256:. He is a bachelor, a transplant from the Midwest, who has no need to go out and find female companionship... they come to him. At 6pm on a Saturday evening he is necking with one Poppy Matson on his living room couch, when old buddy Joe McCall shows up unexpectedly. McCall is a chemist who has invented a pill to cure the common cold. He's come to visit Charlie to get ideas about testing and marketing it. Charlie welcomes him and introduces Poppy, and later his other girl friends. Joe is astonished at how the girls show up to clean Charlie's apartment, cook him meals, and bring him gifts like fish and cheese. Poppy, Jessica, and Sylvia have good careers but are feeling the urge to get married now that they are in their early thirties. The fourth and youngest girl friend, Julie Gillis, is equally in pursuit of Charlie but won't fall in line with his suggestions.
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him to stay, but
Charlie, under the press of unexpected competition blurts out a proposal to Sylvia. Aghast, he realizes the only thing to do is propose to Julie as well. Joe, trying to stave off his return to wife and family, makes a half-hearted play for Sylvia. She forcefully reminds him about his wife, and decides Charlie isn't for her either, and so walks out on both men. Julie, however, has no intention of letting pride get between her and Charlie, and so the play ends with their engagement.
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Charlie Reader who "has two sides: he's a louse if you take him seriously, and a character if you find his amusing aspects." Ronny Graham, who played
Charlie, also commented on this dichotomy in a later interview: "In Boston it wasn't set yet, it wasn't cleared and squared away and I could feel them hating this boy".
504:
Durgin suggested the character of Sol
Schwartz should be dropped, as it added nothing to the storyline. He also thought the entire sub-plot involving Joe McCall was weak, a reflection of playwriting inexperience by Shulman and Smith. He further pointed out the ambivalent appeal of the main character,
259:
The constant parade of femininity affects Joe, who up till now had entertained no stray thoughts about his marriage. He begins gravitating towards Sylvia, while
Charlie finds himself more and more intrigued with Julie. Earl Lindquist finds Joe's pills are worthless, so there's no longer a reason for
580:
Before the play had even started rehearsals, Max
Shulman and Paul Smith had sold the movie rights to MGM. The characters' background was switched from pharmaceuticals and other occupations to show business. Perhaps mindful of Walter Kerr's observation, Shulman and Smith added a rebound romance and
500:
reviewed it twice; while expressing an overall positive assessment on both occasions, he also highlighted problems with the third act. He felt the strength of the work lay in
Shulman and Smith's dialogue and humor, which was superior to most farces; in the control director Michael Gordon kept over
566:. The play was sold to three new producers (Jay Lurye, Arthur Waxman, and Bernard Simon) who took it on the road starting with Philadelphia's Walnut Theatre on January 25, 1955. Only two original cast, Janet Riley and Joey Faye, and replacement Marrian Walters, went with the touring company.
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reportedly took an option on it. Nothing more was published until the end of April, when
Clinton Wilder announced he would produce it for an early Fall premiere, with rehearsals to start in August. Within two weeks, Wilder announced that Michael Gordon would stage the play. By June 1954, Paul
501:
the action and in reconciling two such different acting styles as those of Robert
Preston and Ronny Graham; and in the general excellence of the cast. He also appreciated the whimsical touch Paul Morrison gave to the set, placing a horseshoe over the door leading to Charlie's bedroom.
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on
Broadway. The Longacre was not yet air-conditioned, and the temperature in Manhattan that day was a record high 85 °F (29.4 °C). Two critics mentioned the heat in their reviews, suggesting that it affected timing and audience response. John Chapman of the
309:, and Parker McCormick had been signed for the cast. Not until mid-August was it confirmed that Robert Preston had been signed for one of the male leads, while comedian Ronny Graham was cast for the other male lead just four days before rehearsals started.
116:. It is a three-act farce, with a small cast, one setting, and moderate pacing. The story concerns a bachelor with a trio of professional women and a recent college grad as girl friends, who tries to avoid their suggestions of marriage.
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was dubious about the comedy's approach to relationships. He pointed out that Kim Hunter's pleasing and professional character wound up turning away from both the male leads and going it alone.
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Morrison had been signed to do the set design, and it was reported rehearsals would start August 30, with tryouts in New Haven and Boston before a mid-October premiere on
Broadway.
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was "a skillfully contrived and very enjoyable farce", but suggested the director and authors should cut "twelve minutes out of the comedy, six of them in the last act".
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closed on Broadway on January 8, 1955. It was still doing well at the box office, but had to make way at the Longacre Theatre for a new play,
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praised the performances of Robert Preston and Kim Hunter, but faulted the writers for what he termed "a ready made comedy".
