THREE ENDURING COMEDIES • Part Two

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, a macabre comedy in three acts written by Joseph Kesselring in 1939 under the title Bodies in Our Cellar. Produced by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, it debuted at New York's Fulton Theatre on August 18, 1941, as Arsenic and Old Lace, and became an immediate critical and popular success, running for 1,444 performances.

Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse each had long Broadway careers as actors before and during their collaboration as Broadway writers, producers and theater owner/operators.

Characters in Arsenic and Old Lace in order of appearance:

AUNT ABBY BREWSTER, Josephine Hull

THE REV. DR. HARPER, Wyrley Birch

TEDDY BREWSTER, John Alexander

OFFICER BROPHY, John Quigg

OFFICER KLEIN, Bruce Gordon

AUNT MARTHA BREWSTER, Jean Adair

ELAINE HARPER, Helen Brooks

MORTIMER BREWSTER, Allyn Joslyn

MR. GIBBS, Henry Herbert

JONATHAN BREWSTER, Boris Karloff

DR. EINSTEIN, Edgar Stehli

OFFICER O'HARA, Anthony Ross

POLICE LT. ROONEY, Victor Sutherland

MR. WITHERSPOON, William Parke

The entire action of the play takes place in the living room of the old Brewster home in Brooklyn, a structure as Victorian as the two delightfully dotty old sisters, Abby and Martha Brewster, who occupy the house with their nephew, Theodore "Teddy" Brewster. As the curtain rises, Abby is seated at the tea table with a neighbor, the Rev. Dr. Harper. Standing nearby is Teddy, costumed in a frock coat, with pince-nez fastened to a black ribbon, and looking very presidential `a la Teddy Roosevelt.

Josephine Hull and Jean Adair reprised their roles in the 1945 film, as did John Alexander. Contractual obligations prevented Boris Karloff from doing the same.

Wyrley Birch was a Canadian actor, busy in American films throughout the 1930s & '40s, and in television during the 1950s, appearing often on "Sgt. Bilko/The Phil Silvers Show."

Arsenic and Old Lace's opening scene is a wealth of exposition: We learn that Dr. Harper is pastor of the church next door; that there's a war in Europe; that the sisters' nephew, Mortimer Brewster, is a theater critic who's dating Dr. Harper's daughter, Elaine; that Dr. Harper is opposed to his daughter's relationship with Mortimer as he is opposed to the evils of theater. They are interrupted when local police, Officers Brophy and Klein, stop by to pick up the sisters' donation of toys for the Christmas fund.

Officer Klein was played by Bruce Gordon, best remembered for his role as Frank Nitti in the TV series, The Untouchables.

The following bit between the police officers and Teddy confirms our suspicion that Teddy Brewster does indeed believe he is Colonel Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt.

(The cops cross to Teddy and give him a snappy salute.)

TEDDY: What news have you brought me?

BROPHY: Colonel, we have nothing to report.

TEDDY: Splendid! Thank you, gentlemen! At ease!

(Teddy crosses to the stairway, blasts his bugle loudly, and hollers "C H A R G E !" running up the stairs.)

So five pages into the script and you're already hooked on the zany antics of the lovable Brewster family. Uh...well...maybe not so lovable. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Abby & Martha treat lonely old men to their homemade elderberry wine laced with a mixture of arsenic, strychnine, and a pinch of cyanide, turning over the bodies to Teddy as yellow fever victims for burial in the Panama Canal (the basement). At last count there were eleven bodies buried there. The twelfth body was put in the window seat by Abby when Martha was out tending a sick neighbor. Before they can alert Teddy to the next yellow fever victim ready for burial, Mortimer comes home to tell his beloved aunts that he's going to marry Elaine. He discovers the body in the window seat, believes that his harmless brother Teddy has finally gone over the edge, and tries to explain that to Abby & Martha. Naturally, they correct him, explaining that the body in the window seat is really one of their gentlemen.

For many years, Allyn Joslyn was a fixture as a leading man on Broadway, but the roles he originated on stage were always given to filmdom's matinee idols. As a result, Joslyn spent most of his film career playing obnoxious "other men" who never got the girl. He was good at that, though.

Soon after the body is transferred from the window seat to the Panama Canal, the sisters' other nephew, Jonathan Brewster, who recently escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane, returns to and forcibly enters his childhood home, bringing with him Dr. Einstein, his partner in crime, as well as the body of one Mr. Spenalzo, whom Jonathan had killed at some point on their road trip; they stash him smartly in the window seat.

