Two Blind Mice

Last updated

Two Blind Mice was a 1949 comedy play by Samuel and Bella Spewack. The play ran on Broadway at the Cort Theatre for 157 performances, from March 2, 1949 to July 16, 1949, and thereafter had a lengthy provincial tour. The play starred Melvyn Douglas as Tommy Thurston, newspaper reporter and was produced by Archer King and Harrison Woodhull. [1] The play was selected as one of the best plays of 1948-1949, with an excerpted version published in "The Burns Mantle Best Plays of 1948-1949." [2]

Contents

Plot

The plot revolves around the Office of Medicinal Herbs, a fictitious U.S. government bureau abolished by Congress four years before the setting of the play. Its two elderly officials have refused to accept the closing of the office, which represents their lives' work, and they keep it running quietly. Deprived of funding by the abolition, they make ends meet by renting out the rooms and by running a parking lot on the front lawn. To avoid problems with what remains of the Government, they never answer the phone. [3]

Thurston discovers the office and sets out to aid the workers. Through an elaborate series of practical jokes, he involves the Armed Forces and the State Department, eventually winning the day for the elderly ladies. In the process, he also wins back his former wife. [3]

Production

The opening night, March 2, 1949, saw the audience enjoy the production. [3] However, Brooks Atkinson, the critic for The New York Times , gave it a lukewarm review, [3] and later in March criticized the Spewacks for wasting an intriguing setup by turning it over to Thurston, whom Atkinson dubbed "an adolescent journalistic prankster who has nothing to give anybody except impudence, irresponsibility and show clichés". [4] The play closed July 16, 1949, and its two mascots, white mice, were put up for adoption. [5] In his autobiography, Douglas laid the blame for the play's failure to run more than four and a half months on Broadway on Samuel Spewack's insistence on not only writing, but also directing the play.

The show began a tour throughout the eastern half of the United States and into Canada in early 1950, after adjustments in the show insisted upon by Douglas were made, and ran throughout the year. The show kept Douglas away from California during his wife Helen Gahagan Douglas's run for United States Senate against Richard Nixon, a campaign which proved extremely nasty.

Notes

  1. "IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". www.ibdb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24.
  2. Chapman, John (ed.), The Burns Mantle Best Plays of 1948-1949, (1949) Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, pp. 301-332.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Atkinson, Brooks (March 3, 1949), "At the theatre", The New York Times, retrieved 2009-07-19 (fee for article)
  4. Atkinson, Brooks (March 20, 1949), "Foundations of comedy", The New York Times, retrieved 2009-07-19 (fee for article)
  5. "2 thespian white mice 'at liberty' for adoption", The New York Times, July 19, 1949, retrieved 2009-07-19 (fee for article)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Simon Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for Alex A. Aarons and Vinton Freedley. The original name was an amalgamation of Aarons's and Freedley's first names; the theater was renamed for playwright Neil Simon in 1983. The Neil Simon has 1,467 seats across two levels and is operated by the Nederlander Organization. Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Hirschfeld Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish and Byzantine style and was constructed for vaudevillian Martin Beck. It has 1,404 seats across two levels and is operated by Jujamcyn Theaters. Both the facade and the interior are New York City landmarks.

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

The Shubert Theatre is a Broadway theater at 225 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the Italian Renaissance style and was built for the Shubert brothers. Lee and J. J. Shubert had named the theater in memory of their brother Sam S. Shubert, who died in an accident several years before the theater's opening. It has 1,502 seats across three levels and is operated by The Shubert Organization. The facade and interior are New York City landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, formerly the Plymouth Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 236 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for the Shubert brothers. The Schoenfeld Theatre is named for Gerald Schoenfeld, longtime president of the Shubert Organization, which operates the theater. It has 1,079 seats across two levels. Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nederlander Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Nederlander Theatre is a Broadway theater at 208 West 41st Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, it was designed by William Neil Smith for theatrical operator Walter C. Jordan. It has around 1,235 seats across two levels and is operated by the Nederlander Organization. Since 1980, it has been named for American theater impresario David Tobias Nederlander, father of theatrical producer James M. Nederlander. It is the southernmost Broadway theater in the Theater District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lena Horne Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Lena Horne Theatre is a Broadway theater at 256 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1926, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in a Spanish Revival style and was constructed for Irwin Chanin. It has 1,069 seats across two levels and is operated by the Nederlander Organization. Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Booth Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the Italian Renaissance style and was built for the Shubert brothers. The venue was originally operated by Winthrop Ames, who named it for 19th-century American actor Edwin Booth. It has 800 seats across two levels and is operated by The Shubert Organization. The facade and parts of the interior are New York City landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel J. Friedman Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, formerly the Biltmore Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 261 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the neo-Renaissance style and was constructed for Irwin Chanin. It has 650 seats across two levels and is operated by the Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC). The auditorium interior is a New York City landmark, and the theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 2008, the theater has been named for Broadway publicist Samuel J. Friedman, whose family was a major donor to MTC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bella and Samuel Spewack</span>

