''Dinner at Eight'' is a 1932 American play by George S. Kaufman and

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), '' Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' C ...

. The plot deals with the Jordan family, who are planning a society dinner, and what they, as well as various friends and acquaintances—all of whom have their own problems and ambitions‚ do as they prepare for the event. The film adaptation '' Dinner at Eight'' followed and

Mentone Productions Mentone Productions was a film company in the United States that produced short musical comedy films featuring a variety of performers. Milton Schwarzwald directed many of their films. In 1939, Schwarzwald moved on to producing musicals. Violinist J ...

released the spoof ''

Supper at Six Supper was originally a secondary lighter evening meal. The main meal of the day, called dinner, used to be served closer to what is known as lunchtime, around the middle of the day, but crept later over the centuries, mostly over the course of ...

''. Several revivals, a made-for-TV movie, and an opera followed.

1932 Broadway production

''Dinner at Eight'', a three act Broadway play, opened October 22, 1932, at the

Music Box Theatre The Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 239 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, the Music Box Theatre was desi ...

, and closed May 6, 1933 after 232 performances. The play was produced by

Sam H. Harris Sam Henry Harris (February 3, 1872 – July 3, 1941) was a Broadway producer and theater owner. Career Sam Harris was born on Manhattan's Lower East Side to poor Jewish parents. After a stint as a cough drop salesman and boxing manager, Harris ...

, staged by George S. Kaufman; Assistant Director: Robert B. Sinclair. To date the original 1932 Broadway production of ''Dinner at Eight'' has had the longest run with 232 performances vs. the 1933, 1966 and 2002 revivals with 218, 127 and 45 performances, respectively. Main cast: *

Ann Andrews Ann Andrews (October 13, 1890January 23, 1986) was an American stage actress. Biography Andrews's parents were Josia J. Andrews and Ann (''née'' Anthony). She attended Frank Egan's Dramatic School in Los Angeles and made her stage debut in 1916 ...

as Millicent Jordan * Marguerite Churchill as Paula Jordan * Constance Collier as Carlotta Vance * Malcolm Duncan as Oliver Jordan * Austin Fairman as Dr J. Wayne Talbot *

Cesar Romero Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor and activist. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in c ...

as Ricci *

Paul Harvey Paul Harvey Aurandt (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast ''News and Comment'' on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous ''The Rest o ...

as Dan Packard *

Sam Levene Sam Levene (born Scholem Lewin; August 28, 1905 – December 28, 1980) was a Russian Empire-born American Broadway theatre, Broadway, film, radio, and television actor and Television director, director. In a career spanning over five decades, ...

as Max Kane *

Conway Tearle Conway Tearle (born Frederick Conway Levy, May 17, 1878 – October 1, 1938) was an American stage actor who went on to perform in silent and early sound films. Early life Tearle was born on May 17, 1878, in New York City, the son of the ...

as Larry Renault *

Judith Wood Judith Wood (born Helen Johnson, August 1, 1906 – April 6, 2002) was an American film actress. Early years The daughter of cartoonist Merle Johnson, she was born in New York City. Wood moved to Hollywood, California to pursue an acting car ...

as Kitty Packard * Olive Wyndham as Lucy Talbot

1933 London production

The original West End production of ''Dinner at Eight'' opened at the Palace Theatre on January 6th, 1933 and ran for 218 performances, directed by Kaufman and produced by Charles B. Cochran. Incidental music was composed by

Hyam Greenbaum Hyam 'Bumps' Greenbaum (12 May 1901 – 13 May 1942) was an English conductor, violinist and composer, who, in 1936, became the world's first conductor of a television orchestra. He was friendly with many of his English music contemporaries, incl ...

. The sets were designed by Livingston Platt. Main cast: *

Irene Vanbrugh Dame Irene Vanbrugh DBE ( Barnes; 2 December 1872 – 30 November 1949) was an English actress. The daughter of a clergyman, Vanbrugh followed her elder sister Violet into the theatrical profession and sustained a career for more than 50 year ...

as Millicent Jordan * Jane Baxter as Dora * Ivan Brandt as Gustave * Tristan Rawson as Oliver Jordan * Margaret Vines as Paula Jordon * Leslie Perrins as Ricci * Mabel Terry-Lewis as Hattie Loomis *

Edie Martin Edie Martin (1 January 1880 – 22 February 1964) was a British actress. She was a ubiquitous performer, on stage from 1886, playing generally small parts but in high demand, appearing in scores of British films (although often uncredited). ...

as Miss Copeland * Laura Cowie as Carlotta Vance *

Lyn Harding David Llewellyn Harding (12 October 1867 – 26 December 1952), known professionally as Lyn Harding, was a Welsh actor who spent 40 years on the stage before entering British made silent films, talkies and radio. He had an imposing and menac ...

as Dan Packard * Carol Goodner as Kitty Packard * Marjorie Gabain as Tina * Martin Lewis as Dr J. Wayne Talbot *

Basil Sydney Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor. Career Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit '' Romance'' by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star Doris Keane, and he costarred with Keane in ...

as Larry Renault * Susan Richmond as Miss Alden * Juliet Mansel as Lucy Talbot * Dora Gregory as Mrs Wendel

1966 Broadway revival

The revival opened on Broadway on September 27, 1966, at the Alvin Theatre and closed on January 14, 1967, after 127 performances." 'Dinner at Eight' Broadway 1966"
Playbill, September 22, 2017 Produced by Elliot Martin, Lester Osterman, Jr.,

Alan King Alan King (born Irwin Alan Kniberg; December 26, 1927 – May 9, 2004) was an American actor and comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. King became well known as a Jewish comedian and satirist. He was also a serious a ...

and Walter A. Hyman, Ltd. The play was directed by

Tyrone Guthrie Sir William Tyrone Guthrie (2 July 1900 – 15 May 1971) was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at his ...

