Twin Beds (1914 play)

Last updated
Twin Beds
Twin Beds (1914 play scene).png
Scene from Act 2
Written by Salisbury Field and Margaret Mayo
Date premiered Fulton Theatre, Broadway August 14, 1914 (1914-08-14)
Original languageEnglish
GenreComedy

Twin Beds is a 1914 comedic play by Salisbury Field and Margaret Mayo, based on Field's 1913 novel of the same name, which played on Broadway and was also the basis for multiple film adaptations. The play debuted on August 14, 1914, at the Fulton Theatre, and ran on Broadway for 411 performances.[ citation needed ]

Contents

The play was not immediately a success upon release despite getting positive reviews, [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] perhaps due to the start of World War I. Producer William Harris Jr. then engaged in a wild marketing scheme where trucks with big ads for the show, pulled by horses, would "break down" at busy intersections. Soon the show was playing to packed houses. [7]

Prior to opening, there was a brief controversy over alleged similarities between the play and the play Apartment 12 K which had been rushed to opening to beat it. Though the plays have a similar opening gambit, they were not the same, and Apartment 12 K only had a short unsuccessful run. [8] Four warmup performances of Twin Beds the week before opening on Broadway were done at the Savoy Theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey. [9]

By June 1915, the play shifted from the Fulton Theatre to the Harris Theatre, where it completed its 411-performance run. [10] [11] Irene Haisman replaced Madge Kennedy and Reginald Denny replaced John Westley for the Harris run. [12] Multiple companies embarked on road tours around August 1915. [13]

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre describes the play as "one of the era's most popular comedies." [14]

Madge Kennedy (left) and Ray Cox in Act Two Madge Kennedy and Ray Cox 1914.png
Madge Kennedy (left) and Ray Cox in Act Two

Original Broadway Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madge Kennedy</span> American actress

Madge Kennedy was a stage, film and TV actress whose career began as a stage actress in 1912 and flourished in motion pictures during the silent film era. In 1921, journalist Heywood Broun described her as "the best farce actress in New York".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. H. Denny</span> English singer and actor

W. H. Denny was an English singer and actor in comic operas, operettas and musical theatre. He is best remembered for his portrayal of baritone roles in the Savoy operas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strand Theatre (Manhattan)</span> Former movie theater in Manhattan, New York

The Strand Theatre was an early movie palace located at 1579 Broadway, at the northwest corner of 47th Street and Broadway in Times Square, New York City. Opened in 1914, the theater was later known as the Mark Strand Theatre, the Warner Theatre, and the Cinerama Theatre. It closed as the RKO Warner Twin Theatre, and was demolished in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulton Theatre</span> Former theatre in Manhattan, New York

The Fulton Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 210 West 46th Street in Manhattan, New York City, that was opened in 1911. It was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1955. The theatre was demolished in 1982. After the former Little Theatre on 44th Street became the current Helen Hayes Theatre, the Fulton Theatre was sometimes referred to as the First Helen Hayes Theatre.

George Bunny was an American actor.

Edith Reeves was an American silent film actress who also appeared on Broadway in the early 20th century.

Icebound is a 1923 play written by American playwright Owen Davis, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is set in Veazie, Maine, a suburb of Bangor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Square Players</span> Theatre group

The Washington Square Players (WSP) was a theatre troupe and production company that existed from 1915 to 1918 in Manhattan, New York City. It started as a semi-amateur Little Theatre then matured into a Repertory theatre with its own touring company and drama school, while maintaining its goal of presenting only works of artistic merit. It had a great amount of national newspaper coverage and sparked like-minded companies across the country, before it was forced to disband in 1918 due to wartime economic pressure and personnel shortages. Three of its original members would then found the longer-lived Theatre Guild having much the same purpose.

<i>39 East</i> 1920 film by John S. Robertson

39 East is a 1920 American silent comedy film produced by the Realart Picture Company, and starring Constance Binney reprising her role from the Broadway play. The film was directed by John S. Robertson.

<i>Baby Mine</i> (1917 film) 1917 film by John S. Robertson, Hugo Ballin

Baby Mine is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by both John S. Robertson and Hugo Ballin and starring Madge Kennedy. The picture marked Kennedy's screen debut and was one of the first films produced by Samuel Goldwyn as an independent after founding his own studio.

<i>Little Nellie Kelly</i> (musical)

Little Nellie Kelly was a two-act musical comedy of the Jazz Age, written, produced and directed by George M. Cohan. After opening in Boston in July 1922, it had long runs on Broadway in 1922–1923, in the West End of London in 1923–1924, and on tours.

