Personal Appearance
Encyclopedia
Personal Appearance is a stage comedy
by the American playwright
and screenwriter
Lawrence Riley
(1896–1974), which was a Broadway
smash and the basis for the classic Mae West
film Go West, Young Man
(1936
).
Personal Appearance was produced by the legendary Brock Pemberton
(founder of the Tony Awards) and staged by Antoinette Perry
(in whose memory Pemberton named the Tonys). It opened in 1934 at New York's Henry Miller Theatre starring the famed stage and screen actress Gladys George
(now remembered especially for her role as Miles Archer's spouse in the film The Maltese Falcon
). Her comic performance contributed to making Personal Appearance a Broadway hit that lasted for 501 performances. It launched Riley's career as a playwright
and remains his most famous play.
The New York Times
characterized Personal Appearance in an October 18, 1934, review's headline as a "Satire of the Hollywood Dementia." The play is set in the Pennsylvania
backcountry, where Riley was originally from and where he long resided. It is the story of a movie star and diva
, Carole Arden, who is on a tour giving personal appearances to promote her latest film, Drifting Lady. Her car breaks down, which leads to her encounter with a young and handsome gas station attendant, Chester Norton, played by Philip Ober
. His fiancee's parents put Arden up for the night and Arden falls for Norton. But her down-to-earth press agent, Gene Tuttle, played by Otto Hulett, foils her plans to bring Norton to Hollywood with her.
This frothy and satirical entertainement epitomizes Pemberton's productions at the time: He was among those who advocated such escapist fare as needed psychological relief during the Great Depression
. This was in opposition to socially relevant stage productions, such as Marc Blitzstein
's musical
The Cradle Will Rock
(1937). Personal Appearances huge success only reinforced Pemberton in his opinion.
In 1935, Samuel French
(the English-speaking world's leading theatrical publisher) produced both a hardcover and a softcover edition of Personal Appearance: a New Comedy in Three Acts in Los Angeles and New York.
Personal Appearance was adapted for the screen by Mae West as Go West, Young Man. It was directed by Henry Hathaway
and released by Paramount
in 1936
. In it, West reprises George's role but with a more callous and cynical slant. It was one of the rare instances, perhaps the first, in which West starred in a role not originally conceived for her. After launching Randolph Scott
's career as a cowboy star four years earlier in Heritage of the Desert, Hathaway cast him uncharacteristically as West's love interest in Go West, Young Man. The film's success led to Riley's second successful career as a screenwriter--a somewhat ironical outcome, given Personal Appearances criticism of Hollywood.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
by the American playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Lawrence Riley
Lawrence Riley
Lawrence Riley was a successful American playwright and screenwriter. He gained fame in 1934 as the author of the Broadway hit Personal Appearance, which was turned by Mae West into the classic film Go West, Young Man , starring herself.-Biography:Riley was a Princeton University alumnus and a...
(1896–1974), which was a Broadway
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...
smash and the basis for the classic Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
film Go West, Young Man
Go West, Young Man
Go West, Young Man is a 1936 Paramount Pictures comedy film directed by Henry Hathaway starring Mae West. The supporting cast includes Warren William, Alice Brady, Elizabeth Patterson, and Lyle Talbot...
(1936
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
).
Personal Appearance was produced by the legendary Brock Pemberton
Brock Pemberton
Brock Pemberton was an American theatrical producer, director and founder of the Tony Awards.Pemberton was born in Leavenworth, Kansas and attended the University of Kansas. Before becoming a producer he was a press agent in New York...
(founder of the Tony Awards) and staged by Antoinette Perry
Antoinette Perry
Antoinette Perry was an actress, director and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing. The Tony Awards are her namesake....
(in whose memory Pemberton named the Tonys). It opened in 1934 at New York's Henry Miller Theatre starring the famed stage and screen actress Gladys George
Gladys George
Gladys George was an American actress.-Early life:She was born as Gladys Clare Evans on September 13, 1904 in Patten, Maine to English parents.-Career:...
(now remembered especially for her role as Miles Archer's spouse in the film The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...
). Her comic performance contributed to making Personal Appearance a Broadway hit that lasted for 501 performances. It launched Riley's career as a playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and remains his most famous play.
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
characterized Personal Appearance in an October 18, 1934, review's headline as a "Satire of the Hollywood Dementia." The play is set in the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
backcountry, where Riley was originally from and where he long resided. It is the story of a movie star and diva
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
, Carole Arden, who is on a tour giving personal appearances to promote her latest film, Drifting Lady. Her car breaks down, which leads to her encounter with a young and handsome gas station attendant, Chester Norton, played by Philip Ober
Philip Ober
Philip Ober was an American actor.Ober often appeared in roles as a straight man in farcical circumstances. One of his most memorable stage role was in Lawrence Riley's Broadway hit Personal Appearance opposite Gladys George. From 1954 to 1967 he frequently appeared in television series...
. His fiancee's parents put Arden up for the night and Arden falls for Norton. But her down-to-earth press agent, Gene Tuttle, played by Otto Hulett, foils her plans to bring Norton to Hollywood with her.
This frothy and satirical entertainement epitomizes Pemberton's productions at the time: He was among those who advocated such escapist fare as needed psychological relief during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. This was in opposition to socially relevant stage productions, such as Marc Blitzstein
Marc Blitzstein
Marcus Samuel Blitzstein, better known as Marc Blitzstein , was an American composer. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-union musical The Cradle Will Rock, directed by Orson Welles, was shut down by the Works Progress Administration...
's musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
The Cradle Will Rock
The Cradle Will Rock
The Cradle Will Rock is a 1937 musical by Marc Blitzstein. Originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project, it was directed by Orson Welles, and produced by John Houseman. The show was recorded and released on seven 78-rpm discs in 1938, making it the first cast album recording.The musical is a...
(1937). Personal Appearances huge success only reinforced Pemberton in his opinion.
In 1935, Samuel French
Samuel French
Samuel French was a U.S. entrepreneur who, together with British actor, playwright and theatrical manager Thomas Hailes Lacy, pioneered in the field of theatrical publishing and the licensing of plays....
(the English-speaking world's leading theatrical publisher) produced both a hardcover and a softcover edition of Personal Appearance: a New Comedy in Three Acts in Los Angeles and New York.
Personal Appearance was adapted for the screen by Mae West as Go West, Young Man. It was directed by Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring John Wayne.-Background:...
and released by Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
in 1936
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
. In it, West reprises George's role but with a more callous and cynical slant. It was one of the rare instances, perhaps the first, in which West starred in a role not originally conceived for her. After launching Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
's career as a cowboy star four years earlier in Heritage of the Desert, Hathaway cast him uncharacteristically as West's love interest in Go West, Young Man. The film's success led to Riley's second successful career as a screenwriter--a somewhat ironical outcome, given Personal Appearances criticism of Hollywood.