''Sunrise at Campobello'' is a 1958 play by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

producer and writer

Dore Schary Isadore "Dore" Schary (August 31, 1905 – July 7, 1980) was an American playwright, director, and producer for the stage and a prolific screenwriter and producer of motion pictures. He directed just one feature film, '' Act One'', the film bi ...

based on U.S. President

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

's struggle with

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sy ...

. The film version was released in 1960.

Background

Schary obtained the rights to the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1957. The original Broadway production was presented at the Cort Theatre by The Theatre Guild and Dore Schary and directed by

Vincent J. Donehue Vincent Julian Donehue (September 22, 1915 – January 17, 1966) was an American director noted mainly for his theater work, with occasional film and television credits. Biography Vincent Donehue was born in Whitehall, New York. He was a gradu ...

. It opened on January 30, 1958 and closed on May 30, 1959 running for 556 performances.

Production

The Scenic and Lighting Design were by Ralph Alswang; the costumes by Virginia Volland. The play starred Ralph Bellamy as Roosevelt. Others in the cast included Henry Jones as Louis Howe, Mary Fickett as

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

; Anne Seymour as

Sara Delano Roosevelt Sara Ann Roosevelt ( Delano; September 21, 1854 – September 7, 1941) was the second wife of James Roosevelt I (from 1880), the mother of President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt, her only child, and subsequently the mother ...

and, in his Broadway debut,

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

. Bellamy repeated his role in the film version of the play. FDR-Nominating-Smith-June-26-1924

Campobello Island was Roosevelt's summer home in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. Early scenes in the play's actions take place there, where we see Roosevelt afflicted with paralysis of his legs, before the play's story shifts to Roosevelt's home in New York City, where he struggles to overcome the paralysis. The play ends with the

1924 Democratic National Convention The 1924 Democratic National Convention, held at the Madison Square Garden in New York City from June 24 to July 9, 1924, was the longest continuously running convention in United States political history. It took a record 103 ballots to nomin ...

speech, which catapulted him back into politics after an absence of several years.

Reception

Alan Clymer, writing for ''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

'' noted strong performances by the cast. "Ralph Bellamy portrays Roosevelt with exceptional skill,... Moreover, he not only resembles F.D.R. physically, he has also caught the essence of the Roosevelt voice that excited the country." The production won several Tonys, including Best Play (producers were Lawrence Langner, Theresa Helburn, Armina Marshall and

), Best Director of a Play (Vincent J. Donehue). Bellamy won a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

for

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...

. Henry Jones won Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, as well as the

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newsp ...

for Performance in a Drama. Mary Fickett was nominated for Best Supporting or Featured Actress in a Play."Sunrise at Campobello", ''Playbill''
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Adaptations

Ralph Bellamy stars in the 1960 film adaptation of ''Sunrise at Campobello'', released by Warner Bros. Dore Schary, who began his career in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, wrote and produced the film, which, like the stage version, was directed by

. Greer Garson co-stars as Eleanor, with

Hume Cronyn Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. OC (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor and writer. Early life Cronyn, one of five children, was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Hume Blake Cronyn, Sr., was a businessman an ...

as Louis Howe. The role of

, FDR's mother is played Ann Shoemaker, who succeeded Anne Seymour in the role in the original Broadway production.

Historical basis

Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio in 1921.

Awards and nominations

;Awards * 1958

for Best Play * 1958 Tony Award for Best Actor in Play - Ralph Bellamy * 1958 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play - Henry Jones * 1958 Tony Award for Best Director - Vincent J. Donehue ;Nominations * 1958 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play - Mary Fickett

References

External links

Theater stills, Museum of the City of New York
* * {{TonyAwardBestPlay 1947-1975 1958 plays Broadway plays American plays adapted into films Plays and musicals about disability Works about Franklin D. Roosevelt Cultural depictions of Franklin D. Roosevelt Cultural depictions of Eleanor Roosevelt Plays based on actual events Tony Award-winning plays