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135:. The play was profitable but a venue scheduling conflict forced it to close early while still making money. Popular with
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and planned to mount a Broadway production before making a film of it. By early August Kim Hunter,
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during the 1950s, it has never had a Broadway revival, but was adapted by its authors for a 1955
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Durgin, Cyrus (October 3, 1954). "'Tender Trap' Is a Superior Farce-Comedy, Gay and Witty".
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Graham was cast because he was "tall, lean, occasionally awkward and not at all handsome".
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Sheaffer, Louis (October 14, 1954). "'Tender Trap' Flat Comedy About a Playboy Bachelor".
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is a married man living in Indianapolis, a chemist who comes to Charlie with an invention.
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he wrote "has a promising appearance. But the quality of the merchandise is inferior".
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Kerr, Walter (October 14, 1954). "Edge of Reality Pares Nonsense in 'Tender Trap'".
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is an attractive thirty-ish woman, who is a buyer for a major womens clothing line.
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is an attractive woman in her early thirties, well-groomed, an editor at Doubleday.
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The play's original Broadway performance was produced by Clinton Wilder, staged by
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is a classical violinist who cooks breakfast for Charlie and cleans his apartment.
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is another chemist who is asked to test the efficacy of Joe's cold pills.
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863:. Pittsfield, Massachusetts. August 26, 1954. p. 10 – via
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Faye was the only original Broadway cast member to appear in the MGM
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is a jazz trombonist who appears in the third act after a big party.
945:. Los Angeles, California. August 7, 1990. p. 122 – via
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Chapman, John (October 14, 1954). "'Tender Trap' Enjoyable Farce".
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Cast for the tryout in Boston and during the original Broadway run
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back in Indianapolis, is Joe's wife and the mother of his children.
550:, calling it "flat" and suggesting it "tries hard to be funny".
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Murdock, Henry T. (January 25, 1955). "Comedy Opens At Walnut".
1037:. New York, New York. October 14, 1954. p. 537 – via
844:. New York, New York. August 18, 1954. p. 498 – via
689:. New York, New York. January 4, 1955. p. 395 – via
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Atkinson, Brooks (October 14, 1954). "Theatre: 'Tender Trap'".
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in Boston starting September 25, 1954. Critic Cyrus Durgin of
964:. Brantford, Ontario. August 12, 1954. p. 8 – via
926:. Oakland, California. August 6, 1990. p. 2 – via
825:. New York, New York. August 7, 1954. p. 13 – via
727:. Brooklyn, New York. April 23, 1954. p. 13 – via
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765:. Brooklyn, New York. June 10, 1954. p. 10 – via
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Charlie Reader lives in a terrace apartment on Manhattan's
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is a recent college graduate, stubborn without being proud.
746:. New York, New York. May 5, 1954. p. 63 – via
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903:"'Lullaby' Gives Up Sunday; Actress Gets Feature Part".
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Bolton, Whitney (December 2, 1954). "Looking Sideways".
1100:. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 16 – via
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Adams, Cedric (February 10, 1954). "In This Corner".
922:"Marrian Walters, veteran ACT actress, dies at 67".
907:. New York, New York. November 2, 1954 – via
158:Listed in order of appearance within their scope.
988:Durgin, Cyrus (September 27, 1954). "The Stage".
708:. Minneapolis, Minnesota. p. 60 – via
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1018:. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 92 – via
806:. Hollywood, California. p. 14 – via
742:"'Clerk' Closes May 22; Williams Opera Listed".
97:Manhattan apartment of Charlie Reader, mid-1950s
992:. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 6 – via
840:"Play by Robert Ardey To Open Phoenix Season".
665:. New York, New York. p. 749 – via
513:The play premiered on October 13, 1954 at the
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784:. New York, New York. p. 70 – via
1059:. Buffalo, New York. p. 54 – via
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79:Bachelor tries to dodge matrimony
804:Los Angeles Evening Citizen News
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396:by Justin Sturm, which flopped.
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1117:Internet Broadway Database,
389:Sep 25, 1954 - Oct 30, 1954
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472:Sep 25, 1954 - Jan 8, 1955
457:Sep 25, 1954 - Jan 8, 1955
433:Sep 25, 1954 - Jan 8, 1955
420:Sep 25, 1954 - Jan 8, 1955
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509:Premiere and reception
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264:Original production
685:"'Trap' to Shut".
332:Notes and sources
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252:, overlooking the
108:is a 1954 play by
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