Karloff was an English actor who emigrated to Canada in the 1910s, best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Dr. Frankenstein's "monster" in the films Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). It's easy to forget that he had a keen sense of humor; here's a reminder:

Evil Jonathan's partner in crime was played by the talented Edgar Stehli, a legendary character actor who worked steadily on New York stages for 50 years.

Throughout the play, police representatives are in and out of the house for a variety of reasons, none of them having anything to do with dead bodies or capturing criminals. Jonathan and Dr. Einstein are at the top of the "most wanted" list, yet the local cops aren't even curious when they find Mortimer tied up and gagged, assuming that Officer O'Hara, a budding playwright, has ensured a captive audience for a play he's written and is reading to Mortimer.

Officer O'Hara was played by Anthony Ross, probably best remembered for playing "the Gentleman Caller" in the original 1944 production of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie." In 1947, he embarked on what promised to be a successful film career, but in 1955 he died of heart failure at the age of 46.

Throughout the play, Mortimer comes to believe that if both his aunts and both his brothers are totally insane, surely he has the same genes! He tells Elaine (played by Helen Brooks) that they can't get married because insanity runs in his family — "it practically gallops!" he says.

Helen Brooks had a very active Broadway career from 1929 through 1944. When her role as Elaine in "Arsenic and Old Lace" came to an end, so did her career, or so it seems. She certainly dropped off the radar. I could find no picture of her, not even a sentence about her anywhere. Hopefully, some reader will enlighten me.

After Police Lieutenant Rooney dresses down his men for not doing their job, they finally haul Jonathan and Dr. Einstein away.

Victor Sutherland was largely known for his motion picture career from the 1910s to the 1950s. Between 1919 and 1950, he also appeared in eight Broadway plays. In the '50s, he was seen occasionally on television, including several appearances in the courtroom drama, "Perry Mason."

Mortimer finally gets Teddy legally committed to Happy Dale Sanitarium, and when Abby & Martha see that Teddy's actually leaving, they realize how sad they will be without him, so they prevail on Happy Dale's administrator to let them commit themselves to Happy Dale, so they can always be together.

Before Mortimer has a complete nervous breakdown, and before his aunts leave their home forever, they take Mortimer aside to confess that he isn't really a Brewster. He was born to the Brewsters' cook, who died shortly after childbirth. They kept him and raised him with their late brother's two boys. Not a Brewster?! Not insane?! Mortimer is beside himself with glee! He and Elaine can now begin their life together.

In 1945, Frank Capra's film of Arsenic and Old Lace was released, and it's interesting to note that Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, and John Alexander reprised their original roles (Aunt Abby, Aunt Martha and Teddy Brewster), but contractual obligations prevented Boris Karloff from recreating Jonathan Brewster. Capra used Raymond Massey in the role...

...made up to look as much like Karloff as possible:

Massey was born to a privileged life in Canada, was well educated, fought with the Canadian Army in WW1, and was severely wounded in action in France. By 1922 he was a civilian, making his debut on the London stage. He began his long American film career in 1927, with time out for service, again with the Canadian Army, in WWII. After the war, Massey became an American citizen, and was seen frequently on TV in the 1950s and '60s.

Dr. Einstein, Jonathan's partner-in-crime, was enacted in the movie by Austrian-American Peter Lorre in his inimitable soft-spoken, off-center style that was always guaranteed to spook us out. King of filmdom's serial killers, Lorre was a popular featured player in Hollywood crime films and mysteries.

In the film, the role of Mortimer was played by the talented British-American actor Cary Grant, one of Hollywood's most popular and enduring performers.

With all due respect to Allyn Joslyn, no one could have played Mortimer better than Cary Grant, and even a hint of biography here would be redundant.

Mortimer's love interest, Elaine Harper, was played in the film by the reliable supporting actress, Priscilla Lane.

Priscilla Lane started out as a singer with her sisters, Rosemary and Lola, and was signed to a Hollywood contract in 1937. She began her film career in a supporting role, and over the years she would play an assortment of similar roles. Her starring role was as the real-life wife of an Air Force Colonel for 34 years (until his death in 1976). After she retired in 1948, she followed her husband around the world from base to base, often singing in camp shows. They eventually settled in New England and had four children.

In the film, Officer O'Hara's first name was revealed. The role of the single-minded would-be playwright, Officer Patrick O'Hara, was played by Jack Carson.

