Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (play) explained

Gentleman Prefer Blondes is a 1926 play by Anita Loos and John Emerson, based upon Loos' 1925 international best-selling novel of the same name.

History

In 1925 Loos published the novel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady, a comic novel. By the end of the year, there was discussion that the novel would be made into a play.^{[1] [2]} The play was produced by Edgar Selwyn.^[3] The play premiered in Detroit on April 28, 1926 at the Shubert-Detroit.^[4] It opened in Chicago on May 2, 1926 at the Selwyn Theatre, and was received positively by the Chicago Tribune.^[5] The play opened on Broadway at the Selwyn Theatre,^[6] on Tuesday, September 26, 1926, closing at Times Square Theatre.^[7]

Cast

Broadway opening night cast:^[8])

• Katherine Brook as Miss Chapman
• Grace Burgess as Lulu
• Grace Cornell as Ann Spoffard
• Roy Gorham as William Gwynn
• Grace Hampton as Lady Beekman
• William T. Hays as Old Spoffard
• Edna Hibbard as Dorothy Shaw
• Bruce Huntley as H. Gilbertson Montrose
• G.P. Huntley as Sir Francis Beekman
• Mrs. Jacques Martin as Mrs. Spoffard
• Frank Morgan as Henry Spoffard
• Edwina Prue as Dickie
• Vivian Purcell as Connie
• Ruth Raymonde as Gloria Atwell
• Georges Romain as Robert Broussard
• Adrian Rosely as Louis Broussard
• Arthur S. Ross as Gus Eisman
• Harold Thomas as Harry
• June Walker as Lorelei Lee
• Daniel Wolf as Leon

Reception

The Daily News gave the play a positive review, although they felt it didn't perform as well as they expected.^[9]

External links

• News: Without Offense to the Moralists . . May 7, 1926 . 8 . Newspapers.com. June 28, 2023.
• News: June Walker Tells Why Gentlemen Prefer Blondes . . October 31, 1926 . 1B . Newspapers.com. June 28, 2023.
• News: Decorative Evening Types Glisten at Play Premiere . . October 11, 1926 . 27 . Newspapers.com. June 28, 2023.

Notes and References

1. News: Theatre Notes . . December 26, 1925 . 18 . Newspapers.com. June 26, 2023.
2. News: Theatrical Notes . . November 17, 1925 . 18 . Newspapers.com. June 26, 2023.
3. News: Theatre Notes . . November 27, 1925 . 40 . Newspapers.com. June 26, 2023.
4. News: 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' Gets World Premiere Next Week. Detroit Free Press. April 11, 1926.
5. News: Theater: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes . . May 3, 1926 . 27 . Newspapers.com. June 27, 2023.
6. News: This Week's Openings . . September 26, 1926 . D15 . Newspapers.com. June 26, 2023.
7. Web site: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: About This Production . Internet Broadway Database . June 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230405204744/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-10131 . April 5, 2023.
8. Web site: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: Opening Night Cast . Internet Broadway Database . June 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230626114713/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-10131 . June 26, 2023.
9. News: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; "Woman Disputed War Drama . . September 29, 1926 . 32 . Newspapers.com. June 26, 2023.