The Good Fairy (play)
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Ferenc Molnár Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; 12 January 18781 April 1952), often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarian-born author, stage-director, dramatist, and poet, widely regarded as Hungary’s most celebrated and controversial play ...
wrote ''The Good Fairy'', originally ''A jó tündér'', in 1930. The English translation, by Jane Hinton was presented on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
, with another production later that year. In 1935, Preston Sturges adapted the story for the film ''The Good Fairy''. The film's screenplay was used as the basis for the 1951 Broadway musical '' Make A Wish''. ''The Good Fairy'' tells the story of a woman who must face the consequences of pretending to be someone she is not.


Production History

''The Good Fairy'' premiered on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
on November 30, 1931, at Henry Miller's Theatre. This original production was both produced and staged by
Gilbert Miller } Gilbert Heron Miller (July 3, 1884 – January 3, 1969) was an American theatrical producer. Born in New York City, he was the son of English-born theatrical producer Henry Miller and Bijou Heron, a former child actress. Raised and educated i ...
. It starred Helen Hayes as Lu,
Walter Connolly Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 50 films between 1914 and 1939. His best known film is ''It Happened One Night'' (1934). Early years Connolly attended St. Xavier Coll ...
as Dr. Sporum, Salo Douday as Underwaiter, Ruth Hammond as Karoline, Jack Lynds as Law Clerk, Paul McGrath as
The Head Waiter ''The Head Waiter'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy. Cast * Larry Semon as The Head Waiter * Oliver Hardy as A Cop (credited as Babe Hardy) * Lucille Carlisle as Cashier (credited as Lucille Zintheo) See also * ...
,
Evelyn Roberts Evelyn Roberts (28 August 1886 – 30 November 1962) was an English stage and film actor. He made his stage debut in 1918 after serving in WW I; and his theatre work included the original Broadway production of R.C. Sherriff's ''Journey's E ...
as Konrad, and Douglas Wood as Dr. Metz. The play closed on April 2, 1932, after 151 performances. The show was soon revived on Broadway, this time at the
Forrest Theatre The Forrest Theatre is a live theatre venue at 1114 Walnut Street Center City area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has a seating capacity of 1,851 and is managed by The Shubert Organization.
, on November 17, 1932. The revival was produced by O.E. Wee and Jules J. Leventhal and staged by Lionel Bevans. The cast was almost completely new and included Ada May as Lu, Thomas A. Braidon as Dr. Metz, Salo Douday as Underwaiter,
John Eldredge John Eldredge (born June 6, 1960 in Los Angeles) is an American author, counselor, and lecturer on Christianity. He is known for his best-selling book '' Wild at Heart''. Life and work Eldregde received his undergraduate degree in theater from ...
as The Head Waiter, Charles A. Francis as Dr. Sporum, Robert T. Haines as Konrad, Jack Lynds as the Law Clerk, and
Hilda Plowright Hilda Plowright (29 November 1890 – 9 October 1973) was a British actress. Biography Plowright was born in Swaffham, Norfolk, England. Following a career on the stage in Britain she came to the United States and obtained work and a Social S ...
as Karloine. This production was even more unsuccessful than the first closing on January 1, 1933, after only 68 performances.


Musical

The musical version, titled ''Make A Wish'' ran from April 18, 1951, through July 14, 1951, playing a total of 102 Performances at the
Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...
.
John C. Wilson John C. Wilson (August 19, 1899 – October 29, 1961) was an American theatre director and producer. Early life Born in Trenton, New Jersey Wilson started out his working life as a stockbroker. He married Natalia Pavlovna Paley on September 8, 193 ...
directed, while
Gower Champion Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer. Early years Champion was born on June 22, 1919, in Geneva, Illinois, as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice Car ...
served as the choreographer.
Hugh Martin Hugh Martin (August 11, 1914 – March 11, 2011) was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He was best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical ''Meet Me in St. Louis'', in which Judy Garland ...
provided both the music and the lyrics for ''Make a Wish''.
Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film '' The Great McGinty'' (1940), h ...
wrote the book along with
Abe Burrows Abe Burrows (born Abram Solman Borowitz; December 18, 1910 – May 17, 1985) was an American humorist, author, and director for radio and the stage. He won a Tony Award and was selected for two Pulitzer Prizes, only one of which was awarded. Ear ...
who is uncredited for the project.


Film

A film version of ''The Good Fairy'', with the same title, was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures Corporation in 1935. The film was directed by
William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of ...
and starred Margaret Sullavan as Luisa,
Herbert Marshall Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall (23 May 1890 – 22 January 1966) was an English stage, screen and radio actor who starred in many popular and well-regarded Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s. After a successful theatrical career in the Uni ...
as Dr. Sporum,
Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...
as Konrad,
Eric Blore Eric Blore Sr. (23 December 1887 – 2 March 1959) was an English actor and writer. His early stage career, mostly in the West End of London, centred on revue and musical comedy, but also included straight plays. He wrote sketches for and appe ...
as Dr. Metz.


