Berkeley Square (play)

Last updated

Berkeley Square is a play in three acts by John L. Balderston (in collaboration with J.C. Squire) which tells the story of a young American who is transported back to London in the time of the American Revolution and meets his ancestors. [1] The plot is loosely based on Henry James' posthumous 1917 novel The Sense of the Past . [2]

Contents

The play premiered at the St Martin's Theatre in London's West End in 1926, where it ran for 179 performances. [3] Its production on Broadway in 1929 was an enormous success with Leslie Howard (who also co-produced and co-directed the play with Gilbert Miller) in the role of time traveler Peter Standish and ran for 229 performances, a substantial run for its time. [2]

The play was later adapted into a 1933 film version with Howard repeating his stage role of Peter Standish, winning him an Academy Award nomination. [4] The play was also produced for a 1959 BBC television production and the 1951 film The House in the Square (released in the United States as I'll Never Forget You ). [1] [5] Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner adapted the basic plot for their 1965 musical, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever .

Original London cast

Original Broadway cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Howard</span> British actor (1893–1943)

Leslie Howard Steiner was an English actor, director, producer and writer. He wrote many stories and articles for The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair and was one of the biggest box-office draws and movie idols of the 1930s.

<i>The Women</i> (play) 1936 play by Clare Boothe Luce

The Women is a 1936 American play, a comedy of manners by Clare Boothe Luce. Only women comprise the cast.

<i>Berkeley Square</i> (1933 film) 1933 film

Berkeley Square is a 1933 American pre-Code fantasy drama film produced by Fox Film Corporation, directed by Frank Lloyd, and starring Leslie Howard and Heather Angel. It recounts the tale of young American Peter Standish, played by Howard, who, explained by S.T. Joshi, is a "portrayal of a man of the 20th century who somehow merges his personality with that of his 18th-century ancestor." The film was based on the play of the same name by John L. Balderston, itself loosely based on Henry James' incomplete 1917 novel, The Sense of the Past. The play premiered in London in 1926. Howard played Standish in the hugely successful 1929 Broadway production, which he co-produced and co-directed with Gilbert Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Leighton</span> British actress (1922–1976)

Margaret Leighton, CBE was an English actress, active on stage and television, and in film. Her film appearances included Anthony Asquith's The Winslow Boy, Alfred Hitchcock's Under Capricorn, Powell and Pressburger's The Elusive Pimpernel, George More O'Ferrall's The Holly and the Ivy, Martin Ritt's The Sound and the Fury, John Guillermin's Waltz of the Toreadors, Franklin J. Schaffner's The Best Man, Tony Richardson's The Loved One, John Ford's 7 Women, and Joseph Losey's The Go-Between and Galileo. For The Go-Between, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Una O'Connor (actress)</span> Irish-American actress (1880–1959)

Una O'Connor was an Irish-born American actress who worked extensively in theatre before becoming a character actress in film and in television. She often portrayed comical wives, housekeepers and servants. In 2020, she was listed at number 19 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard da Silva</span> American actor (1909–1986)

Howard da Silva was an American actor, director and musical performer on stage, film, television and radio. He was cast in dozens of productions on the New York stage, appeared in more than two dozen television programs, and acted in more than fifty feature films. Adept at both drama and musicals on the stage, he originated the role of Jud Fry in the original 1943 run of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!, and also portrayed the prosecuting attorney in the 1957 stage production of Compulsion. Da Silva was nominated for a 1960 Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his work in Fiorello!, a musical about New York City mayor LaGuardia. In 1961, da Silva directed Purlie Victorious, by Ossie Davis.

Ian Gordon Arthur Collier was a British actor.

<i>Yellow Jack</i> 1938 film by George B. Seitz

Yellow Jack is a 1938 film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer based on the 1934 play Yellow Jack. Both were co-written by Sidney Howard and Paul de Kruif.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Evans</span> British actress (born 1940)

Monica Evans is an English retired actress known for her portrayal of Cecily Pigeon in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. She was in the original Broadway cast for its entire run, then appeared in the 1968 film version, and finally appeared in some episodes of the first season of the television series based on the play, all in the same role, alongside Carole Shelley as her sister Gwendolyn Pigeon. She also provided voices for the two animated films for Walt Disney Productions, such as The Aristocats (1970), as Abigail Gabble and Robin Hood (1973) as Maid Marian, a vixen.

Elizabeth Anne Seal is a British actress. In 1961, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance in the title role of Irma La Douce.

<i>Ill Never Forget You</i> (film) 1951 film by Roy Ward Baker

The House in the Square is a 1951 science fiction fantasy film starring Tyrone Power and Ann Blyth. It was an early film for director Roy Ward Baker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferdinand Gottschalk</span> English actor

Ferdinand Gottschalk was an English theatre and film actor. He appeared in 76 films between 1917 and 1938. He was born and died in London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valerie Taylor (actress)</span> English actress (1902–1988)

Valerie Taylor was an English actress who was born and died in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqueline deWit</span> American actress (1912–1998)

Jacqueline deWit was an American film and TV character actress from Los Angeles who appeared in over two dozen films, including Spellbound (1945), The Snake Pit, The Damned Don't Cry!, Tea and Sympathy, All That Heaven Allows and Harper. She also appeared in the 1946 Abbott and Costello comedy Little Giant, as Bud Abbott's wife.

Black Limelight is a 1936 play by Gordon Sherry that in 1938 became a British crime film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Joan Marion and Raymond Massey.

<i>A Tailor Made Man</i> 1931 film

A Tailor Made Man is a 1931 American MGM pre-Code comedy film directed by Sam Wood. Adapted from the 1908 Hungarian play A Szerencse Fia by Gábor Drégely, the film stars William Haines and Dorothy Jordan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June Squibb</span> American actress (born 1929)

June Louise Squibb is an American actress. She began her career by making her Broadway debut in the musical Gypsy (1959). Her first film role was in the 1990 romantic comedy Alice by Woody Allen. She later had supporting roles in the films The Age of Innocence (1993), In & Out (1997), Meet Joe Black (1998), About Schmidt (2002), and Far from Heaven (2002).

<i>Escape</i> (play) 1926 play by John Galsworthy

Escape is a play in nine episodes by the British writer John Galsworthy. The world premiere was on August 12, 1926 at the Ambassadors Theatre in London's West End, produced by Leon M. Lion. The play ran until March of the following year, when it went on tour of England with Gerald Ames in the lead role.

<i>DuBarry</i> (film) 1915 American film

DuBarry is a lost 1915 silent film historical drama based on David Belasco's 1901 play Du Barry. The play itself is adapted from the novel Memoirs d'un médicin by Alexandre Dumas. Mrs. Leslie Carter reprises her role from the Broadway play.

Just Off Broadway is a 1942 Drama directed by Herbert I. Leeds, starring Lloyd Nolan and Marjorie Weaver. This is the sixth of a series of seven that Lloyd Nolan played Michael Shayne for Twentieth Century Fox films. Hugh Beaumont portrayed Shayne in five more films from Producers Releasing Corporation.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sunday-Night Theatre presents: Berkeley Square". May 31, 1959. p. 11 via BBC Genome.
  2. 1 2 "Berkeley Square – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
  3. Wearing, J. P. (March 27, 2014). The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   9780810893023 via Google Books.
  4. "Berkeley Square (1933) – Frank Lloyd | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
  5. "I'll Never Forget You (1951) – Roy Ward Baker | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.