''The Trial of Mary Dugan'' is a

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 * P ...

written by Bayard Veiller. The 1927 melodrama concerns a sensational courtroom trial of a

showgirl A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performer's physical attributes, typically by way of revealing clothing, toplessness, or nudity. History Showgirls date back to the late 180 ...

accused of killing her millionaire lover. Her defense attorney is her brother, Jimmy Dugan. It was first presented 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 1927, with

Ann Harding Ann Harding (born Dorothy Walton Gatley; August 7, 1902 – September 1, 1981) was an American theatre, motion picture, radio, and television actress. A regular player on Broadway and in regional theater in the 1920s, in the 1930s Harding was ...

in the title role, and in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1928 with Genevieve Tobin. Two American films were based on the play, one in 1929 directed by Bayard Veiller and starring Norma Shearer, and one in 1941 directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Laraine Day. The play was performed at the Savoy Theatre, Strand, London, during 1958. Presented by Peter Saunders, it featured Betsy Blair, David Knight, Cec Linder and Patricia Burke. During the action, the audience was addressed as if it were the jury. The Broadway production premiered at the National Theatre on September 19, 1927, moved to the Sam H. Harris Theatre on June 11, 1928, and then to the Century Theatre from September 3-19, 1928, for a total of 437 performances.The Concise Oxford Companion to American Theatre
p. 645 (3d ed. 2004) A novelization of the play, by William Almon Wolff, was published in 1929. Ayn Rand's '' Night of January 16th'' is reported to have been modeled on this play.

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* * * * 1927 plays American plays adapted into films Broadway plays {{1920s-play-stub

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