Strictly Dishonorable (play)
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''Strictly Dishonorable'' is a
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...
written by
Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Best Origina ...
and first produced 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 ...
in 1929. It was adapted for the screen twice, first in 1931, then again in 1951. The play was Sturges' second Broadway production, and the first of his plays to be made into a film. The Attic Theater Company revived the show at The Flea Theater in the summer of 2014.


Broadway production

Sturges wrote the play shortly after being fired as the assistant stage manager for a road production of play called ''Frankie and Johnny''. At liberty in Chicago, he started by writing two lines of dialogue: "What are your intentions?" "Strictly dishonorable." He wrote the play quickly, in about six days of work, and called it originally ''Come, Come, Isabelle'', giving the ingenue his grandmother's maiden name, Isabelle Perry., pp.250-54 Sturges submitted the play to producer
Brock Pemberton Brock Pemberton (December 14, 1885 – March 11, 1950) was an American theatrical producer, director and founder of the Tony Awards. He was the professional partner of Antoinette Perry, co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, and he was also a m ...
, whom he had worked for as a stage manager, and Pemberton accepted it. Rehearsals took three weeks and there was an additional week out of town, during which Sturges made numerous changes at Pemberton's insistence. The opening night audience was not responsive and Sturges, waiting at the back of the house, was concerned that the comedy was not going over. He left before the curtain came down and went out to drink, deliberately not reading the reviews. It was not until he called Pemberton in the morning to ask for two tickets for a friend that he found out that the play was a smash hit, garnering rave reviews. The play had opened on September 18, 1929 – although Sturges recalled it as opening on the 19th – at the Avon Theatre and ran until January 1931, logging 557 performances. It was directed by Pemberton and
Antoinette Perry Mary Antoinette "Tony" Perry (June 27, 1888June 28, 1946) was an American actress and director, and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing. She is the eponym of the Tony Awards. Early life Born in Denver, Colorado, she spent her childhood asp ...
, after whom the
Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
are named. The success of ''Strictly Dishonorable'', which earned him over $300,000,, p.264 changed Sturges' life immediately:
The aura of sudden celebrity bestowed on me by ''Strictly Dishonorable'' attracted photographers, reporters, gossip columnists, professional panhandlers, producers, job offers, and a written demand from my biological father, Mr. Biden, for immediate repayment of the sums he has dispensed on my behalf when I was about a year old.
Offers came from film world, so Sturges picked up some fast money by writing film scripts. Shortly after, a play from his trunk, '' Recapture'', went into production and opened to receive "the most violently destructive notices I had seen in years."


Broadway cast

The opening night cast of ''Strictly Dishonorable'' was: * John Altieri as Giovanni * Carl Anthony as Judge Dempsey *
Tullio Carminati Tullio Carminati (September 21, 1894 – February 26, 1971) was an Italian actor. He rose to fame in Italy and the United States initially as a silent film actor, starring in such films as '' The Duchess of Buffalo'' (1926), '' The Bat'' (1 ...
as Count Di Ruvo *
Louis Jean Heydt Louis Jean Heydt (April 17, 1903 – January 29, 1960) was an American character actor in film, television and theatre, most frequently seen in hapless, ineffectual, or fall guy roles. Early life Heydt was born in 1903 (not 1905, as many sour ...
as Henry Greene *
Muriel Kirkland Muriel Kirkland (August 19, 1903 – September 26, 1971) was an American actress. Early years Kirkland was born on August 19, 1903, in Yonkers, New York, She was the daughter of advertising executive Charles B. Kirkland and Margaret Keith Kirkland ...
as Isabelle Parry * Edward J. McNamara as Patrolman Mulligan *
William Ricciardi William Ricciardi (12 July 1871 – 16 February 1961) was an Italian actor known for his role as Signor Baldini in ''San Francisco'' (1936). He also appeared in the Phil Rosen film ''The Heart of a Siren'' (1926). In ''Anthony Adverse'' (193 ...
as Tomaso Antiovi * Marius Rogati as Mario Cast notes: * William Ricciardi was the only actor from the Broadway cast to play his role in the 1931 film adaptation.


See also

*
Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Best Origina ...
* ''Strictly Dishonorable'' (1931 film) * ''Strictly Dishonorable'' (1951 film)


References


External links

* * * * * * {{Preston Sturges Plays by Preston Sturges 1929 plays Comedy plays American plays adapted into films Plays set in New York City