''Carry Nation'' is an historical play by Frank McGrath about the temperance leader

Carrie Nation Caroline Amelia Nation (November 25, 1846June 9, 1911), often referred to by Carrie, Carry Nation, Carrie A. Nation, or Hatchet Granny, was a radical member of the temperance movement, which opposed alcohol before the advent of Prohibition. Nat ...

. It ran on Broadway and starred American film actress

Esther Dale Esther Dale (November 10, 1885 – July 23, 1961) was an American actress of the stage and screen. Early years Dale was born in Beaufort, South Carolina. She attended Leland and Gray Seminary in Townshend, Vermont. In Berlin, Germany, she stud ...

in the title role.

Broadway run

''Carry Nation'' premiered in New York on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

at the Biltmore Theatre on October 29, 1932 and starred

, who had been known principally as a singer up to that time. The show was produced by Dale’s husband, the writer and theater producer Arthur J. Beckhard, and was directed by stage actress

Blanche Yurka Blanche Yurka (born Blanch Jurka, June 19, 1887 – June 6, 1974) was an American stage and film actress and director. She was an opera singer with minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera and later became a stage actress, making her Broadway debu ...

. The show was playwright McGrath’s only Broadway play and closed after just 30 performances. Despite its being a flop, the show was notable for having launched the Broadway careers of supporting actress

Mildred Natwick Mildred Natwick (June 19, 1905 – October 25, 1994) was an American actress. She won a Primetime Emmy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award and two Tony Awards. Early life Natwick was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Mildre ...

and the actors

Jimmy Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

Myron McCormick Myron McCormick (February 8, 1908 – July 30, 1962) was an American actor of stage, radio and film. Early life and education Born in Albany, Indiana, in 1908, Walter Myron McCormick was the middle child of Walter P. and Bessie M. McCormick' ...

and Josh Logan, who had known one another at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

where the three men were members of the

University Players The University Players was primarily a summer stock theater company located in West Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, from 1928 to 1932. It was formed in 1928 by eighteen college undergraduates. Notable among them were Eleanor Phelps of Vassa ...

theater company. At the time, they were rooming in New York with a fourth University Player alumnus,

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and rai ...

. Logan also served as assistant director to Blanche Yurka in the production. The show had originated in summer stock, and some of the young players from the earlier staging were carried over into the New York production in small roles. Esther Dale received glowing reviews from the New York critics for her portrayal of Carry (sic). In addition to Dale, the featured performers included Leslie Adams, Donald Foster,

Daisy Belmore Daisy Belmore (30 June 1874 – 12 December 1954) was an English stage and film actress. Born in England, Belmore moved to the United States in 1910 where she settled, achieving citizenship in 1939 and fame as a leading stage actress, as well a ...

, Byron McGrath, John Parrish, Ernest Pollock and Fannie Bell De Knight.

Principal roles

(in order of speech) * Aunt Judy - Fannie Belle De Knight * George Moore - John Parrish * James Campbell –

* Mary Campbell Moore - Gertrude Garstin * Charles Gloyd - Byron McGrath * Sam - Buddy De Loach * Mrs. Gloyd - Frieda Altman * Dr. Hull - Ernest Pollock * Miss Sicat - Minna Adams * David Nation - Leslie Adams * Carry Nation –

* Mrs. Noble –

* Daniel Dent – Donald Foster * Mrs. Cain –

* A Brute - Clarence E. Smith * Mart Strong –

Joshua Logan Joshua Lockwood Logan III (October 5, 1908 – July 12, 1988) was an American director, writer, and actor. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the musical '' South Pacific'' and was involved in writing other musicals. Early years Logan ...

* Constable Gano –

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

* Mayor Washbrook - Arthur C. Morris * O.L. Day – Charles E. Arnt * A Salesperson - Kenneth Berry * Kiowan Youths – Frank Thomas, Jr., Rufus Peabody, Drew Price * Sporting Girls –

Barbara O'Neil Barbara O'Neil (July 17, 1910 – September 3, 1980) was an American film and stage actress. She appeared in the film ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in ' ...

, Lillian Okun * Senator - John F. Morrissey * The Mayor of Kiowa –

Alfred Dalrymple Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

* Mrs. Skoll - Nina Varesi * Skoll - Luther Williams * Jailor - Walter Eviston * Landlord –

Harry Bellaver Harry Bellaver (born Enricho Bellaver; February 12, 1905 – August 8, 1993) was an American stage, film and television actor who appeared in many roles from the 1930s through the 1980s. Early years Bellaver was born in Hillsboro, Illinois, the ...

* Leader of the Vigilantes –

Karl Swenson Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne.

* The Woman With a Whip - Roberta Hoskins * The Woman With a Club - Bela Axman * Louis Sauerberger - Frederick Kemp * A Whiskey Drinker - Leslie Hunt * Mrs. Klopp –

Katherine Emery Katherine Drewry Emery (October 11, 1906 – February 7, 1980) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Emery was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She graduated from Sweet Briar College in 1928 and then went home to Montclair, New ...

* Miss Sheriff - Helen Huberth * Mrs. McHenty - Mary Jeffery * Chairman - Robert Allen

Synopsis of scenes

The story line of the play followed the chronology of the prohibitionist leader's life, beginning with her birth in 1846 in Kentucky to a zealously pious father, her marriage to a chronic drunk, a second marriage to a country preacher, her public campaign against Demon Rum and her infamous marches culminating in the axing of booze barrels. The story concluded with her final appearance before a Town Hall gathering in Tennessee in 1910.Hischak, Thomas S. (2009), ''Broadway Plays and Musicals: Descriptions and Essential Facts of More Than 14,000 Shows through 2007'', McFarland, p. 72, . * Scene 1: A farmhouse in Kentucky. November 25, 1846. * Scene 2: In front of the Moore home in Missouri. April, 1857. * Scene 3: A room in the home of Dr. Gloyd in Holden. Missouri, June, 1868. * Scene 4: Same as preceding scene. December, 1877. * Scene 5: Interior of the Christian Church in Medicine Lodge. Kansas, July, 1899. * Scene 6: A room in the Nation home in Medicine Lodge. A few weeks later. * Scene 7: The front room of Mart Strong’s saloon in Medicine Lodge. February, 1900. * Scene 8: O.L. Day’s drug store in Medicine Lodge. February, 1900. * Scene 9: A street in Kiowa, Kansas. August, 1900. * Scene 10: The jail in Kiowa. Immediately after preceding scene. * Scene 11: The jail. Three weeks later. * Scene 12: A room in Stag’s Hotel, Enterprise, Kansas. That night. * Scene 13: Louis Sauerberger’s saloon, Topeka, Kansas. The next day. * Scene 14: A room in the home of Mrs. Klopp in Kansas City, Missouri. June, 1903. * Scene 15: The Town Hall, Waterville, Tennessee. May, 1910.

References

{{reflist American plays 1932 plays Broadway plays Plays based on real people Plays set in the 19th century Plays set in the 1900s Plays set in the 1910s Plays set in Kentucky Plays set in Kansas Biographical plays about activists Cultural depictions of American women

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