Three Plays By George Kelly

by George Kelly

Ranging from rollicking farce to gentle satire to bitter domestic drama, these plays – Torchbearers , The Show-Off , and Craig's Wife – reveal Kelly as a master theatrical craftsman, an unflinching observer of human character, and a playwright to be remembered.

Genres: Drama

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

George Edward Kelly (16 January 1887 – 18 June 1974) was an American playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. He began his career in vaudeville as an actor and sketch writer. He became best known for his satiric comedies, including The Torch-Bearers (1922) and The Show-Off (1924).


Kelly was born in Philadelphia, the second of ten children of Mary Ann (Costello) and John Henry Kelly, Irish immigrants. He was the brother of American businessperson and Olympic champion sculler John B. Kelly Sr. and the uncle of actress Grace Kelly and rower John B. Kelly Jr. Not much is known about his early life, but he was an actor in his early years. He did not like the dramatic material available during the turn of the century, and wanted to change that. He served in France during World War I and after he came home starting writing.

George Kelly maintained a 55-year relationship with his lover William Ellsworth Weagley, Jr., (January 12, 1891 - November 25, 1975) up until his death and was often referred to as his valet. That Kelly was gay was a closely guarded secret and went unacknowledged by his family to the point of not inviting Weagley to his funeral; he instead slipped in and sat quietly on a back seat. Kelly died in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read 'Craig's Wife' as an individual text - in order to compare the 1936 Roz Russell film with the 1950 Joan Crawford film.

The play is over-written. Kelly needed a dramaturg. Some scenes are repetitious and some are peripheral to the main action in a way that may have been more pleasing in the theater than in the 1936 Arzner film. ~which is a powderkeg, and a bit more satisfying than the spin-dry Joan would give it in 1950. (Don't get me wrong; I love that film, too.)

The play, however, must still have been a jaw-dropper when it premiered in 1925. It took the Pulitzer. It sure drips with quite a bit of anger about controlling women. Though it also, surprisingly, states their case remarkably well.

A rich play, to say the least.

[Joe Marino · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read " THE SHOW OFF"
This is a typical family "comedy"- a young blowhard is courting the young daughter of a family. Everyone else knows he's a bag of wind, but she loves him anyway. They get married, the dad dies, and then the story kicks in. There's nothing special about it. There is a meaty role for the mother, the older daughter, and the "show off" could be really fun if he isn't played as a total jerk. Interesting, but forgettable.

[Erin]

Pulitzer went to Craig's Wife

[Joshlynn]

The only publication I could find of his Pulitzer-winner Craig's Wife.