''The Big Knife'' is an American play by

Clifford Odets Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withdra ...

. The original production was directed by

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

, who had worked with Odets at the Group Theatre, and starring fellow Group Theatre alumnus

John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...

. The play debuted at Broadway's National Theatre on 24 February 1949 before closing on May 28th after 109 performances. ''The Big Knife'' marked the return of Odets to Broadway after a six-year hiatus in which he toiled in Hollywood as a screenwriter and motion picture director. The play concerns the disillusionment of a movie star with the Hollywood's studio system and disgust with himself, as he has lost his idealism in the pursuit of success. Garfield played major movie star Charlie Castle, whose idealistic wife Marion has left him. She has warned him not to sign a new contract with studio boss Marcus Hoff, or she will not return to him. Hoff has covered up a fatal hit-and-run accident committed by Castle, and he threatens Castle with the revelation of his secret if he does not sign the contract. Castle signs the contract, but subsequently commits suicide with the knowledge that he can never reclaim his lost idealism that he had sacrificed for success.

Original production

The show premiered at the National Theatre on February 24, 1949, directed by Strasberg, set design Howard Bay, and costume design Lucille Little. The cast starred Frank H. Wilson (Russell), William Terry (Buddy Bliss),

(Charlie Castle), Leona Powers (Patty Benedict),

Nancy Kelly Nancy Kelly (March 25, 1921 – January 2, 1995) was an American actress in film, theater and television. A child actress and model, she was a repertory cast member of CBS Radio's ''The March of Time'' and appeared in several films in the late 1 ...

(Marion Castle), Reinhold Schünzel (Nat Danzinger), J. Edward Bromberg (Marcus Hoff), Paul McGrath (Smiley Cox), Mary Patton (Connie Bliss), Theodore Newton (Hank Teagle), Joan McCracken (Dixie Evans), and John McKee (Dr. Frary).

Reviews

''New York Times'' theater critic

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for '' The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of hi ...

, in his review of the opening, admired the "distinguished art and craftsmanship" on display. He praised Strasberg's direction, the acting and the production design and lauded Odets' "uncommon theatre talents". However, Atkinson found the play to be a melodrama that could not support Odets' indictment of American society and his attempt to pass off the dilemma of the play's protagonist as a tragedy, seeing as the cast of Hollywood characters are "a singularly undistinguished and unattractive society of egotists, racketeers, cheats and dimwits." Atkinson summed up Odets' theme seemingly as being "a study of the immorality of success as measured solely by money; and he is showing how the conspiracy of money destroys those who works for it." He wrote " e characters in ''The Big Knife'' are not worth so much of Mr. Odets' indignation on so cosmic a plane. As in a soundly motivated melodrama, they get what they deserve in the final act. There is no point in crying doom for the entire nation."

Off Broadway revival

The play marks the directorial debut of

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...

, who acquired the rights at the age of 19. His revival Off Broadway ran for 63 performances in 1959. It featured young

Carroll O'Connor John Carroll O'Connor (August 2, 1924 – June 21, 2001) was an American actor, producer, and director whose television career spanned over four decades. He became a lifelong member of the Actors Studio in 1971. O'Connor found widespread fame a ...

Movie and Broadway revival

The play was made into a 1955 film directed by Robert Aldrich. ''The Big Knife'' has had one revival on Broadway, in 2013. The play, produced by the

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabet ...

, opened at the American Airlines Theatre on April 16, 2013, after previews from March 22, and closed on June 2, after 29 previews and 56 performances. Directed by

Doug Hughes Douglas Hughes is an American theatre director. Early life Hughes is the son of acting couple Barnard Hughes (1915–2006) and Helen Stenborg. He attended Harvard University, starting as a biology major and graduating with a degree in English. C ...

, the play featured Bobby Cannavale,

Marin Ireland Marin Yvonne Ireland is an American actress. Known for her work in theatre and independent films, ''The New York Times'' deemed Ireland "one of the great drama queens of the New York stage". Her accolades include a Theatre World Award and nomina ...

, and

Richard Kind Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in ''Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2002 ...

, who played the venal studio boss Marcus Hoff.Gioia, Michael and Jones, Kenneth
"Roundabout Revival of Clifford Odets' 'The Big Knife' Ends Broadway Engagement June 2"
playbill.com, June 2, 2013 Kind was nominated for a

Tony Award 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 ce ...

for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play and won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play.

References

External links

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Review of 1949 production
at ''Variety'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Knife, The 1949 plays American plays adapted into films Broadway plays Plays by Clifford Odets Plays set in California