''Kind Lady'' is a play written by
Edward Chodorov
Edward Chodorov (April 17, 1904 – October 9, 1988), was a Broadway playwright, and the writer or producer of over 50 motion pictures.
Filmography
* '' Kind Lady'' (1951, writer)
* '' Road House'' (1948, writer/producer)
* ''The Hucksters'' ( ...
and first performed on stage in 1935 (on April 23). It was based in part on a short story called ''The Silver Mask'' by
Hugh Walpole
Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (13 March 18841 June 1941) was an English novelist. He was the son of an Anglican clergyman, intended for a career in the church but drawn instead to writing. Among th ...
. It was produced frequently on the summer theater circuit.
The play has been adapted for film twice by MGM: as the December 1935 film ''
Kind Lady'' and the 1951 film ''
Kind Lady''.
Characters and plot
An elderly, aristocratic woman living in London is victimized by a team of diabolically clever con artists. They initially play on her sympathy to gain her trust, then manage to alienate her family and friends, nearly convincing them that she has lost her mind. They manage to then lock her in her bedroom, selling off her furniture and paintings all the while from the rest of her apartment. The protagonist nearly loses both her property and her sanity, but exerts a supreme effort of courage and skill in this intense battle of wits.
[Roberts, Jerry (2003). "The Great American Playwrights on the Screen: A Critical Guide" Hal Leonard Corporation. 2003. P. 98-99][{{cite web, title=Kind Lady, url=http://www.samuelfrench.com/p/979/kind-lady, publisher=]Samuel French, Inc
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, access-date=December 26, 2017
Production history
The original production of ''Kind Lady'' was on Broadway at the Booth Theatre in
New York City, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, with a cast that starred
Grace George
Grace George (December 25, 1879 – May 19, 1961) was a prominent American stage actress, who had a long career on Broadway stage and also appeared in two films.
Biography
Grace George was born on December 25, 1879. She married producer Willi ...
and
Henry Daniell
Charles Henry Pywell Daniell (5 March 1894 – 31 October 1963) was an English actor who had a long career in the United States on stage and in cinema. He came to prominence for his portrayal of villainous roles in films such as '' Camille'' (1 ...
, with Florence Britton,
Francis Compton, among others.
Film and television adaptations
''Kind Lady'' was produced into film by MGM in 1935 starring
Aline MacMahon and
Basil Rathbone
Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...
(released in Great Britain as ''House of Menace''). A second film version was made by MGM in 1951 directed by
John Sturges
John Eliot Sturges (; January 3, 1910 – August 18, 1992) was an American film director. His films include ''Bad Day at Black Rock'' (1955), ''Gunfight at the O.K. Corral'' (1957), ''The Magnificent Seven'' (1960), '' The Great Escape'' (1963 ...
. It starred
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...
,
Maurice Evans,
Keenan Wynn
Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in mos ...
and
Angela Lansbury
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...
.
''Kind Lady'' was made for television twice: in a 1949 production on ''The Ford Theatre Hour'' and in a 1953 episode of ''Broadway Television Theatre''.
See also
* ''
Kind Lady'' (1951)
* ''
Kind Lady'' (1935)
References
External links
"Edward Chodorov: A Preliminary Inventory of His Papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
Harry Ransom Center - University of Texas at Austin
Plays by Edward Chodorov
American plays adapted into films
1935 plays
Plays set in London