime" in Bert's play, if she can only win over the director. She makes arrangements to hurry to his side, unbeknownst to Maggie. Maggie returns and apologizes for the fight and as she exits, Whiteside cheerily sings to himself.
Act Two:Scene is the same, a week later.Christmas Eve.
*The Stanley servants are admiring the presents under the tree while Maggie is getting ready for the Christmas eve broadcast.Bert takes Maggie to town for her Christmas present.
*Penguins arrive as a gift, and Whiteside encourages Richard to go off and pursue his passion for photography and seconds later, convinces June to elope with her boyfriend and the two children flee the house.
*Lorraine Sheldon arrives and dishes about Lord Bottomley, a man she wishes to marry. Whiteside informs her in order to win the part, she must win over Bert. The happy couple return from town and Lorraine gets to work quickly, securing a ride to the hotel from Bert.
* Maggie begins to suspect Whiteside's plot when Beverly Carlton's entrance interrupts them. They all happpily mock Lorraine and her Lord Bottomley. As Beverly leaves, Maggie pulls him aside and the two arrange a prank marriage proposal for Lorraine to send her back to England quickly without Whiteside being the wiser.
* Lorraine recieves the call from "Lord Bottomley" (played by Beverly) and is ecstatic, immediately making travel plans and sending cables of their engagement. When Sherry hears of this, his suspicions heighten and with a call to the operator, he exposes Maggie and her plan.
* Lorraine, humiliated and enraged, vows to Maggie that Bert shall not be hers much longer. Bert's more than obliged to make plans with Lorraine for a reading of the script when Maggie suddenly dashes out of the room as Whiteside's broadcast begins.
Act Three: Scene is the same, Christmas morning.
* Maggie finally comes downstairs and resigns as Whiteside's assistant,who won't hear of it.In the middle of their fight, a drunken Bert comes in, thrilled to announce that he and Lorraine will be working on the play together at her place in Lake Placid. Bert exits with the doctor and a teary Maggie takes refuge in the library.
* Banjo comes in to spend a bit of Christmas with Sherry. Whiteside explains the mess he's made of things with Maggie and the two plot of a way to call Lorraine off. Miss Preen resigns and the Stanley's, who have recaptured their children, inform Sherry of a warrant they have to remove him from the premises. Magically, an egyptain mummy case arrives as a gift for Whiteside just before he's being tossed out of the Stanley's.
* Whiteside convinces Lorraine to step into the mummy case to enrich her acting craft and Banjo slams the door closed. Thinking fast of how to get the mummy case to a plane, Whiteside finally recalls how he knows Harriet Stanley.
* He threatens Mr. Stanley to expose his sister, Harriet, as the infamous murderer she is and backed into a corner, Mr. Stanley consents to the remaining wishes of Whiteside. The mummy case is escorted out by the police and Whiteside stands up to make his exit. He gives reconciled Maggie and Bert his best wishes and leaves. Suddenly, a crash is heard offstage and Whiteside is rushed back into the house with a broken hip, mirroring the opening of the play.
