''Laburnum Grove'' is a comedy-drama play by the British writer
J.B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator.
His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...
which was first staged in 1933. It was one of Priestley's earliest hits. The play premiered at the
Duchess Theatre
The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych.
The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 sea ...
on 28 November 1933. In its initial run it had over 300 performances. It made its
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 ...
debut at
Booth's Theatre on 14 January 1935 and ran for 131 performances.
[Kabatchnik p.368]
Synopsis
In order to get rid of his sponging relatives, a man declares to them that he is a master
forger
Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbidd ...
. Considerable doubt begins to arise about whether he may actually be telling the truth.
Adaptation
In 1936 the play was adapted into a film ''
Laburnum Grove'' directed by
Carol Reed
Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director and producer, best known for '' Odd Man Out'' (1947), '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948), ''The Third Man'' (1949), and ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he was awarded the ...
and starring
Edmund Gwenn
Edmund Gwenn (born Edmund John Kellaway; 26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas film ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947), for which he won t ...
and
Victoria Hopper. It was made by Associated Talking Pictures at
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever s ...
.
A version of the play, starring
Raymond Massey, was televised on CBS's ''
Ford Theatre
''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950 ...
'' on January 27, 1950. The adaptation was by Edward Mabley.
References
Bibliography
* Gale, Maggie Barbara. ''J.B. Priestley''. Taylor & Francis, 2008.
* Kabatchnik, Amnon. ''Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery and Detection''. Scarecrow Press, 2010.
External links
*
1933 plays
British plays adapted into films
Plays set in London
Plays by J. B. Priestley
West End plays
Plays adapted into television shows
{{1930s-play-stub