Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Courtesy TCM.

Come hell or high water, I'm going to finally catch us up with Notable Opening Nights! Just not today.

Notable Nov. 20 openings include:

The Lion and the Mouse, which apparently had 586 performances at four theaters (including the Lyceum and Hudson) between 1905-1907. Written by English playwright Charles Klein, one of the Lusitania victims, The Lion and the Mouse dealt with a lady author teaming up with her boyfriend, a tycoon's son, to help keep the author's father, a federal judge, from being impeached while also bringing the bigwig down to earth.

The Thirteenth Chair, which opened in 1916 at the now-demolished 48th Street Theatre before apparently ending its run at the now-demolished Fulton. Bayard Veiller was back, this time with a whodunnit based on Will Irwin's stories of medium Rosalie La Grange (originally played by Veiller's then-wife, Margaret Wycherly).

She Loves Me Not, which opened in 1933 at what is now the Richard Rodgers. Howard Lindsay directed this play, which he adapted Edward Hope's novel. It's about a cabaret performer (Polly Walters) who witnesses a mob murder, disguises herself as a male Princeton student, and becomes the Big Man on Campus (well, sorta). She Loves Me Not has been made into a movie three times: in 1934, with Miriam Hopkins and Bing Crosby; in 1942, as True to the Army, with Judy Canova and Allan Jones; and in 1955, with two girls, as How to Be Very, Very Popular, starring Betty Grable, Sheree North, and Bob Cummings.

Courtesy YouTube.

The Children's Hour, which opened in 1934 at the now-demolished Maxine Elliott's Theatre. Bratty Mary (Florence McGee) gets everyone to believe that her all-girl school's founders (Katherine Emery and Anne Revere) are lesbians. By the end of Lillian Hellman's play, the school's closed, Karen (Katherine) and her fiancé (Robert Keith) have split up, Martha (Anne) has come out and kills herself after being rejected by Karen ... and Mary pretty much gets away with it. The Children's Hour was last seen on Broadway in 1952-53, with Kim Hunter and Patricia Neal as Karen and Martha. It's perhaps best remembered by the 1961 film adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, and James Garner.

Courtesy YouTube.

Winged Victory, which opened in 1943 at the now-demolished 44th Street Theatre. Moss Hart wrote and directed this play with music about men trying to make it what was then the U.S. Army Air Force. Winged Victory had a cast of nearly 300, including several future stars (Red Buttons, Lee J. Cobb, John Forsythe, Karl Malden, Edmond O'Brien, and George Reeves, to name six). It's never been revived, but it could be interesting to see a modern production. That is, after the MAGA era is done for good.

Another Part of the Forest, which opened in 1946 at the now-demolished Fulton. Lillian Hellman again, this time with a prequel to The Little Foxes. Patricia Neal won the first Tony for what is now Best Featured Actress in a Play (at the time, "Outstanding Newcomer") for her work as young Regina Hubbard.

The Seven Year Itch, which opened in 1952 at the now-demolished Fulton. A husband and father (Tom Ewell, who reprised his role in the 1955 film) fantasizes about the girl upstairs (Vanessa Brown on stage, Marilyn Monroe in the movie). On stage, Richard and The Girl (alas, that's her "name") go all the way. The Seven Year Itch ran for nearly three years on Broadway, closing just after the movie's release. George Axelrod, 30 at the time of Itch's 1952 opening, wrote two more Broadway plays: Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, with Jayne Mansfield as "Rita Marlowe," and Goodbye, Charlie, the film of which was naturally considered for Marilyn Monroe.

Courtesy YouTube.

The Happiest Millionaire, which opened in 1956 at the Lyceum. Kyle Crichton adapted his and Cordelia Biddle's book My Philadelphia Father, which recalled the illustrious Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle Sr. (Walter Pidgeon on stage; Fred MacMurray in the 1967 Disney musical adaptation). I've never seen the musical Millionaire, but from what I understand, it's not as entertaining as, say, Mary Poppins.

Cabaret, which opened in 1966 at the Broadhurst, transfered to the Imperial in March 1967, and spent its last 11 months (October 1968-September 1969) at the Broadway. A moment of silence for this production. Thanks to the success of the 1972 Bob Fosse film, we may never again get to see Harold Prince's Cabaret. No, alas, it's been an endless game of "Can You Top This?" with the decadence and garishness. The OBC of Cabaret was the big hit of the 1967 Tony Awards, scoring 11 nominations and eight wins. These include Best Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Joel Grey as the Emcee), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Peg Murray as Fraulein Kost), Best Original Score (Kander & Ebb), Best Choreography (Ron Field) and Best Direction of a Musical (Prince). The also-rans included Jack Gilford as Herr Schultz and Lotte Lenya as Fraulein Schneider, with Jill Haworth getting snubbed for portraying Sally Bowles.

The Circle, which was revived in 1989 at the Ambassador. Rex Harrison, Glynis Johns, and Stewart Granger starred in W. Somerset Maugham's play. Lady Catherine (Glynis) left husband Clive (Stewart) to be with Lord Porteous (Rex), and as it happens, the three seniors all all there on a day when history might repeat itself with the daughter-in-law, Catherine (Roma Downey; like Stewart, Roma was a one-and-done with Broadway). Less than two weeks after The Circle closed, Rex died from pancreatic cancer.