Hamilton (play)

Last updated
Hamilton
Arliss Eagles.JPG
George Arliss and Jeanne Eagles
in Hamilton ()
Written by Mary P. Hamlin
George Arliss
Characters
Date premieredSeptember 17, 1917
Place premiered Knickerbocker Theater
New York City
Original languageEnglish
Genre Prose
SettingThe Exchange Coffee House, Philadelphia; Alexander Hamilton's house, Philadelphia.

Hamilton is a 1917 Broadway play about American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, written by Mary P. Hamlin and George Arliss. It was directed by Dudley Digges and starred Arliss in the title role. [1] It follows the attempts of Hamilton to establish a new financial structure for the United States following the Confederation Period and the establishment of a new Constitution in 1787.

Contents

Mary Hamlin, then a 46-year-old high society woman and mother of four, claimed that playwriting was her "secret desire." [2]

In 1931, the film Alexander Hamilton was released. It was based on Hamlin's play and Arliss reprised the title role. [2]

Cast

History

As of July 29, 1916, Hamlin had typewritten and copyrighted a three-act play of 193 pages, entitled The Secretary of the Treasury. [3] However, there does not appear to be a single, subsequent in-print mention of any such Hamlin play, much less any performance or publication thereof. Taking into account both that and the fact that "Secretary of the Treasury" is precisely the office held by the title character of the 1917, four-act play, Hamilton (a play, moreover, whose plot hinges on the protagonist's controversial efforts to place the new nation on a more unified and, thus, stable financial footing), [4] it seems more than likely that Hamilton was simply the 1916 work's final draft; retitled, newly partitioned, and—to a now unquantifiable extent—otherwise revised.

As for Arliss's contribution to the final version, despite the tenor of contemporaneous news stories (many of which failed to even note that there was a collaboration, much less mention Hamlin's name, simply crediting Arliss [5] ), at least one paper, the Detroit Free Press , attributed the play's authorship in terms—specifically, "by Mrs. Mary P. Hamlin, with suggestions from Mr. Arliss himself" [6] —roughly comparable to those used by Hamlin in her 1953 memoirs, as quoted by the New York Post in 2016. "Mr. Arliss did little writing of my play. He knew nothing of American politics, did not even know, at first, that Thomas Jefferson was president of the United States." [7] To his credit, as Hamlin later notes, Arliss always insisted that she be the primary credited author, and indignantly demanded as much when the play's initial batch of printed programs had that order reversed. [8] Although Hamlin never specifies the nature of his contributions, she clearly appreciated them.

As I worked on the play with George Arliss, I began to realize what a lifetime of experience amounted to. He was putting his knowledge into my play, even if I did the writing. His suggestions were invaluable but he never wanted me to agree to anything I did not understand. When I told him I was willing to accept his experience whether or not I understood it, he said firmly, 'No. This is your play and nothing must go into it that you do not understand.' [8]

Reception

Hamilton opened to positive reviews on Broadway.

A review in the New York Post read, "Congratulations are due to Mary Hamlin and George Arliss upon the cordial public reception accorded to their play 'Hamilton,' upon the occasion of its first production in this city ... The piece is a welcome and, in some respects, notable addition to the small body of genuine American drama. ... it is a real play with real men and women in it, containing an appeal not only to popular taste, but to the attention of the intelligent theatergoer." [2]

Writing in Vogue , critic Clayton Hamilton compared Hamlin's play to prior Arliss vehicles such as Louis N. Parker's Disraeli , for which, he maintained, Arliss's performance was the sole raison d'être. By contrast, "this new piece in itself affords a worthy evening of entertainment and might be played successfully by several other very able actors. [...] The first two acts, before the well-made plot begins to build to a climax, are mainly conversational; but the conversation is admirably written, not only as stage-dialogue, but also as a literary record of the manners of a bygone century." In conclusion, the review quotes Shakespeare, specifically Othello's Act V, Scene II plea to potential biographers, made immediately prior to taking his own life.

