Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer prize-winning play has never had a big screen movie version made of it, revived countless times and filmed for television, and available in this unique production starring Helen Hayes, Mary Martin and in a rare acting appearance, Broadway producer / director Legend George Abbott. This is based on a 1952 revival which starred Hayes and Martin, and from viewing it, it is obvious as to why display would be considered unfilmable. It would take someone with great imagination and foresight to figure out how to do it correctly, and even then, that would be a risk.
This three act play is an analogy of world history, focusing on one family who has survived from creation through World War II. Somehow, the patriarch George Abbott has become a man of influence, and he is speaking in Atlantic City when the great flood occurs. Later on, they deal with a World War (obviously based on the second one), and all of the problems that occurred humorously in the first two acts are dealt with any more dramatic fashion in act 3.
The regal Hayes is Abbott's wife, a hardworking, loyal woman who is stunned when her husband announces that he is leaving her for their maid, Martin. She has gone from lazy and wisecracking to glamorous and scheming, promising to take every husband away from their wife. Obviously she is representing sin, and this brings on the great flood. The more dramatic third Act deals with son Don Murray who has become as long as determined to get out from under the thumb of his father and this brings on the conflict between parents and son where the father has the desire to kill him for his betrayal.
It is not until the third act that it becomes clear why this play ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize. The light-hearted first two acts may have important messages, but they are overshadowed by the lightness of how the play is structured. The outanding cast is joined by character actress Florence Reed who emulates the original Sabina (Tallulah Bankhead) in her performance as an Atlantic City fortune teller. In the First Act, actors in costume as baby dinosaurs and woolly mammoths represent the early years of the Earth. It is very apparent that this is an analogy of man's basic immorality, and it is obviously a play that should really be seen on stage to fully appreciate it. However, this is a good way to introduce yourself to the characters, although it's changing in moods will be jarring for some.
This three act play is an analogy of world history, focusing on one family who has survived from creation through World War II. Somehow, the patriarch George Abbott has become a man of influence, and he is speaking in Atlantic City when the great flood occurs. Later on, they deal with a World War (obviously based on the second one), and all of the problems that occurred humorously in the first two acts are dealt with any more dramatic fashion in act 3.
The regal Hayes is Abbott's wife, a hardworking, loyal woman who is stunned when her husband announces that he is leaving her for their maid, Martin. She has gone from lazy and wisecracking to glamorous and scheming, promising to take every husband away from their wife. Obviously she is representing sin, and this brings on the great flood. The more dramatic third Act deals with son Don Murray who has become as long as determined to get out from under the thumb of his father and this brings on the conflict between parents and son where the father has the desire to kill him for his betrayal.
It is not until the third act that it becomes clear why this play ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize. The light-hearted first two acts may have important messages, but they are overshadowed by the lightness of how the play is structured. The outanding cast is joined by character actress Florence Reed who emulates the original Sabina (Tallulah Bankhead) in her performance as an Atlantic City fortune teller. In the First Act, actors in costume as baby dinosaurs and woolly mammoths represent the early years of the Earth. It is very apparent that this is an analogy of man's basic immorality, and it is obviously a play that should really be seen on stage to fully appreciate it. However, this is a good way to introduce yourself to the characters, although it's changing in moods will be jarring for some.
