Sam Levene in The Impossible Years Playbill

''The Impossible Years'' is a 1965 comedy play written by Robert Fisher and Arthur Marx, son of comedian

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

. After two previews, the Broadway production, directed by

Arthur Storch Arthur Storch (June 29, 1925 — March 25, 2013) was an American actor and Broadway director. A life member of The Actors Studio, Storch founded Syracuse Stage in 1974. Productions Storch directed included: *''Tribute'', on Broadway *''The Comed ...

, opened on October 13, 1965, at the Playhouse Theatre, where it ran for 670 performances. The original cast included

Alan King Alan King (born Irwin Alan Kniberg; December 26, 1927 – May 9, 2004) was an American actor and comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. King became well known as a Jewish comedian and satirist. He was also a serious ac ...

Sudie Bond Sudie Bond (July 13, 1923 – November 10, 1984) was an American actress on film, stage, and television. Early years Bond was one of four children of J. Roy Bond, an industrialist, and Carrie Bond. She grew up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and was ...

, Bert Convy, Neva Small, and

Scott Glenn Theodore Scott Glenn (born January 26) is an American actor. His roles have included Pfc Glenn Kelly in ''Nashville'' (1975), Wes Hightower in ''Urban Cowboy'' (1980), astronaut Alan Shepard in '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), Emmett in '' Silverado'' ...

. Ed McMahon temporarily assumed the role of Dr. Jack Kingsley for eight performances from January 17, 1966, to January 22, 1966, so Alan King could honor a previously scheduled Miami night club engagement. On August 22, 1966, Sam Levene replaced Alan King in the starring role of Dr. Jack Kingsley, a psychiatrist, in the Broadway production of ''The Impossible Years'', performing the role for 322 performances until the show closed May 27, 1967 at the Playhouse Theatre."Sam Levene: Performer, Director." ''Playbill''. Retrieved from http://www.playbill.com/person/sam-levene-vault-0000019807
/ref> After the Broadway production closed, Sam Levene starred in the first U.S. national company production of ''The Impossible Years'' and performed the hit comedy for the duration of 1967 until March 10, 1968, when the production starring Sam Levene closed at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. National tour stops included performances at New York's Mineola Theatre; Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn, New Jersey; The Playhouse Theater in Wilmington, Delaware; Royal Alexandria Theatre in Toronto, Canada; Detroit, Michigan; Shubert Theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio; The National Theatre in Washington, D.C. The play was adapted into a 1968 film of the same name starring David Niven, Lola Albright,

Chad Everett Raymon Lee Cramton (June 11, 1937 – July 24, 2012), known professionally as Chad Everett, was an American actor who appeared in more than 40 films and television series. He played Dr. Joe Gannon in the television drama '' Medical Center'', wh ...

, and Cristina Ferrare.

Plot

The comedy revolves around Jonathan Kingsley, a teaching psychiatrist at the local university, his wife, and their two teenage daughters. Complications arise when the older one develops an active interest in the opposite sex, and her younger, impressionable sister begins to emulate her misadventures.

Film adaptation

References

External links

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Review of film
at ''

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'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Impossible Years 1965 plays American plays adapted into films Broadway plays