Perhaps the most admirable feature of this play is that it "nothing extenuates nor sets down aught in malice." It shows the hero betrayed, in a moment of weakness, into the commission of a very human sin; and yet it shows him, in the outcome, all the more a hero. His fault is neither condoned nor pardoned; but neither is it overemphasized, as if a sin of sex had power to negate the noble qualities of a man of high ideals and pure incentives. [...] There is a moral in this play that is worthy of serious consideration. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Disraeli</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

Disraeli is a 1929 American pre-Code historical film directed by Alfred E. Green, released by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., and adapted by Julien Josephson (screenplay) and De Leon Anthony (titles) from the 1911 play Disraeli by Louis N. Parker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Woollcott</span> American drama critic and commentator (1887–1943)

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott was an American drama critic and commentator for The New Yorker magazine, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, an occasional actor and playwright, and a prominent radio personality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. B. Warner</span> English film and theatre actor (1876-1958)

Henry Byron Warner was an English film and theatre actor. He was popular during the silent era and played Jesus Christ in The King of Kings. In later years, he successfully moved into supporting roles and appeared in numerous films directed by Frank Capra. Warner's most recognizable role to modern audiences is Mr. Gower in It's a Wonderful Life, directed by Capra. He appeared in the original 1937 version of Lost Horizon as Chang, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Powell</span> Canadian actor and director

Frank Powell was a Canadian-born American stage and silent film actor, director, producer, and screenwriter who worked predominantly in the United States. He is also credited with "discovering" Theda Bara and casting her in a starring role in the 1915 release A Fool There Was. Her performance in that production, under Powell's direction, quickly earned Bara widespread fame as the film industry's most popular evil seductress or on-screen "vamp".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mabel Taliaferro</span> American actress (1887–1979)

Mabel Taliaferro was an American stage and silent-screen actress, known as "the Sweetheart of American Movies."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dudley Digges (actor)</span> Irish actor (1879–1947)

Dudley Digges was an Irish stage actor, director, and producer as well as a film actor. Although he gained his initial theatre training and acting experience in Ireland, the vast majority of Digges' career was spent in the United States, where over the span of 43 years he worked in hundreds of stage productions and performed in over 50 films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John G. Adolfi</span> American actor, film director, and screenwriter

John Gustav Adolfi was an American silent film director, actor, and screenwriter who was involved in more than 100 productions throughout his career. An early acting credit was in the recently restored 1912 film Robin Hood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugenie Besserer</span> American actress

Eugenie Besserer was an American actress who starred in silent films and features of the early sound motion-picture era, beginning in 1910. Her most prominent role is that of the title character's mother in the first talkie film, The Jazz Singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Arliss</span> English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker

George Arliss was an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award – which he won for his performance as Victorian-era British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli in Disraeli (1929) – as well as the earliest-born actor to win the honour. He specialized in successful biopics, such as Disraeli, Voltaire (1933), and Cardinal Richelieu (1935), as well as light comedies, which included The Millionaire (1931) and A Successful Calamity (1932).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Davenport (actor)</span> American actor (1866–1949)

Harold George Bryant Davenport was an American film and stage actor who worked in show business from the age of six until his death. After a long and prolific Broadway career, he came to Hollywood in the 1930s, where he often played grandfathers, judges, doctors, and ministers. His roles include Dr. Meade in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Grandpa in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). Bette Davis once called Davenport "without a doubt [. . .] the greatest character actor of all time."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Stevens (actress)</span> Actress

Emily Stevens was a stage and screen actress in Broadway plays in the first three decades of the 20th century and later in silent films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Risdon</span> English film actress (1887–1958)

Elisabeth Risdon was an English film actress. She appeared in more than 140 films from 1913 to 1952. A beauty in her youth, she usually played in society parts. In later years in films she switched to playing character parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alec B. Francis</span> English actor

Alec B. Francis was an English actor, largely of the silent era. He appeared in more than 240 films between 1911 and 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Dale (actress)</span> American actress

Margaret Dale was an American stage and film actress. She performed on Broadway for over fifty years and occasionally did films in the 1920s. She appeared in a large number of Broadway hits over the course of her years as an actress.