Act one opens to a bustling household around Christmas time located in Mesalia, Ohio in the 1930s. The main rooms staged indicate that it’s inhabitants are fairly well off and perhaps, fairly ordinary. There are people moving up and down stairs and opening and closing doors, greeting visitors anticipating Sheridan Whiteside’s arrival. When we meet Sherry, he is in a wheelchair due to a broken hip inflicted upon him while leaving the Stanley’s residence. Sheridan Whiteside is a famed radio personality and greatly regarded by many circles in society, namely Hollywood. He learns he is to be confined for up to six weeks in these strangers home. Meanwhile, we meet his right- hand lady, Maggie. She is witty and sharp tongued enough to keep up with Whiteside and his antics and can almost predict his schemes before he’s had the chance to see them through. Immediately he more than makes himself at home, making the Stanley family near fugitives in their own household. He takes over the library and living space and starts getting down to business, making trans-atlantic telephone calls and sending cables to everyone from Ghandi to Walt Disney. Needless to say, Sheridan Whiteside is less than thrilled his holidays will be spent in Ohio. Whiteside destroys the heirarchy of the Stanleys’, encouraging both of their children to run away, one to get married and the other to go on a photographer’s safari. Strange gifts start arriving from Sheridan’s various admirers along with many surprise guests, further aggravating the imprisoned family. In the midst of all this commotion, his beloved secretary begins to fall in love with a local newspaper man by the name of Bert. Afraid of losing her, Whiteside hatches a scheme to steal Bert away from Maggie with the help of his good friend and famous actress, Lorraine Sheldon. He baits her with a play that Bert has written in a part he describes as one of a lifetime for Lorraine. She arrives as a surprise to everyone but Whiteside. Maggie then, not to be outdone, arranges a prank phone call in which the prankster proposes to Lorraine in the voice of a Lord she wishes to marry. She’s ready to sail away on a cruise liner when suddenly, Whiteside becomes the wiser and exposes Maggie’s trick. Fueled by anger at becoming a laughing stock, Lorraine makes it her mission to ensure Bert becomes only a memory for Maggie. Finally, Whiteside relinquishes his selfishness and tries to find a way to rid the situation of Miss Sheldon, when quite conveniently, a mummy case arrives as a gift. Somehow, he fools Lorraine to step inside the mummy case. As the lid shuts, two delivery men usher her out. Whiteside’s sentence has finally been fulfilled and he is well enough make a grand departure from the Stanleys’. As he steps outside, a second crash is heard and Whiteside is brought back into the house with a broken hip.
Plot Summary:Act One, Scene One: opens in Stanley living room in Mesalia, Ohio, 1939, December:
*Stanley family, Miss Preen and servants run around frantically, readying the house for Mr. Whiteside. They welcome Mrs. Dexter and McCutcheon who have brought gifts and read a newspaper article explaining Mr. Whiteside's condition. Mr. Stanley enters, already annoyed with the changes in the household.
* Maggie enters before Dr. Bradley wheels Whiteside into the room. Sheridan announces his plan to sue the family for his injury, rejects the gifts from the women, and kicks the family out of their own living room. Dr. Bradley gives Whiteside his novel to look over as he and Miss Preen are ushered out as well.
* Maggie reprimands Sherry for his behavior and the two settle in for business as usual when they are interrupted by the strange sister, Harriet. Dismissing her, he continues to dictate various wires to Maggie. The phone rings and both of them delightedly talk with Banjo. Maggie then reads a telegram from Lorraine Sheldon and introduces her ill feelings toward the famous actress.
* Doorbell rings and Bert Jefferson enters, a local newspaper reporter who Whiteside initially tells to amscray. Persistent and charming Bert gains Whiteside's interest and tells him of a play he's written and the two hit it off. They are interrupted by scientist Metz, a surprise for Sherry, who brings him a cockroach hotel as a gift. Again, the doorbell rings and a prison guard toting three convicts enter to have lunch with Whiteside. Bert gains an invite as the curtain comes down.
Act I, Scene Two. A week later in the Stanley household where it is evident Whiteside has made himself more than comfortable:
*Opens with Whiteside trying to lure the Stanley servants away from them while he learns Maggie has gone out with Bert for the day from Miss Preen. Another encounter with Harriet leaves Sherry wondering how he recognizes her. Mr. Stanley enters, enraged at all of the visitors and ridiculous phone bill Whiteside has accrued and the fed up couple exit.
* June and Richard return from ice skating and as they turn to sneak up the stairs, Whiteside befriends them. They report that Maggie and Bert accompanied them at the ice skating rink.
* A smitten Maggie comes through the door much to Whiteside's disgust. She announces that she's fallen in love with Bert and when he learns of her plan to resign, his jealous rampage leads to a falling out.
