268:
was stolen. It was too late to come back to London by train, and they took a room each at the pub. Wally is greatly agitated, expressing concern for Doris's reputation. It is clear that she will suffer at the hands of her bullying mother if it emerges that she has been out overnight with a man she has just met. Mrs
Chattaway returns; they try to bluff things out, but a police inspector arrives to report the finding of Wally's car. He hands over a vanity bag found in the vehicle, which Mrs Chattaway recognises as Doris's. She assumes it was Wally, not Hugh, who took Doris for a ride. Jane enters, encounters Doris, and leaps to the same conclusion as Mrs Chattaway. She breaks off the engagement and leaves.
19:
309:
The judge tries to restore order, but is shouted down by Wally and Hugh. Wally proposes in open court to Doris, who accepts; Hugh counters by revealing that he has married Jane. The hullabaloo in court engulfs the hapless judge and even the incandescent Mrs
Chattaway, as each character expresses his
267:
Mrs
Chattaway intrudes again, accompanied by her son. Doris has not been home overnight, and they accuse of Wally of abducting her. He allows them to search his rooms, and they depart, threatening to call in the police. Hugh and Doris enter. While they were having dinner in a country pub Wally's car
258:
Wally tells Hugh about Mrs
Chattaway's threats. The solution, he feels, is for Hugh to charm Doris and lure her affections away from Wally. He emphasises that Doris is a very attractive and genuinely nice young woman. Hugh reluctantly agrees. They spin Doris a yarn that he is desolate after a broken
246:
Wally hopes to marry Jane
Elliott. He seeks Mrs Elliott's approval, which she gives, though shrewdly assessing his playboy character. When Wally is alone, Mrs Chattaway is shown in. She accuses him of playing fast and loose with the affections of her daughter Doris. He admits that they have been on
332:
predicted a run of more than 100 nights, but "the credit for this will be due to the actors rather than the authors, who have not been lavish in their wit or in inventing notably original or humorous situations". The paper added that the last act was extremely funny and sent the audience from the
294:
Before the trial begins Wally and Doris confer privately. Each expresses a warm regard for the other, and it is clear that the case has been brought entirely under pressure from Mrs
Chattaway. The trial begins, presided over by a judge who makes dreadful jokes throughout. Hugh outlines the case
255:, but not a prosperous one, preferring to go to the races than appear in court. Unlike the equally idle Wally he has no private income. He too loves Jane, but magnanimously congratulates his friend on being the victor in the contest for her love.
325:
said, "But the Court scene, though it could make no claim to originality, was good fun from beginning to end. Mr Hare, as the presiding Judge, had the best of it but the inanity of Mr Lynn in the witness box was extremely felicitous."
318:
There was a general view among the critics that although the third act was exceptionally funny, the first two were slow, with some good comic scenes but also quite a lot of not particularly amusing exposition of the plot.
298:
Cross-examined, Wally says that though he never proposed marriage to Doris he might have done had it not been for her mother. Hugh reads aloud from some of Wally's love letters to Doris, which are so
359:); it was not directed by Walls, who had directed eight of the first nine; and neither Walls, Lynn nor Hare featured in it: the only member of the original stage cast who appeared was
65:, who presented the farces and co-starred in most of them, gathered a regular company of players for the series. All the chief members of the company took part in
306:. Wally announces to the court in general and Hugh in particular that he did not realise how much Doris meant to him until the night Hugh took her away.
727:
571:
352:
116:
had long runs, averaging more than 400 performances each. The next three were less outstandingly successful, with progressively shorter runs:
302:
as to have Wally cowering below the top of the witness box from embarrassment. Hugh and Wally engage in mutual acrimony that verges on
540:
521:
247:
romantic terms, but denies that he ever asked Doris to marry him. Mrs
Chattaway departs, threatening him with an action for
283:
in a breach of promise case. Hugh looks at the brief and announces in dismay that the plaintiff's name is Doris
Chattaway.
347:
was unlike the nine earlier film versions of the
Aldwych series in several respects: it was made by a different company (
466:
564:
595:
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61:
The piece opened on 24 November 1930 and ran until 16 May 1931, a total of 195 performances. The actor-manager
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288:
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732:
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engagement and in need of consolation. He borrows Wally's car to take her for a drive in the country.
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145:, a specialist in playing "silly ass" characters. The regular company of supporting actors included
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to whom he owes money, arrives in search of him. He insists that Hugh should accept a lucrative
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26:
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against Wally, painting a deeply unflattering picture of his character.
54:
in London nearly continuously from 1923 to 1933. The play centres on a
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39:
17:
549:
553:
69:. A film adaptation of the play was made in 1935 under the
161:
as the sprightly young female lead; and the saturnine
533:
The
Cambridge Illustrated History of British Theatre
646:
587:
149:, who played a figure of harassed respectability;
137:Like its predecessors, the play was directed by
58:case brought before a British court of justice.
