The Marriage-Go-Round
Encyclopedia
The Marriage-Go-Round is a 1958 play written by Leslie Stevens
and a 1961 film adaptation also written and produced by Stevens. It was inspired by a suggestion that dancer Isadora Duncan
supposedly made to playwright George Bernard Shaw
: the two of them should have a child because "with your mind and my body, think what a person it would be!" The play, a sex comedy
, was a Broadway theatre
success with a run of over 700 performances; the film, a box-office failure.
as Dr.
Paul Delville, a professor of cultural anthropology
at a New York college,
Claudette Colbert
as Dr. Content Lowell, the Dean of Women at the college and Delville's wife, Julie Newmar
as Katrin Sveg, and Edmon Ryan
as Ross Barnett.
of The New York Times
called the Broadway production at the Plymouth Theatre "droll and buoyant" and its direction by Joseph Anthony
"immaculate."
At the 13th Tony Awards
, Newmar won for her performance as Featured Dramatic Actress
and Colbert received a Tony nomination for her performance as a Dramatic Actress
. Colbert lost to Gertrude Berg
, who won for her performance in A Majority of One
.
The play was in part a success due to charity theater parties, such as one sponsored by Maternity Center Association
, which bought all seats for one night's performance in November 1958, paying $5700 and netting $16,000 after selling tickets to its members that were priced between $10 and $30.
) is a sex comedy
film adaptation made by Twentieth Century-Fox, based on the play of the same name. It was written and produced by Leslie Stevens
, directed by Walter Lang
, and starred Julie Newmar
(who reprised her Broadway role), Susan Hayward
, and James Mason
.
called it a "giddily light and witty film" and a "mentally strip-teasing escapade"; he called Newmar a "specimen of modernity the likes of which we have never expected to see" who "looks like a twenty-first-century vision, standing a good 6 feet tall and being as beautifully proportioned and persuasive in personality as in physique." Crowther also complimented producer Stevens and director Lang for "settings about as crisp and colorful as one could wish and the whole movement of the running dalliance tasteful and absorbing in the limited space."
Leslie Stevens
Leslie Clark Stevens III was the creator of the cult TV series The Outer Limits and director of the cult horror film Incubus , starring William Shatner. He wrote an early work of New Age philosophy, Est: The Steersman Handbook .-Early life and career:Leslie Stevens was born in Washington, D.C...
and a 1961 film adaptation also written and produced by Stevens. It was inspired by a suggestion that dancer Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan was a dancer, considered by many to be the creator of modern dance. Born in the United States, she lived in Western Europe and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50. In the United States she was popular only in New York, and only later in her life...
supposedly made to playwright George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
: the two of them should have a child because "with your mind and my body, think what a person it would be!" The play, a sex comedy
Sex comedy
Sex comedy is a term for comedy movies with sexual content usually referring to those made in the United Kingdom in the mid 1970s. They may range from comic pornographic films like the Confessions series to relatively innocent comedies that include jokes about sex and other sexual related humour,...
, was a Broadway theatre
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...
success with a run of over 700 performances; the film, a box-office failure.
Play
The play's original production on Broadway starred Charles BoyerCharles Boyer
Charles Boyer was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found success in movies during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised romantic dramas,...
as Dr.
Paul Delville, a professor of cultural anthropology
Cultural anthropology
Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans, collecting data about the impact of global economic and political processes on local cultural realities. Anthropologists use a variety of methods, including participant observation,...
at a New York college,
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
as Dr. Content Lowell, the Dean of Women at the college and Delville's wife, Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar is an American actress, dancer and singer. Her most famous role is Catwoman in the Batman television series.-Early life:...
as Katrin Sveg, and Edmon Ryan
Edmon Ryan
Edmon Ryan was an American television and film actor.-Selected filmography:* Gangway * Hey! Hey! USA * Murder in Soho * The Dark Eyes of London * Mystery Street * Two for the Seesaw...
as Ross Barnett.
Reception
Brooks AtkinsonBrooks Atkinson
Justin Brooks Atkinson was an American theatre critic. He worked for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960...
of 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...
called the Broadway production at the Plymouth Theatre "droll and buoyant" and its direction by Joseph Anthony
Joseph Anthony
Joseph Anthony was an American playwright, actor, and director. He made his film acting debut in the 1934 film Hat, Coat, and Glove and his theatrical acting debut in a 1935 production of Mary of Scotland...