* Maggie exits, furious, and Whiteside immediately dials Lorraine. While he awaits her to phone back, Dr. Bradley enters and explains to Whiteside that his hip is in fact, not broken and is free to leave. Whiteside promises to publish the doctor's book if he keeps quiet so he can complete his scheme.
* Lorraine calls back and Whiteside baits her with what he describes as the "part of a lifetime" in Bert's play, if she can only win over the director. She makes arrangements to hurry to his side, unbeknownst to Maggie. Maggie returns and apologizes for the fight and as she exits, Whiteside cheerily sings to himself.
Act Two:Scene is the same, a week later.Christmas Eve.
*The Stanley servants are admiring the presents under the tree while Maggie is getting ready for the Christmas eve broadcast.Bert takes Maggie to town for her Christmas present.
*Penguins arrive as a gift, and Whiteside encourages Richard to go off and pursue his passion for photography and seconds later, convinces June to elope with her boyfriend and the two children flee the house.
*Lorraine Sheldon arrives and dishes about Lord Bottomley, a man she wishes to marry. Whiteside informs her in order to win the part, she must win over Bert. The happy couple return from town and Lorraine gets to work quickly, securing a ride to the hotel from Bert.
* Maggie begins to suspect Whiteside's plot when Beverly Carlton's entrance interrupts them. They all happpily mock Lorraine and her Lord Bottomley. As Beverly leaves, Maggie pulls him aside and the two arrange a prank marriage proposal for Lorraine to send her back to England quickly without Whiteside being the wiser.
* Lorraine recieves the call from "Lord Bottomley" (played by Beverly) and is ecstatic, immediately making travel plans and sending cables of their engagement. When Sherry hears of this, his suspicions heighten and with a call to the operator, he exposes Maggie and her plan.
* Lorraine, humiliated and enraged, vows to Maggie that Bert shall not be hers much longer. Bert's more than obliged to make plans with Lorraine for a reading of the script when Maggie suddenly dashes out of the room as Whiteside's broadcast begins.
Act Three: Scene is the same, Christmas morning.
* Maggie finally comes downstairs and resigns as Whiteside's assistant,who won't hear of it.In the middle of their fight, a drunken Bert comes in, thrilled to announce that he and Lorraine will be working on the play together at her place in Lake Placid. Bert exits with the doctor and a teary Maggie takes refuge in the library.
* Banjo comes in to spend a bit of Christmas with Sherry. Whiteside explains the mess he's made of things with Maggie and the two plot of a way to call Lorraine off. Miss Preen resigns and the Stanley's, who have recaptured their children, inform Sherry of a warrant they have to remove him from the premises. Magically, an egyptain mummy case arrives as a gift for Whiteside just before he's being tossed out of the Stanley's.
* Whiteside convinces Lorraine to step into the mummy case to enrich her acting craft and Banjo slams the door closed. Thinking fast of how to get the mummy case to a plane, Whiteside finally recalls how he knows Harriet Stanley.
* He threatens Mr. Stanley to expose his sister, Harriet, as the infamous murderer she is and backed into a corner, Mr. Stanley consents to the remaining wishes of Whiteside. The mummy case is escorted out by the police and Whiteside stands up to make his exit. He gives reconciled Maggie and Bert his best wishes and leaves. Suddenly, a crash is heard offstage and Whiteside is rushed back into the house with a broken hip, mirroring the opening of the play.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Selective Exegesis
1."Finshed the new play in Pago-Pago and it's superb."
Pago Pago is the capital town of American Samoa. It is actually a village area that is often mistaken to be a city of this south Pacific territory of the United States of America.Pago Pago is a mixture of colorful semi-urban communities, a small town, tuna canneries, and a harbor surrounded by dramatic cliffs, which plunge almost straight into the sea.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pago_Pago
2."She's going to take me to a little place she's got in Lake Placid-just for three weeks."
