They Knew What They Wanted (play)
Encyclopedia
They Knew What They Wanted is a 1924 play written by Sidney Howard
that tells the story of Tony, an aging Italian winegrower in the California Napa Valley, who proposes by letter to Amy, a San Francisco waitress who waited on him once. Fearing that she will find him too old and ugly, Tony sends her a photograph of Joe, his young hired hand, instead of himself. When Amy comes to the vineyard she discovers Tony has lied to her and problems ensue between Tony, Amy, and Joe. The play premiered at the Garrick Theatre
on 24 November 1924 and closed in October 1925, after 192 performances.
The play was awarded the 1925 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
. The original cast included Richard Bennet
as Tony, Pauline Lord
as Amy, and Glenn Anders as Joe. The play has been performed subsequently numerous times, including a critically acclaimed Broadway
production in 1975 that was directed by Stephen Porter
. A film of They Knew What They Wanted was made in 1940 by director Garson Kanin
. The play was also adapted into a Broadway
musical
, The Most Happy Fella
in 1956 by Frank Loesser
, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics.
Sidney Howard
Sidney Coe Howard was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1925 and a posthumous Academy Award in 1940 for the screenplay for Gone with the Wind.-Early life:...
that tells the story of Tony, an aging Italian winegrower in the California Napa Valley, who proposes by letter to Amy, a San Francisco waitress who waited on him once. Fearing that she will find him too old and ugly, Tony sends her a photograph of Joe, his young hired hand, instead of himself. When Amy comes to the vineyard she discovers Tony has lied to her and problems ensue between Tony, Amy, and Joe. The play premiered at the Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
on 24 November 1924 and closed in October 1925, after 192 performances.
The play was awarded the 1925 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
. The original cast included Richard Bennet
Richard Bennett (actor)
Richard Bennett was an American actor who became a stage and silent screen matinee idol over the early decades of the twentieth century.-Early Life:...
as Tony, Pauline Lord
Pauline Lord
Pauline Lord was an American stage and film actress-Biography:She was born in Hanford, California to Edward Lord and Sara Foster...
as Amy, and Glenn Anders as Joe. The play has been performed subsequently numerous times, including a critically acclaimed 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...
production in 1975 that was directed by Stephen Porter
Stephen Porter (director)
Stephen Winthrop Porter is an American stage and television director, producer, set designer and writer best known for directing the classics, especially George Bernard Shaw, Molière and Shakespeare. Porter has directed more than thirty Broadway plays and many regional, Off-Broadway and other...
. A film of They Knew What They Wanted was made in 1940 by director Garson Kanin
Garson Kanin
Garson Kanin was a prolific American writer and director of plays and films.-Film and stage career:...
. The play was also adapted into 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...
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 Most Happy Fella
The Most Happy Fella
The Most Happy Fella is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard...
in 1956 by Frank Loesser
Frank Loesser
Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...
, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics.