Hell-Bent Fer Heaven
| Hell-Bent fer Heaven | |
|---|---|
 Poster for 1936 production | |
| Written by | Hatcher Hughes |
| Date premiered | January 4, 1924 |
| Place premiered | Klaw Theatre New York City, New York |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | melodrama |
| Setting | The Hunt family home in theBlue Ridge Mountains |
Hell-Bent fer Heavenis amelodramaplay byHatcher Hughes.
Production[edit]
The play ran at theKlaw Theatrefrom January 4 to April 1924 and was produced byMarc Klaw.The cast featuredGeorge Abbott,Glenn Andersand Margaret Borough.[1]The play was staged by Augustin Duncan.[2]
It also helped launch the career ofClara Blandick,who later appeared as Auntie Em in the classic 1939 adaptation ofThe Wizard of Oz.[3]
The play was included inBurns Mantle'sThe Best Plays of 1923-1924.
Pulitzer Prize[edit]
The play won thePulitzer Prize for Dramain 1924.[4]The choice sparked controversy in literary circles and the media because the prize jury had actually selected George Kelly'sThe Show-Off,but was overruled byColumbia University,which was administering that year's Pulitzers as Hatcher Hughes was a professor there.[5][6]
Plot[edit]
Set in theCarolinamountains, late one afternoon to 9 o'clock that evening during the summer. Rufe Pryor is a religious fanatic who works for the Hunts. Sid Hunt returns to the family home from the war. He has a girlfriend, Jude Lowry, who Rufe also is interested in. Rufe inspires old clan rivalry between the Hunts and the Lowrys, in an attempt to remove Sid from the picture. When Rufe's plans are discovered, the two families reconcile. (The play was billed as "A High Spirited Tale of the Blue Ridge." )
Cast[edit]
- George Abbottas Sid Hunt
- Clara Blandickas Meg Hunt
- Augustin Duncanas David Hunt
- Burke Clarke as Matt Hunt
- Glenn Andersas Andy Lowry
- Margaret Borough as Jude Lowry
- John F. Hamiltonas Rufe Pryor
Film[edit]
The play was made into the motion pictureHell-Bent for Heavenin 1926.[7]
References[edit]
- ^"'Hell-Bent Fer Heaven' Broadway"playbillvault.com, accessed December 21, 2015
- ^Fischer, Heinz Dietrich and Fischer, Erika J. (ed.)"1924 Award"Drama/comedy Awards, 1917-1996: From Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams to Richard Rodgers and Edward Albee,Walter de Gruyter,1998,ISBN3598301820,p. 27-30
- ^"The Tragedy Of Aunt Em"greatentertainersarchives.blogspot.com, January 30, 2011
- ^"Pulitzer Prize for Drama"pulitzer.org, accessed December 21, 2015
- ^Mordden, Ethan, All That Glittered, St. Martin's Press, 2007, pg. 101
- ^Fischer, Heinz-D."Development of the Pulitzer Drama Prize, p. 5"Chronicle of the Pulitzer Prizes for Drama: Discussions, Decisions and Documents,Walter de Gruyter, 2008,ISBN3598441207
- ^Hell-Bent Fer Heaventcm.com, accessed December 21, 2015
External links[edit]
The full text ofHell-Bent fer Heavenat Wikisource- Hell-bent Fer Heavenat the Internet Broadway Database
- Hell-Bent for Heavenat theInternet Movie Database
- "Hell-bent Fer Heaven" Museum of the City of New York