Canadian-born Jack Carson was a popular character actor during the golden age of Hollywood, with a film career spanning 3 decades. Though occasionally he excelled in a dramatic role, he was usually cast in supporting roles for comic relief. He perfected the character of the wisecracking know-it-all who's eventually undone by his ego.

Also, Mr. Capra took the liberty of promoting Officer Brophy to Sgt. Brophy, and cast Edward McNamara in the role...

...and Officer Klein was replaced by Officer Sanders who was enacted by young John Ridgely.

The film's top cop, Lieutenant Rooney — the man in charge of the three officers — was played by one of my favorite character actors, James Gleason.

Master of the double-take, Jimmy Gleason built a career playing tough but warm-hearted characters. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor award for his performance as boxing manager Max "Pop" Corkle in the 1941 film, "Here Comes Mr. Jordan." Gleason was also an award-winning film writer, having co-authored "The Broadway Melody," the second film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

In covering the film, I have saved for last Mr. Witherspoon, administrator of Happy Dale Sanitarium, played by the remarkably enduring actor, Edward Everett Horton.

Horton began his career in Vaudeville in 1906, was in a couple of plays on Broadway, and in 1919 he moved to Hollywood where he started getting film roles. His first starring role was in the 1922 comedy, "Too Much Business." He worked steadily, tapering off in the 1960s. He specialized in characters who were pleasant and dignified, but politely hesitant when faced with situations outside their comfort zones. My favorite Horton role is the gentleman's gentleman in A Pocketful of Miracles. My second favorite is Mr. Witherspoon.

In the stage play, the final curtain closes on this scene, so the audience is left wondering whether the wine is actually the sisters' special blend, and if so, did he drink it? In the film, however, Mr. Witherspoon happily helps Mortimer usher Abby, Martha and Teddy to the waiting transportation to Happy Dale Sanitarium.

Since the original Broadway play, there have been multitudes of productions in community and regional theaters across the country, as well as in Canada and England. There are many community-supported theaters that bring it back regularly, every few years, to tickle the funny-bones of new generations of theater-goers. But oddly enough, there's been only one Broadway revival:

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. The only Broadway revival of Arsenic and Old Lace opened at the 46th Street Theater on 26 June 1986, starring Jean Stapleton as Abby Brewster and Polly Holliday as Martha Brewster...

...with Tony Roberts as Mortimer Brewster...

...Abe Vigoda as Jonathan Brewster...

...William Hickey as Dr. Einstein...

and Michaeljohn McGann as Teddy Brewster. (No picture available)

The supporting role of Rev. Harper was played by Gwyllum Evans.

The bit role of old Mr. Gibbs, who drinks the spiked elderberry wine, was played by William Preston.

You may remember him as Carl "Oldy" Olsen on mid-'90s TV:

The one review of the opening-night performance that I read was scathing. The reviewer (Frank Rich, New York Times) found nothing and no one to his liking. Yet the show ran for over six months (221 performances). Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time audiences disagreed with a critic.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/

THREE ENDURING COMEDIES • Part One

I hope you've had a pleasant holiday, and I welcome your return to STAGE WHISPERS. Obviously, I took the month of January off...but I'm happy to be back...so let's get started.

I encountered a few false starts determining a topic for this post. American Playwrights of the 1930s & '40s with emphasis on Clifford Odets and Arthur Miller? I don't think so. The History of the Group Theatre? Tabled for later. The WPA Theatre Project in the Great Depression? I gave up trying to compare theater then with theater now. Instead, what surfaced were three enduring comedies written and produced between the middle of the Great Depression and the end of World War II, which (a) had lengthy Broadway runs, (b) have had frequent revivals over the years, and (c) are still popular today.

Their commonalities are obvious: All three fall delightfully into the category of family entertainment. Each plot revolves around lovable but eccentric characters; each play ran for several years on Broadway; each won a slew of awards; and each was made into a popular motion picture, garnering more awards; and each film has become a popular classic.

YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, a comedy in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, debuted at New York's Booth Theater December 14, 1936 — smack dab in the middle of the Great Depression, and a mere three years away from World War II — and continued to play for 837 performances. It earned Kaufman & Hart the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The film version was produced by Columbia Pictures and directed by the inimitable Frank Capra, who was rewarded with two Academy Awards — Best Director and Best Picture. It was the highest grossing film of 1938.

