Spotlight on Lee Falk - Other writings - Passionate Congressman: Difference between revisions
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Lee Falk | [[Image:CST-1945-06-25-a.jpg|thumb|240px|Cambridge Summer Theatre<br>"The Passionate Congressman"]] | ||
==History== | |||
In autumn 1943 Lee Falk had quit his job as [[Spotlight on Lee Falk - The WWII Years|Chief of Radio of the Foreign-Language Division of the OWI]] and returned to New York. Inspired by his experiences in Washington's political environment he wrote a new play, "The Passionate Congressman", and copyrighted the play on February 11, 1944 <ref>Catalog of Copyright Entries (Washington D.C.) Part 1, Group 3, New series, Volume 16, p 18</ref>. | |||
Herman Shumlin, a prolific Broadway theatrical director and theatrical producer, was all het up about it and wanted<ref>''Daily News'' (New York, New York), 12 Jan 1944, p 41</ref> to do it when he returned from a Hollywood commitment. But Lee Falk wanted to see his new play produced before he was to go into the service and submitted it into [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Dowling Eddie Dowling] office. Dowling hesitated and wanted other to decide whether to put the play on. Lee Falk then sent<ref>''Daily News'' (New York, New York), 30 Jan 1944, p c18</ref> the script to Reginald Denham, with Meyer Davis as the producer, althaught Theron Bamberger was reported to be interested. | |||
Sponsored by Herman Shumlin, Kermit Bloomgarden and Victor Samrock ''(business managers, respectively for Herman Shumlin and the Playwrights Company)'' decided to do produce "The Passionate Congressman". They did arrangement for a spring presentation of play <ref>"Addenda", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 10 Feb 1944, p 24</ref> <ref>Zolotow Sam, "Tod Gets Score", ''The New York Times (New York), 09 Feb 1944, p ?</ref>, and "The Passionate Congressman" was scheduled for production on Broadway <ref>"In this Corner with Cedric Adams", ''The Minneapolis Star'' (Minneapolis, Minnesota), 08 Feb 1944, p 24</ref>. | |||
Later in 1944, Lee Falk said that Eddie Dowling got a theatre in Chicago for the production of "The Passionate Congressman", but that he ''(Lee Falk)'' wasn't able to get a furlough to attend reharsals. Dowling decides to postpone the production for a week or two until Falk could arrange to be there. In the meantime Dowling decides he would fill in the time with some little noncommercial thing he had found, called "The Glass Menagerie" <ref>Bentley Byron, "Mandrake's Alter Ego", ''Theatre Arts'', September 1955, p 91</ref>. | |||
According to Ralph Thomas Kettering, manager of the Civic Theatre, he met Alex Yokel while walking in Chicago. During the conversation Kettering told that he was looking for a play and that Yokel told he had one, "The Passionate Congressman" financed to open in January 1945. Kettering said he needed a play to Christmas night. They decided to visit Eddie Dowling to have a look at the new script "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Menagerie The Glass Menagerie]" by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Williams Tennessee Williams] <ref>Kettering Ralph Thomas, "a Star comes back!", ''Chicago Daily Tribune'' (Chicago, Illinois), 18 Mar 1951, p 75</ref>. | |||
John Lahr wrote<ref>Lahr John, "Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh" (2014)</ref> that Dowling was two weeks into casting "The Passionate Congressman" when Audrey Wood asked him to direct "The Glass Menagerie". He broke his contract for "The Passionate Congressman" and started working on the Tennessee Williams's play, with first performance on December 26, 1944 at the Civic Theatre in Chicago. | |||
==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
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==Productions== | ==Productions== | ||
===Cambridge Summer Theatre=== | ===Cambridge Summer Theatre=== | ||
"The Passionate Congressman" opened at the Cambridge Summer Theatre June 25, 1945 <ref>Pearson Barbara, "The Passionate Congressman", ''The Billboard'', 7 Jul 1945, p 38-39</ref>. | "The Passionate Congressman" opened at the Cambridge Summer Theatre June 25, 1945 <ref>Pearson Barbara, "The Passionate Congressman", ''The Billboard'', 7 Jul 1945, p 38-39</ref>. | ||
====Cast & Crew==== | ====Cast & Crew==== | ||
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[[Spotlight on Lee Falk - Other writings - Hero Hill / Happy Dollar|James Dunn]] did read the script and did not dismiss that he might return on stage this season <ref>"Addenda", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 09 Oct 1945, p 19</ref>. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 13:41, 22 July 2018
History
In autumn 1943 Lee Falk had quit his job as Chief of Radio of the Foreign-Language Division of the OWI and returned to New York. Inspired by his experiences in Washington's political environment he wrote a new play, "The Passionate Congressman", and copyrighted the play on February 11, 1944 [1].
