Gentlemen of the Press (play)

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Gentlemen of the Press
Written by Ward Morehouse
Date premieredAugust 27, 1928 (1928-08-27)
Place premiered Henry Miller's Theatre
Original languageEnglish
SubjectJournalism
GenreComedy

Gentlemen of the Press is a three-act play written by Ward Morehouse. Producers Thomas E. Jackson and H. S. Kraft opened it on Broadway at Henry Miller's Theatre on August 27, 1928. George Abbott directed the production, which ran for 128 performances. [1] [2]

Contents

The play is a comedy about Wick Snell, a journalist who decides to take a job as a publicist for a real estate firm. After a dispute with his new boss, Snell goes back to journalism.

Morehouse was a journalist who had worked for several different newspapers. The main character in Gentlemen of the Press was inspired by one of his co-workers who frequently complained about the difficulties of working in journalism. [3]

Cast and characters

The characters and opening night cast from the Broadway production are given below: [4]

Opening night cast
CharacterBroadway cast
Wick Snell John Cromwell
Charlie Haven Hugh O'Connell
Myra May Helen Flint
Braddock Granville Bates
Ted HanleyPaul Clare
SweezerElmer Cornell
RiggsHarry Cronk
Bellflower Russel Crouse
Ollie WilkinsJ. Hammond Dailey
HaleyHarold Grau
Western Union MessengerLouis Halprin
Night PorterA. O. Huhn
Second Waiter George Humbert
Pansy TrueCarlotta Irwin
Dorothy SnellBetty Lancaster
CutlerLawrence Leslie
AlonzoHarry Levian
First WaiterThomas A. Linker
McBee Millard Mitchell
BrittAllan Nagle
Pop BlalockJohn Paschall
KellyWilliam Pawley
Abner Pennyfather Duncan Penwarden
McManahan Francis Pierlot
Copy Boy Billy Quinn
VickeryGeorge Spelvin, Jr.
KennerJ. H. Stoddart
FitzgeraldCornelius Vezin
BranchPhilip Wood

Adaptations

Paramount Pictures adapted the play as a film of the same name in 1929, directed by Millard Webb. Walter Huston starred as Snell.

References

  1. Hischak, Thomas S. (2009). Broadway Plays and Musicals: Descriptions and Essential Facts of More Than 14,000 Shows through 2007 . McFarland. p.  160. ISBN   978-0-7864-5309-2.
  2. Bordman, Gerald (1995). American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1914–1930. Oxford University Press. pp. 357–358. ISBN   978-0-19-509078-9.
  3. Kear, Lynn; Rossman, John (2008). The Complete Kay Francis Career Record: All Film, Stage, Radio and Television Appearances. McFarland. p. 19. ISBN   978-0-7864-3198-4.
  4. "Gentlemen of the Press". Internet Broadway Database . Retrieved January 9, 2023.