Fortune and Men's Eyes
Encyclopedia
Fortune and Men's Eyes is a 1967 play
and 1971 film
by John Herbert
about a young man's experience in prison, exploring themes of homosexuality and sexual slavery. The title comes from William Shakespeare
's Sonnet 29
which begins with the line "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes". It has been translated into forty languages and produced in over a hundred countries. It is the most published Canadian play, and won the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award
.
In 1967 it premiered off-Broadway at the Actors Playhouse from 23 February 1967 to January 1968. Reviews were initially mixed, and many reviewers were shocked by the subject matter. Reviewer Herbert Whittaker wrote in The Globe and Mail
that the play was "the art of washing our dirty linen in the neighbor's yard."
In 1969 the play was produced and directed by Sal Mineo
at the Coronet Theatre
in Los Angeles
. Don Johnson
played the lead role of Smitty, a young man sentenced to six months in prison for marijuana possession, who eventually becomes the sexual subordinate of another inmate, Rocky. Michael Greer played the role of Queenie, Smitty's cellmate. This production garnered more critical approval.
In the 1971 film, directed by Harvey Hart
, Wendell Burton
played Smitty, Michael Greer reprised his role as Queenie, and Zooey Hall played Rocky. It was filmed in Quebec
, Canada
.
1967 in art
-Events:*May 14 - Dedication of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral in England, designed by Frederick Gibberd, with stained glass by John Piper, Patrick Reyntiens and Margaret Traherne and a bronze crucifix is by Elisabeth Frink....
and 1971 film
1971 in film
The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
by John Herbert
John Herbert (playwright)
John Herbert was a Canadian playwright. Best known for Fortune and Men's Eyes, he wrote 24 plays, six of which were published.-External links:* *...
about a young man's experience in prison, exploring themes of homosexuality and sexual slavery. The title comes from William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Sonnet 29
Sonnet 29
Sonnet 29 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. This is one of his more ambiguous sonnets: one does not know who the speaker is referring to or if the word "love" in this sonnet refers to a romantic love or a platonic love.- Structure of Sonnet 29...
which begins with the line "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes". It has been translated into forty languages and produced in over a hundred countries. It is the most published Canadian play, and won the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award
Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award
The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Awards were a Canadian literary award, given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having at least ten performances in the Toronto area....
.
In 1967 it premiered off-Broadway at the Actors Playhouse from 23 February 1967 to January 1968. Reviews were initially mixed, and many reviewers were shocked by the subject matter. Reviewer Herbert Whittaker wrote in The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
that the play was "the art of washing our dirty linen in the neighbor's yard."
In 1969 the play was produced and directed by Sal Mineo
Sal Mineo
Salvatore "Sal" Mineo, Jr. , was an American film and theatre actor, best known for his performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause...
at the Coronet Theatre
Coronet Theatre
The Coronet Theatre is a longstanding Los Angeles theatre. Many Hollywood stars have played there, and it has been home to several important premiere productions. More than 300 plays have been produced at the Coronet. As of June 2008, the theatre is now Largo at the Coronet Theatre, an expansion...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Don Johnson
Don Johnson
Donnie Wayne "Don" Johnson is an American actor known for his work in television and film. He played the lead role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s TV cop series, Miami Vice, which led him to huge success. He also played the lead role in the 1990s cop series, Nash Bridges...
played the lead role of Smitty, a young man sentenced to six months in prison for marijuana possession, who eventually becomes the sexual subordinate of another inmate, Rocky. Michael Greer played the role of Queenie, Smitty's cellmate. This production garnered more critical approval.
In the 1971 film, directed by Harvey Hart
Harvey Hart
Harvey Hart was a Canadian film director and television producer.Hart studied at the University of Toronto, before being hired by the CBC in 1952...
, Wendell Burton
Wendell Burton
Wendell Burton is an American television executive and former motion picture actor and television actor, best known for his co-starring role with Liza Minnelli in the 1969 movie The Sterile Cuckoo....
played Smitty, Michael Greer reprised his role as Queenie, and Zooey Hall played Rocky. It was filmed in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
External links
- Fortune and Men's Eyes at Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia entry