Stepping Out is a 1931 American Pre-Code farce directed by Charles Reisner and produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is based on the 1929 Broadway play Stepping Out by Elmer Harris. Lilian Bond appeared in the original Broadway play and in this film in the same role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivy Troutman</span> American actress

Ivy Troutman was an American supporting actress active during the first half of the twentieth century. She acted in at least twenty-one Broadway productions between 1902 and 1945, appearing in such long-running plays as A Pair of Sixes, Baby Mine and The Late George Apley. In the 1920s Troutman, with her husband, portrait painter Waldo Peirce, joined the colony of American expatriates in Paris that included Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

<i>Fair and Warmer</i> 1915 comedy play

Fair and Warmer is a three-act comedy play by the American writer Avery Hopwood. It was first staged at the Eltinge Theatre in New York City on November 15, 1915, running for 377 performances, featuring Madge Kennedy, John Cumberland, Janet Beecher, Ralph Morgan, Hamilton Revelle, Olive May, Robert Fisher and Harry Lorraine. Staged by Robert Milton, it was well received by critics. It is a farce about a mild-mannered banker who becomes embroiled in an innocent scheme to rekindle the romance in his marriage using his best friend's wife.

<i>Niobe</i> (film) 1915 film by Hugh Ford

Niobe is a 1915 American comedy silent film directed by Hugh Ford and Edwin S. Porter and written by Edward A. Paulton and Harry Paulton based upon their play. The film stars Hazel Dawn, Charles S. Abbe, Maude Odell, Marie Leonard, Reginald Denny and Irene Haisman. The film was released April 4, 1915, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Wedding Bells</i> (play)

Wedding Bells is a 1919 comedic play which played on Broadway.

Secrets is a 1922 play by Rudolf Besier and May Edginton.

<i>Twin Beds</i> (1920 film) 1920 film directed by Lloyd Ingraham

Twin Beds is a lost 1920 American silent film comedy directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Carter DeHaven and Flora Parker DeHaven. It was based on a 1914 Broadway play Twin Beds by Salisbury Field and Margaret Mayo. Carter DeHaven produced the film, and it was released by First National Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam H. Harris Theatre</span> Former Broadway theater

The Sam H. Harris Theatre, originally the Candler Theatre, was a theater within the Candler Building, at 226 West 42nd Street, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1914, the 1,200-seat theater was designed by Thomas W. Lamb and built for Asa Griggs Candler, who leased it to George M. Cohan, Sam H. Harris, and George Kleine. Although the theater was intended to host both movies and legitimate Broadway productions, it functioned exclusively as a movie theater after 1933. The theater's auditorium was demolished by 1998. The only remnant of the former theater is its 42nd Street facade, which has been used by the Madame Tussauds New York museum since 2000.

<i>What Happened to Jones</i> (play)

What Happened to Jones is an 1897 farce by George Broadhurst. It was his first successful play and remained popular for many years, and was also adapted into three silent films.

References

  1. The New Plays, Theatre Magazine, p. 154 (October 1914)
  2. Darnton, Charles (15 August 1914). The New Plays: "Twin Beds" Will Make You Laugh Till You're Tired, New York World
  3. 1 2 (15 August 1914). 'Twin Beds' Wins With Its Novelty: Flutter of Pajamas and Peignoirs, and All Innocent Fun at the Fulton, The New York Times
  4. Davies, Actor (15 August 1914). "Twin Beds" Opens Fulton Theatre - A Bright Little Farce, with Clever Characterizations - Miss Ray Cox Wins the Comedy Honors - Georgia Laurence and Madge Kennedy Also Score - Margaret Mayo's Success, New York Tribune , p. 9, col. 1.
  5. (July 1914). Little Stories of the New Plays, Green Book Magazine , pp. 90-91
  6. Bruno, Edward (November 1914). (A Story-ized Review of "Twin Beds", Green Book Magazine
  7. Bordman, Gerald. American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama 1914-1930, p. 4 (1995)
  8. (22 August 2014). Stage Letter, The Day Book
  9. (9 August 1914). New Productions, New York Tribune, p. 5
  10. (5 June 1915). Plays to Make Summer Runs, New York World (reporting that 350th performance would be Wednesday June 9, 1915)
  11. (14 July 1915). "Twin Beds" Near 400th Mark, New York World (400th performance is coming next week)
  12. (4 July 1915). Harris Has Newcomers - Irene Haisman and Reginald Denny Now in "Twin Beds", New York Tribune
  13. (25 August 1915). News of Plays and Players, New York Tribune
  14. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre, p. 629 (2004)