A sensational 2-pager appearing strategically on Page 2 of the Sunday Times Arts & Leisure section not only got us to stop, but also, we found ourselves spending a considerable amount of time studying it — so dense with information it was.
Top line, using the format of the Chicago Daily Tribune from Tuesday, August 14, 1928 (2 CENTS: PAY NO MORE / FINAL EDITION), it lists cast members above the title of the upcoming Broadway revival of “The Front Page,” opening in New York in the fall with Scott Rudin producing. Noteworthy are two-time Tony winner Nathan Lane, John Slattery (Mad Men) and John Goodman (Cohen movies and HBO’s Treme).
As seen in the Sunday New York Times
What we really liked were the rave reviews that appeared in the left and right columns from August 1928. We did a little research and found out the original production of The Front Page, directed by George S. Kaufman and produced by Jed Harris, opened at the Times Square Theatre on August 14, 1928.
Checked with our Frankie and he smiled, having turned Kaufman’s play, “You Can’t Take It With You,” into a fantastic movie.
The Internet is so awesome that you can actually locate the PLAYBILL from the 1928 version of The Front Page.
From 1928 to 2016: The Story Leaps into the New Millennium…
“The Front Page” is Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s comedy about a reporter (Slattery) and his editor (Lane) hiding an escaped prisoner to score a scoop. It became well known for its rat-a-tat comic dialogue — something you’ll find in Frankie’s movies and a lot of the screwball comedies that emerged in the 1930s.
Here’s an interesting point-of-note:
The play was adapted into a 1931 film, and also inspired the 1940 comedy “His Girl Friday” with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell (playing a female version of the role to be played by Slattery in the new revival).
So play to film to play, which is the same route of “You Can’t Take It With You”:
Three “Takes” of a Famous Play
- The original production of the play premiered on Broadway in 1936, played for 838 performances, and won a Pulitzer Prize.
- The 1938 Frankie (Capra) film received two Academy Awards from seven nominations: Best Picture and Best Director.
- In 2014 it returned to Broadway and ran until February 2015.
Three Takes of The Front Page
The revival of “Front Page” begins previews Sept. 20 ahead of an Oct. 20 opening, with the exact theater to be determined. The URL , TheFrontPageBroadway.com , links you to a one-pager that has no further information. Looks like they are going “old school” and selling tickets by phone. No doubt, that will change as we get closer to opening night and a venue is locked in.
Perhaps this awesome ad serves as a way to gauge interest.
If you have some time, check out the fine detail that went into this 2-pager. We say, “Bravo!”
Thanks for reading and #SCMF!
—The Gang
Bonus Content:
[…] time, the piece we were drawn to appeared below the fold, but above an ad for The Front Page, which interestingly enough is referenced (the 1931 film) in the opening […]