The Happy Family | |
---|---|
Written by | Michael Clayton Hutton |
Date premiered | 20 March 1951 |
Place premiered | Embassy Theatre, Hampstead |
Original language | English |
Genre | Comedy |
Setting | London, present day |
The Happy Family is a 1951 comedy play by the British writer Michael Clayton Hutton. It premiered at the Embassy Theatre in Hampstead. It then transferred to the Duchess Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 64 performances from 14 June 1951. The West End cast included Henry Kendall, Thora Hird, Dandy Nichols, Digby Wolfe, Glyn Houston, Peter Copley and Tom Gill. [1]
When they found that their shop on the South Bank is required to be demolished in order to make way for the Festival of Britain the Lord family refuse to vacate the premises. After their protests to authorities fail they barricade themselves inside and prepare to defend it, gaining popular support in the process.
It was adapted into the 1952 film of the same title made by the independent producer Sydney Box, recently head of Gainsborough Pictures. Directed by Muriel Box it starred Stanley Holloway, Kathleen Harrison and Naunton Wayne. [2] Nichols and Gill reprised their roles from the stage play.
To Dorothy, a Son is a 1950 comedy play by the British writer Roger MacDougall. The plot revolves around a complex inheritance in which the American ex-wife of a man tries to prevent his current pregnant wife giving birth before a certain day, in order that she can claim the money.
Tom Gill was a British actor who was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. He made his stage debut in 1935, and his theatre work included the original production of Noël Coward's After the Ball at the Globe Theatre in 1954. In 1951 he appeared at the Duchess Theatre in London's West End in the comedy play The Happy Family by Michael Clayton Hutton and reprised his role in the subsequent film adaptation.
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 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.
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.
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Evensong is a 1932 British play by the writers Beverley Nichols and Edward Knoblock. It is based on the novel of the same name by Nichols, based on the life of opera singer Nellie Melba.
There's Always Juliet is a 1931 comedy play by the British writer John Van Druten about an American architect who falls in love with an Englishwoman.
They Came to a City is a 1943 play by the British writer J.B. Priestley.
Blondie White is a 1937 mystery play by British writer Jeffrey Dell and Bernard Merivale. A murder mystery, it was inspired by an earlier play by Hungarian writer Ladislas Fodor. A famous crime novelist helps Scotland Yard to solve the murder of a nightclub performer, Blondie White.
Who Goes There! is a 1950 comedy play by the British writer John Dighton. The action takes place entirely around St James's Palace.
The Holly and the Ivy is a 1950 play by the British writer Wynyard Browne. A vicar attempts to deal with the various problems of his family as they gather for the Christmas period.
The Shop at Sly Corner is a 1945 thriller play by the British writer Edward Percy Smith.
His Excellency is a 1950 play by the British writers Campbell Christie and Dorothy Christie. A former docker takes over as the British governor of an island colony in the Mediterranean.
The Seventh Veil is a 1951 play by Muriel Box and Sydney Box, based on the hit 1945 film of the same title that they had produced.
Young Wives' Tale is a 1949 comedy play by the British writer Ronald Jeans. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Brighton before transferring to the Savoy Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 373 performances between 7 July 1949 and 27 May 1950. The original London cast included Naunton Wayne, Joan Greenwood, Derek Farr, Joan Haythorne and Margaret Scudamore.
For Better, for Worse is a comedy play by the British writer Arthur Watkyn. It was first performed at the Q Theatre in Kew Bridge in 1948. It enjoyed a lengthy and successful run at the Comedy Theatre in London's West End where it lasted for 618 performances between 17 December 1952 and 12 June 1954. The original West End cast included Leslie Phillips, Geraldine McEwan, Tom Macaulay, Anthony Sharp, Gwynne Whitby, Polly Elwes, Aimée Delamain, Charles Lamb and Dandy Nichols. It was directed by Kenneth Riddington who also appeared in the cast. The plot revolves around the trials and tribulations of a newly-married couple.
Michael and Mary is a play by the British author A.A. Milne. It was staged at the Charles Hopkins Theatre in New York City, running for 246 performances between December 1929 and July 1930. It had by then transferred to the St James's Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 159 performances between 1 February and 21 June 1930. The original West End cast included Herbert Marshall, Edna Best, Elizabeth Allan, Frank Lawton, D.A. Clarke-Smith, Reginald Bach, Oliver Wakefield, J. Fisher White, Torin Thatcher, Olwen Brookes and Margaret Scudamore.
Michael Clayton Hutton was a British author and playwright notable for several plays that appeared in the West End during the post-Second World War era. He died in 1953 at the age of thirty three. He was reportedly suffering from depression when he committed suicide. Several of his plays were adapted for film and television including The Happy Family that was turned into a 1952 film of the same title. He had a posthumous success in the West End with his comedy Silver Wedding in 1957.
The Gay Dog is a 1951 comedy play by the British author Joseph Colton. After its London premiere at the Q Theatre in Kew Bridge (under the title A Dog for Delmont it transferred to the Piccadilly Theatre in the West End where it ran for 276 performances between 11 June 1952 and 7 February 1953. The West End cast included Wilfred Pickles, Megs Jenkins, Harold Goodwin, Anthony Oliver, Brian Nissen, David King-Wood and Joan Hickson.