Kiss Them for Me (play)
Encyclopedia
Kiss Them for Me is a 1945 Broadway
production based on Frederic Wakeman Sr.'s 1944 novel entitled Shore Leave. The play ran for 110 performances. Opening at the Belasco Theatre
on March 20, 1945, it closed at the Fulton Theatre on June 23 of the same year.
war heroes who have been sent on a "vacation". The morale-building trip, which is really a public relations effort, is overseen by an officer who tries to get the three to make speeches at shipyard plants, but they just want to find a good time.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production based on Frederic Wakeman Sr.'s 1944 novel entitled Shore Leave. The play ran for 110 performances. Opening at the Belasco Theatre
Belasco Theatre
The Belasco Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 111 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architect George Keister for impresario David Belasco, the interior featured Tiffany lighting and ceiling panels, rich woodwork and expansive murals by American artist...
on March 20, 1945, it closed at the Fulton Theatre on June 23 of the same year.
Plot
The play, set in The St. Mark Hotel and a naval hospital in San Francisco, centers on three navyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
war heroes who have been sent on a "vacation". The morale-building trip, which is really a public relations effort, is overseen by an officer who tries to get the three to make speeches at shipyard plants, but they just want to find a good time.
Opening night production credits
- Produced by John H. Moses and Mark Hanna
- Script Written by Luther DavisLuther DavisLuther Davis was an American play- and screenwriter. He attended Culver Academies, received a BA from Yale and rose to the rank of major in the US Air Force...
; based on Shore Leave by Frederic Wakeman Sr. - Directed by Herman ShumlinHerman ShumlinHerman Shumlin was a prolific Broadwaytheatrical director and theatrical producer beginning in 1927 with the play Celebrity and continuing through 1974 with a short run of As You Like It, notably with an all male cast...
- Scenic Design by Frederick FoxFrederick FoxFrederick Fox was an English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman who played for Nottinghamshire. He was born in Nottingham and died in Beltinge, Herne Bay....
Opening night cast
- Robert AllenRobert (Tex) AllenRobert "Tex" Allen was a leading actor in both feature films and B-movie westerns between 1935 and 1944.Born as Irvine E. Theodore Baehr on March 28, 1906 in Mount Vernon, New York, Allen went on to graduate from the New York Military Academy in 1924, where he rode in the academy cavalry and from...
... Turnbill - George Cory ... Chief
- Jayne Cotter ... Gwynneth
- Edward Crandall ... Lt. Commander Wallace
- Richard Davis ... Mac
- Amy Douglass ... Chief Nurse
- Paul Ford ... Mr. Hardy
- Harold Grau ... Tailor
- Judy HollidayJudy HollidayJudy Holliday was an American actress.Holliday began her career as part of a night-club act, before working in Broadway plays and musicals...
... Alice - Douglas Jones ... Ensign
- Virginia Kaye ... Nurse Wilinski
- Dennis King, Jr. ... Mississip
- George MathewsGeorge Mathews (actor)George Mathews was an American actor whose career stretched from an uncredited appearance in Stage Door Canteen in 1943 to Going Home in 1971. Burly, heavy-featured, and tall he had an extensive career on stage which began in the early 1930's, when he failed to get a job with the U.S. Mail. He...
... Gunner - John McGovern ... F. Neilson
- Patricia Quinn O'Hara ... Mrs. Hardy
- Daniel PetrieDaniel PetrieDaniel Mannix Petrie was a Canadian television and movie director.Petrie was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Mary Anne and William Mark Petrie, a soft-drink manufacturer. He moved to the United States in 1945...
... Charlie - Dudley Sadler ... Hedrick
- Sonya Stokowski ... WAC
- Richard WidmarkRichard WidmarkRichard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
... Crewson
Adaptations
- Kiss Them for MeKiss Them for Me (film)Kiss Them for Me is a 1957 comedy film starring Cary Grant and Jayne Mansfield, directed by Stanley Donen. Co-stars included Suzy Parker, Leif Erickson, Ray Walston, and Werner Klemperer....
, 1957 comedy film starring Cary Grant and Jayne Mansfield, directed by Stanley Donen.