The characters of You Can't Take It With You, in order of their appearance, are:

Penelope "Penny" Vanderhof Sycamore — daughter of Martin Vanderhof, wife of Paul Sycamore, and mother of two daughters — Alice and Essie. Penny has two hobbies which occupy most of her time: writing not-very-good potboilers (because a typewriter was delivered to their home by mistake a few years back), and painting not-very-good pictures (because she has a houseful of willing models). Penny is a loving wife and mother, and is always focused on making sure everyone is happy.

The superb character actresses who played this role — Josephine Hull on stage and Spring Byington in the film — had long and distinguished careers. Ms. Hull's Broadway career spanned 50 years before she took some of her best roles to film. Ms. Byington was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, but did not win. She was a regular on Broadway before she segued to motion pictures, then to radio during WWII. She is best remembered for her 8-year run on radio and television as the star of the popular sitcom December Bride.

Essie Sycamore Carmichael — wife of Ed Carmichael, daughter of Paul & Penny Sycamore, granddaughter of Martin, and sister of Alice. Essie dreams of being a ballerina, and has studied dance with Boris Kolenkhov for eight years. She's gone as far as she can go, and is still a really terrible dancer. However, as a hobby Essie makes excellent candy, and husband Ed sells every batch she makes. Dancer-actress Paula Trueman played Essie on stage.

In the film, a great dancer, Ann Miller, cleverly disguised her dancing talent and enacted the awkwardness of the not-so-great dancer, Essie.

Rheba — live-in maid and cook to the Vanderhof-Sycamore family. Making her Broadway debut, Ruth Attaway played this role on stage. Over the next 40 years, she appeared in many Broadway, off-Broadway and summer stock productions, and was with the Repertory Society of Lincoln Center from 1964 to 1967. She also performed on radio and television, and was in several films, among them Porgy and Bess, Raintree County and Being There, yet I could find no image of Ruth Attaway.

In the film the role of Rheba was played by Lillian Yarbo. Near the end of Part One, I will post a couple of large group photos showing every member of the film cast. They contain the only images of Lillian Yarbo that I could find.

Paul Sycamore — husband of Penny, father of Essie and Alice, and son-in-law of Martin. With the aid of his assistant, Mr. DePinna, Paul manufactures fireworks in the basement. As a hobby, he tinkers with erector sets. In the original stage production, Paul was played by Frank Wilcox, who went on to a long film and television career.

In the film, the role of Paul Sycamore was played by popular stage and screen character actor, Samuel S. Hinds.

Mr. DePinna — a former ice man who, one day a long time ago, came inside to speak to Paul, and has been there ever since. He helps create the fireworks, and moonlights as a model for Penny the painter. In the play, he was enacted by Irish-American actor Frank Conlan, whose Broadway career ran from 1901 to 1944.

In the film version, Mr. DePinna was played by familiar character actor Halliwell Hobbes.

Ed Carmichael — xylophone-playing, candy-selling husband of Essie, and son-in-law of Paul and Penny Sycamore. Hobbies are important to members of this unique household, and Ed's hobby is printing. He prints their dinner menus, as well as any phrase he hears that sounds good to him, even if he doesn't understand it, which often he doesn't. He is inclined to insert his printed phrases into the candy boxes he distributes for Essie.

On stage, Ed was played by handsome George Heller. Yes, the very George Heller whose successful radio career prompted his almost single-handed founding of the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA), later to be known as the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (AFTRA). He headed the organization for many years.

In the film, Ed was played by young Dub Taylor, who went on to become an identifiable character actor in a slew of western films and television series.

Donald — boyfriend of Rheba, and household handyman and errand-runner. It's unclear whether Donald also lives under Grandpa Vanderhof's roof, but it is clear that he's at home among the family. In the stage production, Donald was played by American actor Oscar Polk, best known for his portrayal as the servant "Pork" in Gone With the Wind. He died on January 4, 1949 — not yet 50 years old — when he was fatally struck by a taxi cab as he stepped off a curb in Times Square.

In the film, Donald was portrayed by the familiar sandy-throated comic actor, Eddie Anderson, best remembered for his long-running gig as Rochester — the butler on the Jack Benny Radio Show, and the valet on the Jack Benny Television Show.

Martin Vanderhof — father of Penny, father-in-law of Paul, grandfather of Alice and Essie — is usually referred to as "Grandpa" by one and all. His philosophy of life is simply "follow your heart and enjoy yourself." As a result, he's a happy old man who's seemingly without a care in the world, despite never having paid a cent of income tax — because (a) he doesn't believe in it, and (b) he's certain the government wouldn't spend it wisely if he did pay it.

