''Jeb'' was a play by

Robert Ardrey Robert Ardrey (October 16, 1908 – January 14, 1980) was an American playwright, screenwriter and science writer perhaps best known for ''The Territorial Imperative'' (1966). After a Broadway and Hollywood career, he returned to his academic tr ...

that opened on Broadway in February 1946 tackling the issue of race in post-World War II America. The play deals with a disabled black veteran who returns to his home in the rural South after serving overseas. Despite excellent reviews and an extremely positive critical reception, the play closed after a very short run, leading several commentators to assert that it was ahead of its time.Kissel, Howard. ''David Merrick, the Abominable Showman: The Unauthorized Biography'' 1993. New York: Applause Books. p. 71.

Synopsis

The playwright, Robert Ardrey, gave the following synopsis of ''Jeb'':

The story had been haunting me. It concerned a black soldier whom I named Jeb, who returned from the Pacific war with an aluminum leg. The loss of the leg disturbed him not at all, for to his pride he had acquired a skill in the army: he could run an adding machine. And the story takes place when he returns to his family, to his girl, and to the small Southern town where an adding machine is a white man's job. He pursues his passionate ambition against relentless opposition, and in the end we find him in northern Harlem, physically beaten yet undefeated, prepared to return to the South in a larger cause. It was the story of the making of a militant.Ardrey, Robert; Ardrey, Daniel (ed.). "The Education of Robert Ardrey: An Autobiography" (unpublished manuscript ca. 1980, available through Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center)

Production

The playwright,

, was by the time of ''Jeb'' already an acclaimed screenwriter. He had also had several plays produced on Broadway. His most famous, and his first contribution to what he described as the ''théâtre engagé'',Ardrey, Robert. ''Plays of Three Decades,'' Introduction. New York: Atheneum. 1968. Print or a "theater engaged with its times", was '' Thunder Rock,'' which also ran into difficulties because of its pioneering social theme. Ardrey would go on to be an eminent paleoantropologist. ''Jeb'' was produced and directed by

Herman Shumlin Herman Shumlin (December 6, 1898, Atwood, Colorado – June 4, 1979, New York City) was a prolific Broadway theatrical director and theatrical producer beginning in 1927 with the play ''Celebrity'' and continuing through 1974 with a short run of '' ...

. It was one of the only Broadway plays of its time to offer major opportunities to African American actors, and had a majority-black cast. It starred

Ossie Davis Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He and his wife were named to the NAACP ...

(who would go on to be one of the most acclaimed African American actors of his generation and a favorite of

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

), along with his eventual wife,

Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She originated the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of '' A Raisin in the Sun'' (1 ...

(who went on to co-star in ''A Raisin in the Sun''), as well as, in the role of the child,

Reri Grist Reri Grist (born February 29, 1932) is an American coloratura soprano, one of the pioneer African-American singers to enjoy a major international career in opera. Biography Reri Grist was born in New York City, grew up in the East River Housin ...

Reception

Due in part to high production costs and relatively low revenue the play closed after only seven performances. However, ''Jeb'' garnered widespread critical praise. The reviewer for ''Billboard'' wrote, “Robert Ardrey has scripted a drama that has the guts and the power to make you angry… Jeb is absorbing from curtain to curtain.” George Jean Nathan called it "A more dynamic play than any recent exhibit dealing with the Negro’s difficulties in a country dominated by whites."Quoted on back cover of Ardrey, Robert. '' Plays of Three Decades.'' New York: Atheneum. 1968. Print And Howard Barnes, reviewing for the ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

'', wrote "A play which I would not have missed… Drama of high eloquence and indignation… Robert Ardrey has considered the subject squarely and savagely." The play's Broadway failure despite its acknowledged merit led several commentators to opine that it was ahead of its time. Albert Wertheim, in his 2004 study, wrote:

Indeed, ''Jeb'' shows how the participation of African Americans in World War II and the occupational training they received in the armed forces prepare them in the postwar period to dress for battle in a new war to end racial discrimination and oppression at home. This is heady and unsettling stuff in 1946 for Broadway audiences and for society trying to return to prewar 'normalcy' and to put returning white soldiers back into the work force. It is no small wonder that ''Jeb'', with its incisive unveiling of racism’s economic underpinnings and with its militant ending, closed after six performances.Wertheim, Albert ''Staging the War: American Drama and World War II'' 2004. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. p. 267. Print.

Ardrey himself came to share this opinion. In his autobiography he writes, "I had done it again. In 1939 I opened '' Thunder Rock'' six months too soon. In 1946 I had opened ''Jeb'' twenty years ahead of its time."

References

External links

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The Official Robert Ardrey Estate WebsitePlays at the Robert Ardrey Estate Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeb Plays by Robert Ardrey Broadway plays Plays about race and ethnicity 1946 plays