''Fair and Warmer'' is a three-act comedy play by the American writer

Avery Hopwood James Avery Hopwood (May 28, 1882 – July 1, 1928) was an American playwright of the Jazz Age. He had four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920, namely "The Gold Diggers," "The Bat" and "Spanish Love" and "Ladies' Night (In a ...

. It was first staged at the

Eltinge Theatre The Empire Theatre (originally the Eltinge Theatre) is a former Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1912, the theater was designed by Thomas W. Lamb ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on November 15, 1915, running for 377 performances, featuring

Madge Kennedy Madge Kennedy (April 19, 1891 – June 9, 1987) was a stage, film and television actress whose career began as a stage actress in 1912 and flourished in motion pictures during the silent film era. In 1921, journalist Heywood Broun described her ...

, John Cumberland,

Janet Beecher Janet Beecher (born Janet Meysenberg; October 21, 1884 – August 6, 1955) was an American stage and screen actress. Early years The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Von Meysenburg, Beecher was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. Her sister was ...

Ralph Morgan Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and union activist. He was a brother of actor Frank Morgan as well as the father of actress ...

Hamilton Revelle Hamilton Revelle (31 May 1867 – 11 April 1958) was a British-born stage and later silent screen actor. Biography He was born Arthur Lloyd Hamilton Engstrom at Moorish Castle in Gibraltar, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. His parents ...

, Olive May, Robert Fisher and Harry Lorraine. Staged by Robert Milton, it was well received by critics. It is a

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

about a mild-mannered banker who becomes embroiled in an innocent scheme to rekindle the romance in his marriage using his best friend's wife.

Plot

Friends Laura Bartlett and Jack Wheeler enjoy going out partying, but their respective spouses, Billy Bartlett and Blanche Wheeler, do not. One evening when Laura and Jack are out together, Billy and Blanche decide to try partying themselves. The inexperienced drinkers mix a cocktail so potent that they pass out together after just one drink, leading their spouses to think they are having an affair. Blanche returns the next day to apologize, but Laura has already decided to leave Billy and is having the furniture removed. The misunderstanding is resolved by Tessie, the Barletts' maid.

Cast and characters

The characters and cast from the Broadway production are given below:

Reception

The reviewer for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' praised the play as well-written and the acting of the Broadway cast, especially Kennedy and Cumberland.

Film adaptations

In 1919 the play was turned into an American silent film of the same title. The 1937 German comedy '' The Model Husband'' with

Heinz Rühmann Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann (; 7 March 1902 – 3 October 1994) was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a Ge ...

was based on Hopwood's play and was followed up by West German and Swiss remakes in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

and

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

, respectively. A Swedish film version '' The Green Lift'' was made in 1944, another Swedish film version '' The Green Lift'' in 1952, a Danish film version ' was made in 1961, and a Norwegian film version ''

Den grønne heisen ''Den grønne heisen'' () is a 1981 Norwegian comedy film directed by Odd-Geir Sæther, based on the 1915 play '' Fair and Warmer'' by Avery Hopwood, and starring Rolv Wesenlund and Øivind Blunck. Plot Preben invites Mrs. Lissen to the opera ...

'' in 1981.

References

Bibliography

* Fisher, James & Hardison Londre, Felicia. ''The A to Z of American Theater: Modernism''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2009.

External links

*
Script
from the

Federal Theatre Project The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935–1939) was a theatre program established during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal to fund live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United States. It was one of five Federal ...

Collection {{Avery Hopwood 1915 plays American plays adapted into films Broadway plays Comedy plays Plays by Avery Hopwood