''Sailor Beware!'' is a comic play by Philip King and Falkland Cary. After a

repertory company A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

production in

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

in 1954, it opened in the West End of London on 16 February 1955 and ran for 1,231 performances. The play depicts the successful attempt by a young sailor to curb the tyrannical ways of his prospective mother-in-law. It was the first London appearance by

Peggy Mount Margaret Rose Mount (2 May 1915 – 13 November 2001) was an English actress. As a child, she found acting an escape from an unhappy home life. After playing in amateur productions, she was taken on by a repertory company and spent nine years i ...

, who achieved immediate celebrity in the role of the domineering Mrs Hornett. The play spawned a film adaptation and a stage sequel, and has been revived on several occasions.

History

The co-author, Philip King, had written an earlier hit comedy, '' See How They Run'' (1945), and had collaborated with Falkland Cary on five plays. Their ''Sailor Beware!'' was first produced by the

repertory company in 1954. The cast included

and

Richard Coleman Richard Coleman (20 January 1930 – 16 December 2008) was a British film, television and stage actor. Early life Richard Coleman was born Ronald Coleman in Peckham, London in 1930. He was educated at Wilson's Grammar School, Peckham. Af ...

, who retained their original roles when the play was presented at the Strand Theatre, London the following year. The success of the West End production established Coleman as "a reliable and good-looking juvenile lead", according to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', and Mount became what ''

The Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead ...

'' called "The toast of the town … the actress London is raving about".

Tessie O'Shea Teresa Mary "Tessie" O'Shea (13 March 1913 – 21 April 1995) was a Welsh entertainer and actress. Early life O'Shea was born at 61 Plantagenet Street in Riverside, Cardiff to newspaper wholesaler James Peter O'Shea, who had been a soldier a ...

replaced Mount towards the end of the run. The play ran at the Strand until 22 February 1958, a total of 1,231 performances.

Plot

The Hornett household is dominated by Emma, the tyrannical wife of Henry, sister-in-law of Edie, and mother of Shirley.

Able Seaman An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...

Albert Tuffnell is in love with Shirley, but he views the prospect of marrying into her family with concern. He is an orphan and has never known home life. He decides to shock Mrs Hornett into recognising how badly she behaves to other people. By pretending to jilt Shirley on their wedding morning he sets off a chain of events that lead family, neighbours and even the vicar to tell Emma what they think of her. She is duly chastened and all ends happily, though not without a hint that Shirley has the potential to become as formidable a wife as her mother has been.Trewin, J C. "The World of the Theatre", ''The Illustrated London News'', 5 March 1955, p. 416

Original London cast

*Edie Hornett – Ann Wilton *Emma Hornett –

*Mrs Lack – Myrette Morven *Henry Hornettt –

Cyril Smith Sir Cyril Richard Smith (28 June 1928 – 3 September 2010) was a British Liberal Party and Liberal Democrat politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochdale from 1972 to 1992. Smith was first active in local politics as ...

*Albert Tufnell, AB –

*Carnoustie Bligh, AB – James Copeland *Daphne Pink – Jean Burgess *Shirley Hornett – Sheila Shand Gibbs *The Rev Oliver Purefoy – Anthony Marlow ::Source: ''

''."Strand Theatre – 'Sailor Beware'", ''The Times'', 17 February 1955, p. 12

Reception

The notices for the play were good, and those for the cast – particularly for Mount – still better. ''The Times'' called the comedy "simple but successful". In ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...

'', J. C. Trewin predicted a long run, and commented that he laughed despite himself: "The farce may be preposterous utin its broad way it sweeps along the audience." In ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'',

Kenneth Tynan Kenneth Peacock Tynan (2 April 1927 – 26 July 1980) was an English theatre critic and writer. Initially making his mark as a critic at ''The Observer'', he praised John Osborne's ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) and encouraged the emerging wave ...

wrote that although the theme of the play was "as ancient as its development, whereby the husband-to-be jilts his bride", the authors' dialogue was "authentic suburban poetry".Tynan, Kenneth. "Versatility", ''The Observer'', 20 February 1955, p. 13 He said of Mount's performance, "She scorches the earth about her… The savage impatience of Miss Mount's acting must be seen to be believed". Tynan, Trewin and Philip Hope-Wallace in ''

The Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' all praised the other members of the cast, who in the words of the ''Times'' critic, "each contribute a nicely judged share to the comedy.

Later versions

The play was adapted for the cinema under the same title in 1956, with Mount and Cyril Smith playing their original stage roles. A stage sequel, ''Watch It, Sailor'', opened in London in February 1960 and was well reviewed, although

Kathleen Harrison Kathleen Harrison (23 February 1892 – 7 December 1995) was a prolific English character actress best remembered for her role as Mrs. Huggett (opposite Jack Warner and Petula Clark) in a trio of British post-war comedies about a working-cla ...

as Emma was found less imposing than Mount had been in the original play. It ran until June 1961, and was filmed in the same year. ''Sailor Beware'' became a staple of provincial repertory, and received a London revival at the

Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a nonprofit theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London."About the Lyric" > "History" ''Lyric'' official website. Retrieved January 2024. Background The Lyric Theatre ...

in 1991 with Jane Freeman as Emma and

Colin Hurley Collin Hurley (born 1957) is an English actor and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and the Shakespeare's Globe company, specialising in performing the works of William Shakespeare. Early career Born in ...

as Albert. A 1992–93 tour of Britain starred Jane Freeman and

Kathy Staff Kathy Staff (born Minnie Higginbottom; 12 July 1928 – 13 December 2008) was an English actress known for her work on British television. She is best known for her portrayal of Nora Batty in ''Last of the Summer Wine'', the longest running si ...

."On release", ''The Guardian'', 23 October 1993, p. C4

Notes

References

* {{cite book, editor-last= Gaye, editor-first=Freda , year= 1967, title=Who's Who in the Theatre , edition=fourteenth, location=London , publisher=Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons , oclc=5997224 British plays Comedy plays 1954 plays