Laughter in Court | |
---|---|
Written by | Hugh Mills |
Date premiered | 17 August 1936 |
Place premiered | Grand Theatre, Blackpool |
Original language | English |
Genre | Comedy |
Laughter in Court is a 1936 comedy play by the British writher Hugh Mills. [1] It premiered at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool before transferring to the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 117 performances. The West End cast included Yvonne Arnaud, Ronald Squire, Evelyn Roberts, Edmund Breon and Wilfrid Caithness. [2] It was one of a number of plays of the era with courtroom settings. [3]
The Gorilla is a three-act play written by Ralph Spence. Donald Gallaher produced it on Broadway, where it opened at the Selwyn Theatre on April 28, 1925. The play was a success and ran on Broadway for 257 performances. A production opened in London at the New Oxford Theatre on June 30, 1925, and ran for 134 performances. The play was a parody of popular theatrical mysteries such as The Bat and The Cat and the Canary. Its advertisements claimed it "outbats The Bat".
The Man Who Changed His Name is a mystery play by the British writer Edgar Wallace, which was first staged in 1928. A young woman begins to suspect that her wealthy, respectable husband may be an escaped Canadian murderer.
On the Spot is a 1930 Chicago-set play by the British writer Edgar Wallace. Wallace was inspired by a visit to the United States and, in particular, the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. Known as a prolific author, he reportedly dictated the manuscript for the play in just four days. It was his greatest theatrical success.
The Calendar is a 1929 play by the British writer Edgar Wallace. It is a crime thriller set in the world of horse racing world, the sport being among Wallace's interests. The protagonist is a financially struggling racehorse owner with a shady reputation. It premiered at the Palace Theatre in Manchester before transferring to Wyndham's Theatre in the West End.
The Mouthpiece is a 1930 crime play by the British writer Edgar Wallace. It was one of several theatrical failures written by Wallace following the enormous success of On the Spot, with a plot described as "flimsy".
The Old Man is a 1931 mystery play by the British writer Edgar Wallace. Its original production was staged at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End for a ninety performance run. It is set entirely in the "Coat of Arms" tavern where a mysterious old man lurks in the background, reputedly an escapee from a lunatic asylum. The original cast included Alfred Drayton, Jack Melford, Harold Warrender and Finlay Currie.
M'Lady is a 1921 play by the British writer Edgar Wallace. It is a drama about a woman who tries to raise her daughter in high society, only for her husband to return from Broadmoor where he has been serving a sentence for killing a police officer. It was panned by theatre critics.
The Terror is a 1927 mystery thriller play by the British writer Edgar Wallace. It is based on Wallace's 1926 novel The Black Abbot.
Smoky Cell is a thriller play by the British writer Edgar Wallace first staged in 1930. In America a group of detectives hunt down a notorious racketeer.
Somebody Knows is a 1932 mystery play by the British writer John Van Druten about an entertainer who is accused of strangling a prostitute. Following a court case there is not enough evidence to convict him, leaving the audience unsure of his actual guilt.
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse is a 1936 thriller play by the British writer Barré Lyndon. The lead character's name is a play on the term for the female sexual organ the clitoris - a name characterised by the "yearning, untrammelled nature" of Clitterhouse himself; an extremely daring pun for 1936, yet seemingly anticipated by Lyndon to escape the notice of the contemporary censor. Lyndon wrote, "My view was that he was no more likely to locate the pun in my title as to locate the source of it on his beloved bedfellow".
The Romance of David Garrick is a 1942 historical play by the British writer Constance Cox.
Vanity Fair is a 1946 play by the British writer Constance Cox, based on William Makepeace Thackeray's novel of the same name.
The Last Hour is a 1928 comedy thriller play by the British writer Charles Bennett. At an inn on the coast of Devon, a secret agent battles a foreign prince trying to smuggle a stolen death ray out of the country.
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime is a 1952 comedy thriller play by the British writer Constance Cox, based on the short story Lord Arthur Savile's Crime by Oscar Wilde. After a palm reader convinces him it is his destiny to commit murder before he can marry his fiancée, an aristocrat makes several inept attempts to kill people.
Blackmail is a 1928 thriller play by the British writer Charles Bennett. The plot is about an artist's model in Chelsea who kills an artist when he attempts to assault her.
Settled Out of Court is a 1960 comedy thriller play by William Saroyan and Henry Cecil. It appeared at the Strand Theatre in London's West End with a cast including Nigel Patrick, Maxine Audley, Charles Heslop, Eric Pohlmann, John Stratton, Philip Guard and Mary Hignett. Patrick also directed the work.
Without Witness is a mystery thriller play by the British authors Anthony Armstrong and Harold Simpson. It premiered at the Embassy Theatre in Swiss Cottage on 27 December 1933 before transferring to the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 75 performances between 12 March and 12 June 1934, having been revised slightly from its Embassy premiere. The West End cast included Nicholas Hannen, Arthur Wontner, Bernard Lee, Frederick Piper, Hugh E. Wright, Joan Marion and Marion Fawcett.
Hugh Mills (1913–1971) was a British novelist, playwright and screenwriter. His 1939 play As You Are was made into the film Turned Out Nice Again while his comedy novel Prudence and the Pill was adapted into a 1968 film of the same title. Before making his name in theatre he briefly worked in advertising.
Angels in Love is a 1953 comedy play by the British writer Hugh Mills. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool. It later transferred to the Savoy Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 203 performances between 11 February and 17 August 1954. The West End cast featured Peter Hammond, Barbara Kelly, Peter Reynolds, Kynaston Reeves, Henry Kendall, Christopher Morahan, Myles Rudge and Maxine Audley. It portrays the life of the now grown-up Little Lord Fauntleroy.