George M. Cohan "MADAM, WILL YOU WALK" Sara Allgood 1939 FLOP Tryout Flyer

Description

This is a rare single page advertising handbill (flyer) promoting the one-week, out-of-town tryout of the
aborted SIDNEY HOWARD comedy "MADAM, WILL YOU WALK" at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. beginning November 20th, 1939. (The production opened November 13th, 1939 at Ford's Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland and closed November 25th, 1939 in Washington, cancelling the scheduled Broadway opening at New York's Plymouth Theatre. The play would not arrive in New York until December 1st, 1953 when it opened the inaugural season at the Phoenix Theatre. The play would close January 10th, 1954 after only 42
performances.) ..... The play had an unfortunate history as it was produced posthumously, three months after the playwright died in a freak accident on his farm. The star of the play, GEORGE M. COHAN, announced in Baltimore that he was withdrawing from the production. Cohan was unhappy with the audience's tepid reception, expecting the usual "song and dance" that Cohan was known for. Others claim that he refused to work with a woman director. Efforts to replace Cohan with CEDRIC HARDWICKE were futile due to prior commitments and the play closed in Washington. GEORGE M. COHAN was supported by PEGGY CONKLIN, SARA ALLGOOD and ARTHUR KENNEDY and in featured roles were KEENAN WYNN, MILDRED DUNNOCK, TOM TULLY and FLORENZ AMES ..... CREDITS: Book by SIDNEY HOWARD; Incidental Music composed by KURT WEILL (uncredited); Sets and Costumes designed by ROBERT EDMOND JONES; Directed by MARGARET WEBSTER; Produced by THE PLAYWRIGHTS' COMPANY (Maxwell Anderson, S. N. Behrman, Sidney Howard, Elmer Rice and Robert E. Sherwood)
..... DETAILS: Advertising handbills (heralds) were distributed or inserted into the playbills of other productions to help generate ticket sales for upcoming shows and events. This single page, one-sided handbill measures 6" X 9" inches and includes a photo of GEORGE M. COHAN, performance dates and production credits on the front. The backside is blank ..... CONDITION: With the exception of edge chipping in the left margin, this rare handbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.