Herman Shumlin, a prolific Broadway theatrical director and theatrical producer, was all het up about it and wanted[2] to do it when he returned from a Hollywood commitment. But Lee Falk wanted to see his new play produced before he was to go into the service and submitted it into Eddie Dowling office. Dowling hesitated and wanted other to decide whether to put the play on. Lee Falk then sent[3] the script to Reginald Denham, with Meyer Davis as the producer, althaught Theron Bamberger was reported to be interested.
Sponsored by Herman Shumlin, Kermit Bloomgarden and Victor Samrock (business managers, respectively for Herman Shumlin and the Playwrights Company) decided to do produce "The Passionate Congressman". They did arrangement for a spring presentation of play [4] [5], and "The Passionate Congressman" was scheduled for production on Broadway [6].
Later in 1944, Lee Falk said that Eddie Dowling got a theatre in Chicago for the production of "The Passionate Congressman", but that he (Lee Falk) wasn't able to get a furlough to attend reharsals. Dowling decides to postpone the production for a week or two until Falk could arrange to be there. In the meantime Dowling decides he would fill in the time with some little noncommercial thing he had found, called "The Glass Menagerie" [7].
According to Ralph Thomas Kettering, manager of the Civic Theatre, he met Alex Yokel while walking in Chicago. During the conversation Kettering told that he was looking for a play and that Yokel told he had one, "The Passionate Congressman" financed to open in January 1945. Kettering said he needed a play to Christmas night. They decided to visit Eddie Dowling to have a look at the new script "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams [8].
John Lahr wrote[9] that Dowling was two weeks into casting "The Passionate Congressman" when Audrey Wood asked him to direct "The Glass Menagerie". He broke his contract for "The Passionate Congressman" and started working on the Tennessee Williams's play, with first performance on December 26, 1944 at the Civic Theatre in Chicago.
Plot
There are two types of Congressmen, as the play's political bass puts it: the passionate one and the sensible one, be, with the latter seeking only re-election
When the Honorable Daniel Emmet Nelson, nicknamed by his affectionate congressional buddies as Easy, decides to revert to his original status as the crusading "White Knight", Chicago's political boss Mike Harrigan dumps him overboard from the machine.
Productions
Cambridge Summer Theatre
"The Passionate Congressman" opened at the Cambridge Summer Theatre June 25, 1945 [10].
Cast & Crew
Presented by
- John Huntington
Writing credits
- Lee Harrison Falk
Staged by
- Meil McFee Skinner
Setting
- Paul McGuire
Cast
- Kurt Richards as Douglas Grenville Jr
- Gertrude Flynn as Tessie Stroh
- Nick Harris as Amos Tuttle
- Neil Hamilton as The Honorable Daniel Emmet Nelson (Easy)
- Edmon Ryan as Wylie Stark
- George MacQuarrie as The Honorable Walter Thorner
- Bruce Adams as Rudy Ghouly
- Ruth Homond as Baby
- John McKee as Associate Justice Scott Carveth
- Louise Valery as Elain Bowersmith
- Frank McNellis as Mike Harrigan
- William Becker as Pedley
- Philip Wheaton as Milton
- Roderich Winchell as Bleeker
- Eliot Duvey as Ott
- William Otis as The Honorable Georg Hoben Edward Finnegan Peters
- Donald Josephs as Sam
- Carter Jefferson as Louie
James Dunn did read the script and did not dismiss that he might return on stage this season [11].
References
- ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries (Washington D.C.) Part 1, Group 3, New series, Volume 16, p 18
- ↑ Daily News (New York, New York), 12 Jan 1944, p 41
- ↑ Daily News (New York, New York), 30 Jan 1944, p c18
- ↑ "Addenda", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 10 Feb 1944, p 24
- ↑ Zolotow Sam, "Tod Gets Score", The New York Times (New York), 09 Feb 1944, p ?
- ↑ "In this Corner with Cedric Adams", The Minneapolis Star (Minneapolis, Minnesota), 08 Feb 1944, p 24
- ↑ Bentley Byron, "Mandrake's Alter Ego", Theatre Arts, September 1955, p 91
- ↑ Kettering Ralph Thomas, "a Star comes back!", Chicago Daily Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), 18 Mar 1951, p 75
- ↑ Lahr John, "Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh" (2014)
- ↑ Pearson Barbara, "The Passionate Congressman", The Billboard, 7 Jul 1945, p 38-39
- ↑ "Addenda", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 09 Oct 1945, p 19