In the stage play, Grandpa Vanderhof was played by that lovable old character actor Henry Travers, whom you may remember as Jimmy Stewart's guardian angel Clarence in the film It's A Wonderful Life.

Grandpa Vanderhof was played in the film by that venerable thespian, Lionel Barrymore. Unlike his siblings, Lionel never wanted to be a stage or film actor. However, he loved to perform on radio, and did so at every opportunity.

Alice Sycamore — sister of Essie, daughter of Paul & Penny, granddaughter of Martin, and the only so-called "normal" member of the household. She is engaged to Anthony J. "Tony" Kirby, Jr., for whom she works in his father's firm. She loves her family, but there are moments when their eccentricities embarrass her. Usually she manages to control such situations, but when Tony brings his parents to dinner the night before they're expected, she sees that his stodgy family will never accept her as their daughter-in-law.

In the stage play, Alice was played by the beautiful and talented Margot Stevenson. Member of a theatrical family, Ms. Stevenson enjoyed a long Broadway career (1932 - 1966) as both an actress and a stage manager. She married a wonderful character actor, Val Avery. Their 56-year marriage ended with Mr. Avery's death, just this past December. She is 96.

Jean Arthur, a popular film star of the 1930s and 1940s, played Alice in the movie. Miss Arthur was, and will probably always be known as "the quintessential comedic leading lady." The queen of "screwball comedy," no actress was more closely identified with that genre than she.

Wilbur C. Henderson — a representative of the IRS who comes to collect the taxes Grandpa's never paid. No matter how many times it's explained to him, Agent Henderson cannot comprehend why Mr. Vanderhof refuses to pay. In the stage play, he was portrayed by Hugh Rennie, whose stage career included acting, directing and producing. He went on to a successful film career, as well.

In the motion picture, Charles Lane played Agent Henderson. Lane was a fixture in Frank Capra's films, and was also a favorite of Lucille Ball, who enjoyed playing her zany TV comedy characters off of his no-nonsense authority figures.

Tony Kirby — fiancé of Alice Sycamore, son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony J. Kirby, Sr., and vice-president of the large and successful development firm of Kirby & Son. Unlike his fashionable and pompous parents, Tony is easy-going and unpretentious. He once dreamed of being a scientist, and does not want to become a stuffed shirt like his dad. He likes Alice's family, and envies their love and care for one another.

In the stage play, Tony was the Broadway breakout role for Jess Barker, who afterward worked in three short-lived productions before moving to Hollywood where he had a lackluster career. He seems to be best remembered for his 10-year marriage to Susan Hayward.

The late, great Jimmy Stewart played Tony in the motion picture. Mr. Stewart's seven decades in Hollywood films made him one of the most recognizable faces and voices in the world. He won numerous acting awards, but I've long had the impression that he was most proud of his military career, in both war and peace, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve.

Boris Kolenkhov — a Russian emigre and Essie's dance instructor, Kolenkhov doesn't actually live in the Vanderhof-Sycamore household, but he gives Essie her ballet lesson there almost every day — always arriving in time for dinner. He speaks often of knowing other prominent Russians now working in New York, especially his friend the Grand Duchess Olga Katrina.

Kolenkhov was played on stage by the popular character actor, George Tobias, who enjoyed a 15-year career on Broadway before becoming a successful motion picture and television actor. He was enticed back to Broadway in 1955 to play Commissar Markovitch in the highly successful 14-month run of the musical comedy Silk Stockings, a good call that introduced him to a whole new generation of theater-goers. You may also remember him as Abner Kravitz in the iconic television series, Bewitched.

In the film, Kolenkhov was played by Russian-born American actor, Mischa Auer — actually, Mischa Ounskowsky, but he renamed himself Auer after his grandfather, the violinist Leopold Auer. Those of us who grew up in the 1930s and '40s enjoyed Mischa Auer in numerous films, and in the '50s he came into our homes when he began appearing in episodes of major television-theater series.

Gay Wellington — an alcoholic actress whom Penny Sycamore met on a bus and invited home to read one of her plays. Ms. Wellington makes her appearance at the beginning of Act 2, proceeds to get very drunk, takes a look at Grandpa's pet snakes, and passes out cold. Ms. Wellington was played on stage by Hungarian dancer/actress Mitzi Hajos. She had truncated her professional name to just "Mitzi" during the 1920s and early '30s, when she was appearing on Broadway in one musical after another, but by the time she played Gay Wellington, she was again using the Hajos surname.