In northeast New York in the Airondack Mountains, Lake Placid is a village that surrounds Mirror Lake. It is a very famous resort and sports center. The 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics were held in the village and the U.S. Olympic training center is there. Lake Placid also boasts a summer theatre and music festival. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Placid,_New_York
3."I saw this holly, framed green amongst the pine trees. I remembered what you had written about "Tess" and "Jude the Obscure". It was the nicest present I could bring you."
Jude the Obscure and Tess are the last of Thomas Hardy's novels published in book form in 1895. The book was burnt publicly that same year. The character of Whiteside is largely based on Alexander Woolcott, who wrote Mrs. Fiske: Her views on the Stage, in 1917, and based it on actress, Minnie Maddern Fiske, who played Tess in 1897. The holly could be intended by Kaufman and Hart as an esoteric reference to Wollcott's admiration for Fiske who stood under a holly tree in a fairly significant scene in the novel, Tess. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tess http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Came_to_Dinner
4."My dear boy, when I talk about murder I get paid for it.I have made more money out of the Snyder-Gray case than the lawyers did, so don't expect to get it for nothing."
In the spring of 1927, the notorious trial in which Ruth Snyder, a long island house wife, was accused of conspiring with her lover, Judd Gray, in the muder of her husband. Gray, a salesman helped Ruth whack, poison, and choke her husband, Albert, to death. It attracted huge public interest, fueled by the 180 reporters assigned to cover the proceedings. The media frenzy continued until the defendants were executed by electric chair in January 1928, Snyder becoming the first woman executed in New York State in the 20th century. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Snyder
5." What news, Banjo, my boy? How's the picture coming? How are Wacko and Sloppo?"
Banjo was modeled after Harpo Marx, and there is a dialogue reference to Marx's brothers Groucho and Chico. When Sheridan Whiteside talks to Banjo on the phone, he asks him, "How are Wackko and Sloppo?"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Came_to_Dinner
6,7."He took fourteen hundred dollars from Sam Goldwyn at cribbage last night, and Sam said "Banjo, I will never play garbage with you again.""
Sam Goldwyn was a prominent American film producer, arriving in the States in 1896. He formed the Goldwyn Pictures corp. which later merged with Metro pictures, ultimately becoming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He later produced many famous films independently.Samuel Goldwyn was also known for malapropisms, paradoxes, and other speech errors called 'Goldwynisms' ("A humorous statement or phrase resulting from the use of incongruous or contradictory words, situations, idioms, etc.")http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Goldwyn
Cribbage, or crib, is a card game traditionally for two players, but commonly played with three, four or more, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points. Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbage board used for scorekeeping, the eponymous crib or box (a separate hand counting for the dealer), two distinct scoring stages (the play and the show) and a unique scoring system including points for groups of cards that total fifteen.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbage
8."He's tried to fire Sandy twice, out at the factory, but he couldn't on account of the Wagner Act, thank God!"
Also known as the National Labor Relations Act, this bill was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt on July 5, 1935. After the National Industrial Recovery Act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, organized labor was again looking for relief from employers who had been free to spy on, interrogate, discipline, discharge, and blacklist union members. In the 1930s, workers had begun to organize militantly, and in 1933 and 1934, a great wave of strikes occurred across the nation. The goal being to guarantee employees “the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection.” http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=67
9."By the way, has he had his teeth fixed yet? Every time I order Roquefort cheese I think of those teeth."
Roquefort is a sheep milk blue cheese from the south of France, and together with Bleu d'Auvergne, Stilton and Gorgonzola is one of the world's best-known blue cheeses. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, European law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the name Roquefort, as it is a recognised geographical indication, or has a protected designation of origin.The cheese is white, tangy, crumbly and slightly moist, with distinctive veins of green mould. It has characteristic odor and flavor with a notable taste of butyric acid; the green veins provide a sharp tang.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roquefort
Pago Pago is the capital town of American Samoa. It is actually a village area that is often mistaken to be a city of this south Pacific territory of the United States of America.Pago Pago is a mixture of colorful semi-urban communities, a small town, tuna canneries, and a harbor surrounded by dramatic cliffs, which plunge almost straight into the sea.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pago_Pago
2."She's going to take me to a little place she's got in Lake Placid-just for three weeks."