499:, British Film Institute, accessed 3 March 2013
397:, British Film Institute, accessed 2 March 2013
46:and Arthur Miller. It was one of the series of
251:. Wally's best friend, Hugh, arrives. He is a
565:
469:British Film Institute, accessed 3 March 2013
8:
572:
558:
550:
535:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
353:British & Dominions Film Corporation
371:
449:
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363:, reprising her stage role as Doris.
88:, and only the second not written by
7:
377:
375:
271:Hugh's brother-in-law, a prosperous
263:Act II – The same, the next morning
157:as the severe voice of authority;
14:
213:Sergeant Burrows – Philip Carlton
122:(1928) ran for 344 performances,
92:. The first four in the series,
728:British plays adapted into films
333:theatre shaking with laughter.
238:Act I – Wally Gibbs's rooms in
228:Mervyn Parkes – Archibald Batty
484:(1933), which was directed by
310:or her enthusiasm or outrage.
198:Cyril Chattaway – Denis O'Neil
1:
341:The play was filmed in 1935.
153:in eccentric old lady roles;
84:was the eighth of the twelve
177:Jane Elliott – Doreen Bendix
455:The Illustrated London News
329:The Illustrated London News
749:
478:Walls directed all except
457:, 6 December 1930, p. 1046
441:, 25 November 1930, p. 12
428:, 30 November 1930, p. 13
222:Mr Justice Sparrowhawk –
531:Trussler, Simon (2000).
216:Sir Anthony Plumstead –
385:, 10 August 1962, p. 11
174:Banks – George Barrett
141:, who co-starred with
30:
25:(Hugh) cross examines
516:. London: W H Allen.
512:Travers, Ben (1978).
21:
604:A Cuckoo in the Nest
596:It Pays to Advertise
128:(1929) for 291, and
101:A Cuckoo in the Nest
95:It Pays to Advertise
514:A-sitting on a Gate
437:"Aldwych Theatre",
453:"The Playhouses",
424:"Marry The Girl",
381:"Mr. Ralph Lynn",
349:British Lion Films
314:Critical reception
279:to appear for the
207:Doris Chattaway –
31:
705:
704:
655:A Night Like This
636:A Cup of Kindness
304:contempt of court
249:breach of promise
201:Hugh Delafield –
131:A Night Like This
125:A Cup of Kindness
56:breach of promise
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574:
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560:
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527:
500:
497:"Marry the Girl"
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406:Trussler, p. 278
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398:
395:"Marry the Girl"
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361:Winifred Shotter
209:Winifred Shotter
192:Mrs Chattaway –
186:Walford Gibbs –
159:Winifred Shotter
50:that ran at the
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695:A Bit of a Test
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357:Gaumont British
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182:Ethel Coleridge
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155:Ethel Coleridge
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52:Aldwych Theatre
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663:Marry the Girl
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581:Aldwych farces
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415:Travers, p. vi
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344:Marry the Girl
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289:The Law Courts
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224:Robertson Hare
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180:Mrs Elliott –
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147:Robertson Hare
86:Aldwych farces
82:Marry the Girl
78:
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67:Marry the Girl
48:Aldwych farces
44:George Arthurs
35:Marry the Girl
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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723:Aldwych farce
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169:Original cast
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134:(1930), 267.
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733:Comedy plays
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626:
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612:Rookery Nook
610:
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486:Jack Raymond
481:Just My Luck
479:
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438:
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426:The Observer
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351:rather than
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218:Gordon James
163:Gordon James
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107:Rookery Nook
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81:
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66:
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34:
33:
32:
15:
687:Fifty-Fifty
671:Turkey Time
467:"Tom Walls"
337:Adaptations
242:. Afternoon
194:Mary Brough
151:Mary Brough
90:Ben Travers
718:1930 plays
712:Categories
679:Dirty Work
542:0521794307
523:0491022751
506:References
287:Act III –
240:Staple Inn
188:Ralph Lynn
143:Ralph Lynn
77:Background
71:same title
27:Ralph Lynn
439:The Times
383:The Times
322:The Times
281:plaintiff
273:solicitor
253:barrister
203:Tom Walls
139:Tom Walls
63:Tom Walls
23:Tom Walls
233:Synopsis
628:Plunder
119:Plunder
29:(Wally)
698:(1933)
690:(1932)
682:(1932)
674:(1931)
666:(1930)
658:(1930)
639:(1929)
631:(1928)
623:(1927)
615:(1926)
607:(1925)
599:(1923)
539:
520:
647:1930s
620:Thark
588:1920s
367:Notes
277:brief
113:Thark
40:farce
38:is a
537:ISBN
518:ISBN
355:and
300:twee
110:and
42:by
714::
446:^
374:^
165:.
104:,
98:,
73:.
573:e
566:t
559:v
545:.
526:.
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