''What a Life'' is a 1938

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 ...

play by

Clifford Goldsmith Clifford Goldsmith (March 29, 1899 – July 11, 1971) was an American writer, best known for his play ''What a Life'', from which ''The Aldrich Family'' radio and television series and the ''Henry Aldrich'' film series were derived. In 1943, ''T ...

. ''What a Life'' is set in Central High School, with action primarily occurring in the principal's office. The main character, Henry Aldrich, "thinks he is dumb because his father won a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

key at college." During the play, Aldrich faces charges that he caused a disturbance in class and that he stole brass instruments from the band. He also has to deal with a student who bullies him. The play was copyrighted on July 7, 1936, under the title ''Enter to Learn''. After some revisions, "without, however, materially changing the plot or principal characters", the title was changed to ''What a Life''. It languished for more than one year, but things changed when producer

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. Early years Abbott was born in Forestville, New Y ...

took charge.

Original Broadway production

produced and directed the original Broadway production, which opened April 13, 1938 at the Biltmore Theatre and ran for 538 performances.''What a Life'' at the Internet Broadway Database
/ref> The original cast included

Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken became a Hollywood comedy legend with lead performances in the films '' Hail the Conquering Hero'' and '' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' both from ...

and

Butterfly McQueen Butterfly McQueen (born Thelma McQueen; January 8, 1911December 22, 1995) was an American actress. Originally a dancer, McQueen first appeared in films as "Prissy" in '' Gone with the Wind'' (1939). She was unable to attend the film's premiere b ...

. Kay Brown,

talent scout In professional sports, scouts are experienced talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scou ...

for

David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced '' Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca'' (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture. ...

, saw McQueen in this production and recommended her to Selznick. She screen tested and was cast in the role of Prissy, Scarlett's maid, in ''

Gone With the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'' (1939).

Revival

A 1982 attempted revival of ''What a Life'' at the Manhattan Punch Line failed. The production was panned in ''

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'', with reviewer Mel Gussow writing: "The play is piffle. Far funnier efforts can be seen nightly in television reruns of situation comedies. Next to ''What a Life,'' ''Leave It to Beaver'' is Moliere."

Adaptations

The play was initially adapted to radio as comedy segments on Rudy Vallee's program. Next came a separate radio program, ''

The Aldrich Family ''The Aldrich Family'', a popular radio teenage situation comedy (July 2, 1939 – April 19, 1953), was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-''reeeee ...

''. Film adaptation came in the form of 11 motion pictures. Finally, a

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

, also called ''The Aldrich Family'', was broadcast for three seasons.

References

External links

Script of ''What a Life'' from Google Books
*{{IBDB title, 7948 1938 plays Broadway plays American plays adapted into films