"immaculate."
At the 13th Tony Awards
13th Tony Awards
The 13th Annual Tony Awards took place at the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom on April 12, 1959 and was broadcast on local television station WCBS-TV in New York City...
, Newmar won for her performance as Featured Dramatic Actress
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
This is a list of winners and nomination of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. The award was first presented in 1947.-1940s:* 1947: Patricia Neal – Another Part of the Forest* 1949: Shirley Booth – Goodbye, My Fancy-1950s:...
and Colbert received a Tony nomination for her performance as a Dramatic Actress
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The award has been presented since 1947, and is for performance in new productions or revivals.-1940s:...
. Colbert lost to Gertrude Berg
Gertrude Berg
Gertrude Berg was an American actress and screenwriter. A pioneer of classic radio, she was one of the first women to create, write, produce and star in a long-running hit when she premiered her serial comedy-drama The Rise of the Goldbergs , later known as The Goldbergs.-Career:Berg was born...
, who won for her performance in A Majority of One
A Majority of One
-Plot:The comedy involves Mrs. Jacoby, a Jewish widow from Brooklyn, New York, and Koichi Asano, a millionaire widower from Tokyo. Mrs. Jacoby is sailing to Japan with her daughter and foreign service officer son-in-law who is being posted to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo...
.
The play was in part a success due to charity theater parties, such as one sponsored by Maternity Center Association
Childbirth Connection
Childbirth Connection, formerly known as the Maternity Center Association, is an American national nonprofit organization that works to improve the quality of maternity care through research, education, advocacy, and policy...
, which bought all seats for one night's performance in November 1958, paying $5700 and netting $16,000 after selling tickets to its members that were priced between $10 and $30.
Film adaptation
The Marriage-Go-Round (19611961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
) is a sex comedy
Sex comedy
Sex comedy is a term for comedy movies with sexual content usually referring to those made in the United Kingdom in the mid 1970s. They may range from comic pornographic films like the Confessions series to relatively innocent comedies that include jokes about sex and other sexual related humour,...
film adaptation made by Twentieth Century-Fox, based on the play of the same name. It was written and produced by Leslie Stevens
Leslie Stevens
Leslie Clark Stevens III was the creator of the cult TV series The Outer Limits and director of the cult horror film Incubus , starring William Shatner. He wrote an early work of New Age philosophy, Est: The Steersman Handbook .-Early life and career:Leslie Stevens was born in Washington, D.C...
, directed by Walter Lang
Walter Lang
Walter Lang was an American film director.-Early life:Walter Lang was born in Memphis, Tennessee. As a young man he went to New York City where he found clerical work at a film production company. The business piqued his artistic instincts and he began learning the various facets of filmmaking...
, and starred Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar is an American actress, dancer and singer. Her most famous role is Catwoman in the Batman television series.-Early life:...
(who reprised her Broadway role), Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 when open auditions were held for the leading role in Gone with the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...
, and James Mason
James Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
.
Cast
- Susan HaywardSusan HaywardSusan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 when open auditions were held for the leading role in Gone with the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...
... Content Delville - James MasonJames MasonJames Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
... Paul Delville - Julie NewmarJulie NewmarJulie Newmar is an American actress, dancer and singer. Her most famous role is Catwoman in the Batman television series.-Early life:...
... Katrin Sveg - Robert PaigeRobert PaigeRobert Paige was a TV star and Universal Pictures leading man who made 65 films in his lifetime and was the only actor ever allowed to sing on film with Deanna Durbin...
... Dr. Ross Barnett - June Clayworth ... Flo Granger
- Joe Kirkwood Jr. ... Henry Granger
- Mary Patton ... Mamie
- Trax Colton ... Crew Cut
Reception
Bosley CrowtherBosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
called it a "giddily light and witty film" and a "mentally strip-teasing escapade"; he called Newmar a "specimen of modernity the likes of which we have never expected to see" who "looks like a twenty-first-century vision, standing a good 6 feet tall and being as beautifully proportioned and persuasive in personality as in physique." Crowther also complimented producer Stevens and director Lang for "settings about as crisp and colorful as one could wish and the whole movement of the running dalliance tasteful and absorbing in the limited space."
External links
- The Happy Hack, a September 28, 1959 TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine article about Leslie Stevens (show) (Broadway original production)