In northeast New York in the Airondack Mountains, Lake Placid is a village that surrounds Mirror Lake. It is a very famous resort and sports center. The 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics were held in the village and the U.S. Olympic training center is there. Lake Placid also boasts a summer theatre and music festival. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Placid,_New_York
3."I saw this holly, framed green amongst the pine trees. I remembered what you had written about "Tess" and "Jude the Obscure". It was the nicest present I could bring you."
Jude the Obscure and Tess are the last of Thomas Hardy's novels published in book form in 1895. The book was burnt publicly that same year. The character of Whiteside is largely based on Alexander Woolcott, who wrote Mrs. Fiske: Her views on the Stage, in 1917, and based it on actress, Minnie Maddern Fiske, who played Tess in 1897. The holly could be intended by Kaufman and Hart as an esoteric reference to Wollcott's admiration for Fiske who stood under a holly tree in a fairly significant scene in the novel, Tess. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tess http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Came_to_Dinner
4."My dear boy, when I talk about murder I get paid for it.I have made more money out of the Snyder-Gray case than the lawyers did, so don't expect to get it for nothing."
In the spring of 1927, the notorious trial in which Ruth Snyder, a long island house wife, was accused of conspiring with her lover, Judd Gray, in the muder of her husband. Gray, a salesman helped Ruth whack, poison, and choke her husband, Albert, to death. It attracted huge public interest, fueled by the 180 reporters assigned to cover the proceedings. The media frenzy continued until the defendants were executed by electric chair in January 1928, Snyder becoming the first woman executed in New York State in the 20th century. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Snyder
5." What news, Banjo, my boy? How's the picture coming? How are Wacko and Sloppo?"
Banjo was modeled after Harpo Marx, and there is a dialogue reference to Marx's brothers Groucho and Chico. When Sheridan Whiteside talks to Banjo on the phone, he asks him, "How are Wackko and Sloppo?"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Came_to_Dinner
6,7."He took fourteen hundred dollars from Sam Goldwyn at cribbage last night, and Sam said "Banjo, I will never play garbage with you again.""
Sam Goldwyn was a prominent American film producer, arriving in the States in 1896. He formed the Goldwyn Pictures corp. which later merged with Metro pictures, ultimately becoming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He later produced many famous films independently.Samuel Goldwyn was also known for malapropisms, paradoxes, and other speech errors called 'Goldwynisms' ("A humorous statement or phrase resulting from the use of incongruous or contradictory words, situations, idioms, etc.")http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Goldwyn
Cribbage, or crib, is a card game traditionally for two players, but commonly played with three, four or more, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points. Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbage board used for scorekeeping, the eponymous crib or box (a separate hand counting for the dealer), two distinct scoring stages (the play and the show) and a unique scoring system including points for groups of cards that total fifteen.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbage
8."He's tried to fire Sandy twice, out at the factory, but he couldn't on account of the Wagner Act, thank God!"
Also known as the National Labor Relations Act, this bill was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt on July 5, 1935. After the National Industrial Recovery Act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, organized labor was again looking for relief from employers who had been free to spy on, interrogate, discipline, discharge, and blacklist union members. In the 1930s, workers had begun to organize militantly, and in 1933 and 1934, a great wave of strikes occurred across the nation. The goal being to guarantee employees “the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection.” http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=67
9."By the way, has he had his teeth fixed yet? Every time I order Roquefort cheese I think of those teeth."