<i>Alexander Hamilton</i> (film) 1931 American biographical film directed by John G. Adolfi

Alexander Hamilton is a 1931 American pre-Code biographical film about Alexander Hamilton, produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and based on the 1917 play Hamilton by George Arliss and Mary Hamlin. It was directed by John G. Adolfi and stars Arliss in the title role. It follows the attempts of Hamilton to establish a new financial structure for the United States following the Confederation Period and the establishment of a new Constitution in 1787. It is preserved at the Library of Congress.

<i>Disraeli</i> (1921 film) 1921 film by Henry Kolker

Disraeli (1921) is an American silent historical drama film directed by Henry Kolker and starring George Arliss. This film features Arliss's portrayal of Benjamin Disraeli. He had played the same role in the play Disraeli in 1911. Arliss also reprised this role in the 1929 sound film Disraeli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton–Reynolds affair</span> Sex scandal in early United States history

The Hamilton–Reynolds affair was the first major sex scandal in American political history. It involved Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who conducted an affair with Maria Reynolds from 1791 to 1792, during the presidency of George Washington. When he discovered the affair, Reynolds' husband, James Reynolds, subsequently blackmailed Hamilton over the affair, who paid him over $1,300, about a third of his annual income, to maintain the secrecy. In 1797, Hamilton publicly admitted to the affair after his political enemies attacked and accused him of financial corruption during his time as the Treasury Secretary. Hamilton responded by writing, "The charge against me is a connection with one James Reynolds for purposes of improper pecuniary speculation. My real crime is an amorous connection with his wife, for a considerable time with his privity and connivance."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Revelle</span>

Hamilton Revelle was a British-born stage and later silent screen actor.

Alexander Hamilton has appeared as a significant figure in popular works of historical fiction, including many that focused on other American political figures of his time. In comparison to other Founding Fathers, Hamilton attracted relatively little attention in American popular culture in the 20th century.

Mary P. Hamlin was an American playwright specializing in religious dramas, but best known for the 1917 Broadway play, Hamilton, and for its 1931 screen adaptation, Alexander Hamilton.

References

  1. "Hamilton: a Play in Four Acts". The Internet Archive. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
  2. 1 2 3 "The 100-year-old secrets of Broadway's first 'Hamilton'". New York Post. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
  3. Library of Congress, Copyright Office (1916). Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 1, Volume 13, Issue 2: Dramatic Compositions . Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 847.
  4. "Stars of Filmland and Footlights to Be Seen in the Show Shops; George Arliss in 'Hamilton'". Lima Republican-Gazette. September 29, 1918. Sec. 2, p. 6. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  5. "Summer Whirl at Atlantic City: World's Greatest Playground Scen of Many Important Events—Numerous Delaware Visitors". Wilmington Daily Commercial. June 9, 1917. p. 2. ProQuest   2611724162. Mme. Sarah Bernhardt is expected to be here shortly. Quite a group of theatrical celebrities are at the hotel. Among them are George Arliss, actor and playwright, who is just now writing a new play around the character of one of the early American statesmen. See also:
  6. "Many Detroiters in Theatrical Offerings; Hit or Miss". The Detroit Free Press. August 5, 1917. p. 6M. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  7. Oleksinski, Johnny (June 10, 1916). "The 100-year-old secrets of Broadway’s first ‘Hamilton’" New York Post. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Hoy, Cyrus (Autumn 1977). "Mary P. Hamlin: Memoirs and Letters". University of Rochester Library Bulletin.
  9. Hamilton, Clayton (November 1, 1917). "Seen on the Stage; Acting, Like Any Other Work of Art, Can Be No Greater or Less Thing Than the Man Who Makes It". Vogue. pp. 92, 132. ProQuest   904305008.