''Gentleman Prefer Blondes'' is a 1926

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

Anita Loos Corinne Anita Loos (April 26, 1888 – August 18, 1981) was an American actress, novelist, playwright and screenwriter. In 1912, she became the first female staff screenwriter in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood, when D. W. Griffith put h ...

and John Emerson, based upon Loos' 1925 international best-selling novel of the same name.

History

In 1925 Loos published the novel, '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady'', a

comic novel A comic novel is a Novel, novel-length work of humorous fiction. Many well-known authors have written comic novels, including P. G. Wodehouse, Henry Fielding, Mark Twain, and John Kennedy Toole. Comic novels are often defined by the author's liter ...

. By the end of the year, there was discussion that the novel would be made into a play. The play was produced by

Edgar Selwyn Edgar Selwyn (October 20, 1875 – February 13, 1944) was an American actor, playwright, director and producer on Broadway. A prominent figure in American theatre and film in the first half of the 20th century, he founded a theatrical pr ...

. The play premiered in Detroit on April 28, 1926, at the Shubert-Detroit. It opened in Chicago on May 2, 1926, at the

Selwyn Theatre The Todd Haimes Theatre (previously known as the American Airlines Theatre and originally the Selwyn Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 227 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Built in ...

, and was received positively by the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

''. The play opened 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 Stre ...

at the

, on Tuesday, September 26, 1926, closing at

Times Square Theatre The Times Square Theater is a former Broadway and movie theater at 215–217 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, near Times Square. Built in 1920, it was designed by Eugene De Rosa and developed by ...

Cast

Broadway opening night cast:) *Katherine Brook as Miss Chapman *Grace Burgess as Lulu *Grace Cornell as Ann Spoffard *Roy Gorham as William Gwynn *Grace Hampton as Lady Beekman *William T. Hays as Old Spoffard * Edna Hibbard as Dorothy Shaw *Bruce Huntley as H. Gilbertson Montrose * G.P. Huntley as Sir Francis Beekman *Mrs. Jacques Martin as Mrs. Spoffard *

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 Henry Spoffard *Edwina Prue as Dickie *Vivian Purcell as Connie *Ruth Raymonde as Gloria Atwell *Georges Romain as Robert Broussard *Adrian Rosely as Louis Broussard *Arthur S. Ross as Gus Eisman *Harold Thomas as Harry *

June Walker : ''For the American activist and former Hadassah leader, see June Walker (Hadassah)'' June Walker (June 14, 1900 – February 3, 1966) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Walker was born in New York City on June 14, 1900, an ...

as Lorelei Lee *Daniel Wolf as Leon

Reception

The '' Daily News'' gave the play a positive review, although they felt it didn't perform as well as they expected.

References

External links

* * *{{cite news, title=Decorative Evening Types Glisten at Play Premiere , url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/127278087/ , newspaper=

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, th ...

, date=October 11, 1926 , pages=27 , via =

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

, accessdate = June 28, 2023 1926 plays Broadway plays