Bella and Samuel Spewack were a husband-and-wife writing team.

<i>Lend an Ear</i>

Lend an Ear is a musical revue with a book, music, and lyrics by Charles Gaynor and additional sketches by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman.

<i>Of Mice and Men</i> (play) Play by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men is a play adapted from John Steinbeck's 1937 novel of the same name. The play, which predates the Tony Awards and the Drama Desk Awards, earned the 1938 New York Drama Critics' Circle Best Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burns Mantle</span> American theater critic (1873–1948)

Robert Burns Mantle was an American theater critic and screenwriter. He founded the Best Plays annual publication in 1920.

<i>Ripples</i> (musical)

Ripples is a “new musical extravaganza” in two acts with book by William Anthony McGuire, lyrics by Irving Caesar and Graham John, and music by Oscar Levant and Albert Sirmay. The show was produced by Charles Dillingham at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and opened February 11, 1930.

<i>Thumbs Up!</i> (musical)

Thumbs Up! is a musical revue in two acts, with book by H. I. Phillips, Harold Atteridge, and Alan Baxter. The show had songs with lyrics by Ballard MacDonald and Earle Crooker and music by James F. Hanley and Henry Sullivan. Additional lyrics by Karl Stark, Ira Gershwin, John Murray Anderson, Irving Caesar, Jean Herbert, and Vernon Duke and additional music by Vernon Duke, Gerald Marks, and Steve Child. The show was produced by Eddie Dowling at the St. James Theatre. The revue opened on December 27, 1934.

The Silver Whistle is a play by Robert E. McEnroe. It ran for 219 performances on Broadway from November 24, 1948 to May 28, 1949, with Jose Ferrer in the lead. The play was selected as one of the best plays of 1948-1949, with an excerpted version published in "The Burns Mantle Best Plays of 1948-1949."

<i>Make Mine Manhattan</i> 1948 Broadway revue

Make Mine Manhattan is a 1948 Broadway revue with music by Richard Lewine, lyrics by Hassard Short, and sketches by Arnold Horwitt and produced by Joseph Hyman.

<i>My Darlin Aida</i>

My Darlin’ Aida is a 1952 Broadway musical play with music by Giuseppe Verdi, lyrics by Charles Friedman, based on Verdi's opera, Aida. It was produced by Robert L. Joseph.

<i>Paris Is Out!</i> 1970 comedic play in English

Paris Is Out! is a 1970 Broadway comedy by Richard Seff that starred Sam Levene and Molly Picon as Daniel and Hortense Brand, a married couple planning a vacation. The Broadway production ran for 96 performances after 16 previews at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre between February 2 and April 18, 1970.

Boy Meets Girl is a three-act, seven-scene play, written by Bella and Samuel Spewack, staged and produced by George Abbott. It is a farce with a large cast, fast pacing, two settings and a film sequence. The action centers around two scenarists at the Royal Studios in Hollywood, their volatile producer, the fading western actor they write for, and a pregnant single waitress whose baby they turn into a film star. The play's title comes from a trope common to early film plots: Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Gets Girl. Though not original to the play, the phrase received a boost in popular usage as a result.

<i>My Romance</i> (musical)

My Romance is a musical comedy in three acts with book and lyrics by Rowland Leigh, and music by Sigmund Romberg. It was produced on Broadway in 1948.