The Postman Always Rings Twice (play)
The Postman Always Rings Twice is a play by James M. Cain, based on his best-selling 1934 novel The Postman Always Rings Twice. The work was first performed at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City in 1936. The play saw a brief revival in 1953.[1]
Plot summary
See summary for Cain's novel: The Postman Always Rings Twice (novel)
1936 production
Cast
- Richard Barthelmess as Frank Chambers
- Mary Philips as Nora Papadakis
- Joseph Greenwald as Nick Papadaki
Production background
The sensational impact of Cain's novel spurred Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to acquire film and dramatic rights to The Postman Always Rings Twice.[2] In 1935, Cain delivered a theatrical adaptation of his novel to New York's Theatre Guild who had obtained an option on the work from M-G-M. The Theatre Guild required that Cain be on-call to make revisions during rehearsals. Months passed before Cain was informed that, according to his book publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, the Guild had "definitely abandoned any plan to do the play this season..."[3]
By November 1935, producer Jack Curtis Sr. announced that the work would be staged as soon as possible. Cain arrived in New York for what he would describe as "a dreadful experience from beginning to end."[4][5] Biographer David Madden reports that Postman "was given a full-scale Broadway production, with a massive set, designed by Jo Meilziner (in the year of his famous designs for Winterset and Dead End)..." He adds that "the play required ten scene changes; there were two outdoor scenes with real [automobiles]."[6] Working closely with director Robert B. Sinclair, Caib wrote and rewrote scenes until finally providing the cast with a script "stuck together with adhesive tape, string, wire, and chewing gum." The play premiered on February 25, 1936, at the Lyceum Theatre.[7][8]
Critical appraisal
Performances were well received by audiences, but reviewers found the subject matter repellent. The chilling tale of a drifter and an unfaithful wife conspiring to kill her husband was deemed "subversive" by the
1953 production
Cast
- Tom Neal as Frank Chambers
- Barbara Payton as Nora Papadakis
Production background
With the success of the 1946 film adaption of
Shortly after Cain embarked on the project, John Garfield died. Cain recovered from the setback when he joined with Garfield's film director on Postman Joseph Bernard, and together they proceeded with the revival.[13]
The cast was selected by Bernard and producer Clifford Hayman. Film and Broadway actor
Critical appraisal
The 1953 production was widely disparaged by critics, with most of its failure attributed to the performances of the "notorious Hollywood lovers" Neal and Payton.[16] Receiving "only an occasional favorable review." Claudia Cassidy wrote in the Chicago Tribune: "the crude dramatization suggests that if the theatre is isn't dead, somebody ought to arrange a mercy killing" and Variety declared Cain a "pedestrian playwright."[13]
Footnotes
- ^ Hoopes, 1982 p. 648
- ^ Madden, 1970 p. 46: "After Postman caused a sensation...M-G-M bought both the film and dramatic rights to [the work]."
- ^ Hoopes, 1982 p. 269-270
- ^ Hoopes, 1982 p. 270: Jo Mielziner designed the sets.
- ^ Madden, 1970 p. 46: Cain "conceived the adaption [of Postman] in the impressionistic style of Waiting for Lefty."
- ^ a b Madden, 1970 p. 46
- ^ Hoopes, 1982 p. 274
- ^ Madden, 1970 p. 46: "It opened on February 25, 1936 and ran seventy-two performances..."
- ^ Atkinson, Brooks (February 26, 1936). "Richard Barthelmess in a Stage Version of 'The Postman Always Rings Twice'". The New York Times. p. 17. Retrieved November 8, 2022 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Madden, 1970 p. 46:
- ^ Hoopes, 1982 p. 275: Cain quote Andp. 648
- ^ Hoopes, 1982 p. 457: "Garfield, who had made such a hit" of the movie.
- ^ a b c Hoopes, 1982 p. 462
- ^ Hoopes, 1982 p. 462: Neal and Payton "pulled out all the stops, and the stopper, too." And p. 648: Viola Rubber listed as co-producer.
- ^ Madden, 1970 p. 46: The Postman "was revived in the 1950s...and had performances in Chicago, Pittsburg and other cities."
- ^ Madden, 1970 p. 46: The Postman "was revived in the 1950s, starring the notorious Hollywood lovers Tom Neal and Barbara Payton"
Sources
- ISBN 0-03058501-5
- ISBN 0-03-049331-5
- Madden, David. 1970. James M. Cain. Twayne Publishers, Inc. Library Catalog Card Number: 78-120011.
- Skenazy, Paul. 1989. James M. Cain. Continuum Publishing Company. New York. ISBN 0-8044-2821-2