Roquefort is a sheep milk blue cheese from the south of France, and together with Bleu d'Auvergne, Stilton and Gorgonzola is one of the world's best-known blue cheeses. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, European law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the name Roquefort, as it is a recognised geographical indication, or has a protected designation of origin.The cheese is white, tangy, crumbly and slightly moist, with distinctive veins of green mould. It has characteristic odor and flavor with a notable taste of butyric acid; the green veins provide a sharp tang.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roquefort
10."That's my message to you Big Lord Fauntleroy!"
Maggie's insult is a play on words. She refers to Little Lord Fauntleroy.Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English–American playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. "Little Lord Fauntleroy" is now most often used as a term of derision. It describes a pompous spoiled brat, usually a young male, who takes his wealth and privilege for granted (while this is obviously not consistent with the original character, it is inspired by the perceived self-righteousness of the little lord, and an assumed odiousness in his overweening goodness).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Lord_Fauntleroy
11."Stop acting like Zazu Pitts and explain yourself."
Referring to Maggie's acting "like a love-stick highschool girl", Zasu Pitts was first a silent-screen heroine, then a daft-headed character actress in US films from the 20s through the 50s. She with the timid, forlorn blue eyes and trademark woebegone vocal pattern and fidgety hands,her trademark gesture was seen in all of her fingers aflutter at once.Called by some "the greatest tragedienne of the screen." Appearing in over 500 films. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0686032/bio
12."Here's a cable from that dear friend of yours, Lorraine Sheldon."
Underwater cables allowed people to communicate almost instantaneously over thousands of miles. Newspapers could report on events from around the world within hours. By the 1920s, with the help of early fax machines, papers could even print photos of those events at the same time. One of the fastest and most reliable ways of communication, reaching places not otherwise reached by more conventional forms. Also known as telegram, wire, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_gram
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The Basics
the Basics
The Man Who Came to Dinner
by: Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman,year 1939
Full length play divided into 3 acts, act I into 2 scenes
9w(with extras) , 15m (with extras)
A run time of nearly three hours, with two intermissions.
http://media.www.usmfreepress.org/media/storage/paper311/news/2008/11/17/ArtsAndEntertainment/The-Man.Who.Came.To.Dinner-3547795.shtml
Genre:It's an amusing and unusually well controlled farce. A highly referential, period-specific text... is a dramaturgical minefield. -Alex Merrill http://media.www.usmfreepress.org/media/storage/paper311/news/2008/11/17/ArtsAndEntertainment/The-Man.Who.Came.To.Dinner-3547795.shtml
..such a perfect blend of high comedy and low farce, populated by such an extravagant array of eccentric but believable characters. -Elyse Sommer http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/mandinner.html
The ebullient 1939 farce one of the greatest American stage comedies of the giddy, comedy-hungry 1930s.- Lisa Schwarzbaumhttp://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,277111,00.html
Bio:
Born in Pittsburgh in 1889, American dramatist, journalist, screenwriter, and theatre producer George S. Kaufman was influential in raising the standards of theatrical criticism as drama editor for The New York Times. Often dubbed “the great collaborator,” Kaufman joined with 16 other playwrights, most notably Moss Hart and Edna Ferber, to create over 40 plays and musicals.Playwright, director, actor and producer Moss Hart is considered one of the brightest stars of Broadway’s
golden age.Born in a tenement in New York City on October 24, 1904, Hart became a flourishing theatre artist who was often considered the “Prince of Broadway.”
Kaufman and Hart wrote the play as a vehicle for their friend Alexander Woollcott, the model for the lead character Sheridan Whiteside. At the time the play was written, Woollcott was famous both as the theater critic who helped re-launch the career of the Marx Brothers and as the star of the national radio show The Town Crier. Woollcott was well liked by both Kaufman and Hart, but that did not stop him from displaying the obnoxious characteristics displayed by Whiteside in the play. http://www.alleytheatre.org/Alley/The_Man_Who_Came_to_Dinner_Moss_Hart_Biography_EN.asp?SnID=1487159310
The Man Who Came to Dinner
by: Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman,year 1939
Full length play divided into 3 acts, act I into 2 scenes
9w(with extras) , 15m (with extras)
A run time of nearly three hours, with two intermissions.
http://media.www.usmfreepress.org/media/storage/paper311/news/2008/11/17/ArtsAndEntertainment/The-Man.Who.Came.To.Dinner-3547795.shtml
Genre:It's an amusing and unusually well controlled farce. A highly referential, period-specific text... is a dramaturgical minefield. -Alex Merrill http://media.www.usmfreepress.org/media/storage/paper311/news/2008/11/17/ArtsAndEntertainment/The-Man.Who.Came.To.Dinner-3547795.shtml
..such a perfect blend of high comedy and low farce, populated by such an extravagant array of eccentric but believable characters. -Elyse Sommer http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/mandinner.html
The ebullient 1939 farce one of the greatest American stage comedies of the giddy, comedy-hungry 1930s.- Lisa Schwarzbaumhttp://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,277111,00.html
Bio:
Born in Pittsburgh in 1889, American dramatist, journalist, screenwriter, and theatre producer George S. Kaufman was influential in raising the standards of theatrical criticism as drama editor for The New York Times. Often dubbed “the great collaborator,” Kaufman joined with 16 other playwrights, most notably Moss Hart and Edna Ferber, to create over 40 plays and musicals.Playwright, director, actor and producer Moss Hart is considered one of the brightest stars of Broadway’s
golden age.Born in a tenement in New York City on October 24, 1904, Hart became a flourishing theatre artist who was often considered the “Prince of Broadway.”Kaufman and Hart wrote the play as a vehicle for their friend Alexander Woollcott, the model for the lead character Sheridan Whiteside. At the time the play was written, Woollcott was famous both as the theater critic who helped re-launch the career of the Marx Brothers and as the star of the national radio show The Town Crier. Woollcott was well liked by both Kaufman and Hart, but that did not stop him from displaying the obnoxious characteristics displayed by Whiteside in the play. http://www.alleytheatre.org/Alley/The_Man_Who_Came_to_Dinner_Moss_Hart_Biography_EN.asp?SnID=1487159310
Publication Date: 1936-06-01
Available to purchase on Dramatists Play Service, Inc. website for $7.50/copy
http://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1848
Also available on Amazon, along with many similar web sites:http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Came-Dinner/dp/0822207257
Amateurs: Rights controlled exclusively by Dramatists Play Service, Inc. 440 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016. Further professional inquiries should be addressed to Anne Kaufman Schneider, c/o Dramatists Play Service, Inc. $75 per
performance.http://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1848
Available to purchase on Dramatists Play Service, Inc. website for $7.50/copy
http://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1848
Also available on Amazon, along with many similar web sites:http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Came-Dinner/dp/0822207257
Amateurs: Rights controlled exclusively by Dramatists Play Service, Inc. 440 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016. Further professional inquiries should be addressed to Anne Kaufman Schneider, c/o Dramatists Play Service, Inc. $75 per
performance.http://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1848Friday, July 10, 2009
Definitions of Dramaturgy
1.The art of the theater, especially the writing of plays. http://www.geocities.com/amylynnhess76/whatsadramaturg.html
2.A production dramaturg is a consultant and an advocate for the playwright's intentions. http://www.geocities.com/amylynnhess76/whatsadramaturg.html
3.Dramaturgy is the art of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. Some dramatists combine writing and dramaturgy when creating a drama. Others work with a specialist, called a dramaturg, to adapt a work for the stage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramaturgy
2.A production dramaturg is a consultant and an advocate for the playwright's intentions. http://www.geocities.com/amylynnhess76/whatsadramaturg.html
3.Dramaturgy is the art of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. Some dramatists combine writing and dramaturgy when creating a drama. Others work with a specialist, called a dramaturg, to adapt a work for the stage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramaturgy
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