. ;Main cast * Judith Barcroft as Paula Jordan * Robert Burr as Dan Packard * Mindy Carson as Lucy Talbot *

Arlene Francis Arlene Francis (born Arline Francis Kazanjian; October 20, 1907 – May 31, 2001) was an American actress, radio and television talk show host, and game show panelist. She is known for her long-running role as a panelist on the television game s ...

as Carlotta Vance *

June Havoc June Havoc (born Ellen Evangeline Hovick; November 8, 1912 – March 28, 2010) was a Canadian American actress, dancer, stage director and memoirist. Havoc was a child vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother Rose Thompson Hovick, ...

as Millicent Jordan * Phil Leeds as Max Kane *

Jeffrey Lynn Jeffrey Lynn (born Ragnar Godfrey Lind; – November 24, 1995) was an American stage-screen actor and film producer who worked primarily through the Studio system, Golden Age of Hollywood establishing himself as one of the premier talents o ...

as Dr J. Wayne Talbot *

Darren McGavin Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "Oak Tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come fro ...

as Larry Renault *

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...

as Oliver Jordan * Pamela Tiffin as Kitty Packard

2002 Broadway revival

The revival opened on Broadway on December 19, 2002 and closed on January 26, 2003 after 45 performances and 28 previews. Produced by Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop: Artistic Director; Bernard Gersten: Executive Producer. Directed by

Gerald Gutierrez Gerald Gutierrez (February 3, 1950 – December 29, 2003) was an American Tony Award-winning stage director. He was born and died in Brooklyn, New York. Career Gutierrez was a graduate of Midwood High School in Brooklyn, New York, and then the Ju ...

.Isherwood, Charles
"Review: ‘Dinner at Eight’"
''Variety'', December 19, 2002 ;Main cast: * Joanne Camp as Lucy Talbot * Kevin Conway as Dan Packard * John Dossett as Dr. J. Wayne Talbot *

Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage. She starred in the Broadway musicals '' 42nd Street'' and '' Grey Gardens'', winning two Tony Awards. She has ...

as Millicent Jordan *

Joe Grifasi Joseph G. Grifasi (born June 14, 1944) is an American character actor of film, stage and television. Grifasi was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Patricia (née Gaglione) and Joseph J. Grifasi, a skilled laborer. Grifasi graduated from B ...

as Max Kane * Byron Jennings as Larry Renault *

James Rebhorn James Robert Rebhorn (September 1, 1948 – March 21, 2014) was an American character actor who appeared in over 100 films, television series, and plays. At the time of his death, he had recurring roles in the series ''White Collar'' and ''Hom ...

as Oliver Jordan *

Marian Seldes Marian Hall Seldes (August 23, 1928 – October 6, 2014) was an American actress. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for '' A Delicate Balance'' in 1967, and received subsequent nominations ...

as Carlotta Vance * Emily Skinner as Kitty Packard *

Samantha Soule Samantha Soule is an American actress. She is known for her role in the Netflix series '' Godless'', as well as ''Nurse Jackie'', ''The Blacklist'', '' The Queen's Gambit'' and ''Tales of the City''. She also appears in the Martin Scorsese film ...

as Paula Jordan * David Wohl as Mr. Fitch The play received 2003

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 ce ...

nominations for Best Revival of a Play, Best Featured Actress in a Play (Ebersole and Seldes), Best Scenic Design (

John Lee Beatty John Lee Beatty is an American scenic designer who has created set designs for more than 115 Broadway shows and has designed for other productions. He won two Tony Awards, for ''Talley's Folly'' (1980) and ''The Nance'' (2013), was nominated for ...

), and Best Costume Design (Catherine Zuber)."Awards, 2003"
ibdb.com, retrieved September 21, 2017

Adaptations

Adaptations of the play include: * '' Dinner at Eight'', a 1933 film directed by

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head of ...

* '' Dinner at Eight'', a 1989 made-for-TV film directed by Ron Lagomarsino * '' Dinner at Eight'', a 2017 opera by

William Bolcom William Elden Bolcom (born May 26, 1938) is an American composer and pianist. He has received the Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Arts, a Grammy Award, the Detroit Music Award and was named 2007 Composer of the Year by Musical America. H ...

References

External links

* {{George Kaufman 1932 plays Broadway plays American plays adapted into films Plays by Edna Ferber Plays by George S. Kaufman Plays adapted into operas