About the Playwright

Ferenc Neumann was born on January 12, 1878, in Budapest, Hungary, into a
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family. In 1896, he changed his last name to Molnár to be more successful as a writer. Originally, he studied law in his hometown of Budapest and then in Geneva. He eventually left this track to return to his love of journalism. When he was eighteen, he began writing for a Budapest newspaper. His most famous works, both plays and novels, are his earliest works. One of his most successful plays was ''Liliom'' in 1909. In 1945, this play would become the well-known Oscar and Hammerstein musical, ''Carousel''. Other famous plays include ''The Devil'' in 1907, ''The Guardsman'' written in 1910 and then translated in 1924, ''The Wolf'' in 1913, and ''The Swan'' in 1921. ''The Swan'' was made into a film in 1956 and starred
Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...
. He wrote forty plays total. After he worked as a correspondent during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he spent most of his time living in Europe. Then, in 1936, he immigrated to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Once he became a citizen, Molnár married three times. On April 2, 1952, Ferenc Molnár died in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.


Characters

Lu: 25 years old
Dr. Sporum: 48 years old
Konrad: 45 years old
Dr. Metz: 48 years old
Kellner, the head waiter: 32 years old
Karoline: 28 years old
Manager Mute Characters:
A clerk
A waiter
A decorator
Two work women


Setting

Act I. A private dining room in a hotel. Evening.
Act II. Sporum's Office. The next day.
Act III. Sporum's Office. The next afternoon.
Epilogue. The same private dining room from Act I. Ten years later.


Synopsis

Act I
Konrad impatiently waits for Lu to arrive for their dinner date. Lu has Konrad fooled into thinking that she is married to a successful lawyer and is afraid that they will be caught together. Konrad is crazy for Lu, but she doesn't seem to feel the same way. She insists that he call the minister who was supposed have joined them on their date. When exits, Lu is left alone with the Head Waiter, who she apparently knows from somewhere. She expresses that she is not as well off as she has told Konrad she is and has many old debts from pretending to be wealthy. She calls herself a good fairy because she seems to bring everyone except herself good luck. When Konrad returns, he expresses he would like her husband to be his business attorney. He leaves to take a phone call. Lu takes this opportunity to look in the phonebook for a lawyer who she can pretend is her husband. She tells Konrad her husband's name is Dr. Max Sporum and makes him promise not to mention her when he calls him. The minister, Dr. Metz, finally shows up extremely drunk. He tries to get Lu to open up about her husband. She becomes very flustered and tells Konrad to get the check and a taxi. Dr. Metz leaves to make Lu feel better. As Konrad leaves, he and Lu share their first kiss. When he is finally gone, the Head Waiter suggests there is chemistry between them from the past. He says he wants to marry her. Lu doesn't say no, but instead tells him, "Not now." Act II
Dr. Max Sporum is eating lunch in his office with his secretary Karoline. They talk about all of the collectors that will be coming today to collect his many debts. Karoline tells Max about Konrad's inquiry for a business attorney. Both of them believe it must be some kind of joke. Lu arrives at the office and tells Max about what she has done, from her old job as an usherette to finding him in the phone book and calling him her husband. Dr. Sporum finds her story completely preposterous. Konrad arrives and, as promised, acts like he does not know Lu. At the end of the act, Max decides to take Konrad's offer. Act III
With his new income, Dr. Sporum outfits his office with everything he has always wanted. Lu enters and tells him that she did not go to Konrad the previous evening. Instead she went to see another man and Konrad caught her. Moments later, Konrad arrives at the office so Lu runs too hide. Konrad quickly tells Dr. Sporum what he saw last night. He followed the taxi that took Lu to the Head Waiter's house. He then tells Sporum that he must break their contract. When Lu returns, she tells Konrad that she and Sporum are getting a divorce because she is with another man. The Head Waiter enters. He announces that he and Lu are engaged and are opening a restaurant. Lu asks Sporum if he would be their attorney. He agrees, but seems less than thrilled about the idea. She slowly exits watching Sporum half-heartedly sharpen his pencils. Epilogue
The manager enters and reads a letter from Ferenc Molnár about how too many playwrights today are leaving their audiences hanging. The curtain rises on a scene that takes place ten years later. Lu and Karoline are setting up for Lu's wedding anniversary. The Head Waiter is the first to arrive. He talks about how his restaurant was a failure and that he and Lu never married. Sporum enters. He is now a university professor and has married Karoline. Konrad is the next to enter, but he is not married to Lu either. Finally, Dr. Metz, enters. He is the one who Lu has married and now works for Konrad. The play ends as they all sit down to dinner.Molnar, F. (1932). ''The Good Fairy.'' New York, New York: Ray Long & Richard R. Smith Inc.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Good Fairy Plays by Ferenc Molnár Hungarian plays 1930 plays Comedy plays