The role of Gay Wellington was not included in the film script.

Anthony W. Kirby, Sr. — husband of Miriam Kirby and father of Tony, he is the stereotype of the self-important corporate CEO who rolls roughshod over his family as well as his employees...and isn't above a little subterfuge in his business dealings. He sits on numerous corporate boards and frequently invokes the names of posh clubs and societies to which he belongs. He is, in short, a stuffed shirt, and a very unhappy man.

In the play, Mr. Kirby was played by William J. Kelly, who isn't mentioned in any of my reference materials. The Internet Broadway Data Base (IBDB) shows that he appeared in only eleven Broadway productions between 1907 and 1949. In the film, however, the role of Mr. Kirby was enacted by the superb and long familiar character actor, Edward Arnold.

Miriam Kirby — wife of Anthony J. Kirby, Sr. and mother of Tony, and the stereotype of that era's monied, class-conscious corporate wife. In short, she's a snob, and can't understand why she doesn't get the respect to which she is entitled by virtue of her exalted station in life. Needless to say, she is offended by the Vanderhof-Sycamore household.

In the play, Mrs. Kirby was played by Virginia Hammond, whose Broadway career spanned 40 years. It is said that she became a character actress at a very young age, and remained a character actress throughout her career. She also played in many films in the 1910s, '20s & '30s, yet I found nary a picture of her.

The movie version of Mrs. Kirby was enacted by the regal beauty, Mary Forbes, who made over 130 films from 1919 to her retirement in 1958.

G-Man 1, G-Man 2 and G-Man 3 — Federal agents who show up to investigate Ed because of some of the so-called propaganda he's been printing and putting into the candy boxes he delivers for Essie. In the stage play, they were played by Franklin Heller, who was a Broadway actor from 1935 to 1944, then went on to a long film career; Ralph Holmes, who suffered from traumatic stress after his wartime experiences, and whose tragic life ended in suicide at the age of 30; and George Leach, a Broadway character actor for 35 years. These were uncredited roles in the film, although later it was discovered that one of them was played by Ward Bond in what was possibly his first acting role. He went on to an enormously popular career in films, always playing macho characters. These may jog your memory:

Grand Duchess Olga Katrina — a member of the Russian royal family who, with her Uncle Sergei (the Grand Duke), fled to the U.S. just before the revolution. Olga is a friend of Boris Kolenkhov, and works as a waitress at Childs Restaurant. Her Uncle Sergei works as an elevator operator.

On stage, Olga Katrina was portrayed by Anna Lubowe, but no images exist. As for the film makers, they eliminated that role entirely.

However, the film script added three characters to the cast: One was an uncredited role as Mr. Kirby's administrative assistant which was actually played by not-yet-famed character actor Ian Wolfe, whose film career included more than 270 films from 1934 to 1990.

Another was billed merely as Ramsey, played by English character actor H. B. Warner, whose long career in American films spanned 42 years (1914-1956).

The other was Mr. Poppins — quite a nice standout role for that lovable character actor Donald Meek. He scored as the nervous little man who worked in the accounting department of Kirby & Son. There he met Mr. Vanderhof who told him he should do only what he wanted to do. As Mr. Poppins had an amazing talent for creating clever mechanical toys...well...that's what he wanted to do, and he settled quickly into the Vanderhof-Sycamore bedlam. Mr. Meek had been a stage actor in his native Scotland before coming to the U.S., where he played in many American movies.

Other scenes from the film bring back fond memories:

And here are the two photos of the complete movie cast which I promised you earlier:

Be sure to click on the above picture to enlarge it. You'll be able to identify every actor and read every signature. BTW, that's Frank Capra seated on the stepladder.

You Can't Take It With You has been revived on Broadway five times: 1945 at the City Center (17 performances); 1966 at the Lyceum Theatre (239 performances); 1967 at the Lyceum Theatre (16 performances); 1983 at the Plymouth Theatre, then the Royale Theatre (312 performances); and finally in the summer of 2009 at the Lyceum Theatre, using this new logo:

Beyond Broadway, however, You Can't Take It With You has been produced countless times by regional and community theaters across the country. I can't hazard a guess at how many thousands of productions have been staged over the last 70 years — a staggering number, I'm sure.

Thank you, Messrs. Kaufman and Hart for writing such timeless material, and Mr. Capra for so beautifully capturing it for all time.

Stage Whispers is published by carlacushman.blogspot.com/