''For Better, for Worse'' is a

comedy play Comedy is a genre of dramatic performance having a light or humorous tone that depicts amusing incidents and in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. For ancient Greeks and Romans, a comedy was a stage-play with a happy endi ...

by the British writer

Arthur Watkyn Arthur Thomas Levi Watkins (27 July 1907 – 31 July 1965) was a British public official who served as Secretary of the British Board of Film Censors from 1948 to 1956, then as vice-president of the British Film Producers' Association. Under the ...

. It was first performed at the

Q Theatre The Q Theatre was a British theatre located near Kew Bridge in Brentford, west London, which operated between 1924 and 1958. It was built on the site of the former Kew Bridge Studios. The theatre, seating 490 in 25 rows with a central aisle, wa ...

Kew Bridge Kew Bridge is a wide-span bridge over the Tideway (upper estuary of the Thames) linking the London Boroughs of Richmond upon Thames and Hounslow. The present bridge, which was opened in 1903 as King Edward VII Bridge by King Edward VII and Q ...

in 1948. It enjoyed a lengthy and successful run at the

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

's West End where it lasted for 618 performances between 17 December 1952 and 12 June 1954. The original West End cast included

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. He appeared in the '' Carry On'' ...

Geraldine McEwan Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown; 9 May 1932 – 30 January 2015) was an English actress, who had a long career in film, theatre and television. Michael Coveney described her, in a tribute article, as "a great comic stylist, with ...

Tom Macaulay Tom Macaulay (17 March 1906 - 19 June 1979) was a British actor. Born Chambré Thomas MacAulay Booth, and Harrow educated, he was married to the actress Tucker McGuire. Selected filmography * ''I See a Dark Stranger ''I See a Dark Stran ...

Anthony Sharp Dennis Anthony John Sharp (16 June 1915 – 23 July 1984) was an English actor, writer and director. Stage career Anthony Sharp was a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art ( LAMDA) and made his stage debut in February 1938 ...

, Gwynne Whitby,

Polly Elwes Polly Elwes, born Mary Freya Elwes (29 February 1928 – 15 July 1987) was an English television and radio broadcaster and stage actress. An alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, she joined the Windsor Theatre Royal repertory ...

Aimée Delamain Aimée Delamain (21 April 1906 – 18 June 1999) was an English actress, known for spending most of her career playing elderly ladies. Biography Her father, Colonel Frank Delamain was a member of King Edward VII's Bengal Lancers. Upon his r ...

Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...

and

Dandy Nichols Dandy Nichols (born Daisy Sander; 21 May 1907 – 6 February 1986) was an English actress best known for her role as Else Garnett, the long-suffering wife of the character Alf Garnett, in the BBC sitcom '' Till Death Us Do Part''. Early l ...

. It was directed by Kenneth Riddington who also appeared in the cast. The plot revolves around the trials and tribulations of a newly-married couple.

Film adaptation

In 1954 it was made into a film of the same title directed by

J. Lee Thompson John Lee Thompson (1 August 1914 – 30 August 2002) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. Initially an exponent of social realism, he became known as a versatile and prolific director of thrillers, action, and adventure fil ...

and starring

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House (film), Doctor in the Hous ...

, Susan Stephen and

Cecil Parker Cecil Parker (born Cecil Schwabe; 3 September 1897 – 20 April 1971) was an English actor with a distinctively husky voice, who usually played supporting roles, often characters with a supercilious demeanour, in his 91 films made between 1 ...

.Goble p.491

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. * Wearing, J.P. ''The London Stage 1950-1959: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. 1948 plays British plays West End plays Comedy plays Plays set in London British plays adapted into films Plays by Arthur Watkyn {{1940s-play-stub