| State of the Union | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the production's BroadwayPlaybill | |
| Written by | Russel Crouse Howard Lindsay |
| Characters | Grant Matthews Mary Matthews Spike McManus Kay Thorndyke Jim Conover Sam Thorndyke Sam I. Parrish Bill Nolard Hardy Lulubelle Alexander Judge Alexander |
| Date premiered | November 14, 1945 |
| Place premiered | Hudson Theatre New York City, New York |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | Conover's home, Washington, D.C.; Book-Cadillac Hotel, Detroit |
State of the Union is a play by American playwrightsRussel Crouse andHoward Lindsay about a fictionalRepublican presidential candidate.
State of the Union opened at theNational Theatre in Washington, DC on November 6, 1945. TheNew York Times reviewer noted that the play was "clever and well-acted."[1]
The play premiered onBroadway at theHudson Theatre on November 14, 1945, and closed on September 13, 1947, after 765 performances. Directed byBretaigne Windust, the cast starredRalph Bellamy (Grant Matthews),Ruth Hussey (Mary Matthews), Margalo Gillmore (Kay Thorndyke),Myron McCormick (Spike MacManus), and Minor Watson (James Conover). It marked the debut of actorErnest Borgnine, who played a small role.[2][3][4]
Both playwrights received the 1946Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[5] John L. Toohey commented: "In Awarding the Pulitzer Prize to 'State of the Union'...the Pulitzer Committee once more demonstrated its fondness for shows with political backgrounds.[6]
The play was produced atFord's Theatre in Washington, DC in September 2006.[7]
In 1946, several friends gather in the house of James Conover in Washington, DC. James is about 60; with him are Spike MacManus, a long-time political reporter and Grant Matthews, in his 40s, a businessman and Katherine (Kay) Thorndike, late 30s.
The Republicans have chosen Grant Matthews to run for President. Grant is estranged from his wife Mary, and he has become romantically involved with Kay Thorndike, a newspaper publisher.
According to journalist-playwright Sidney Blumenthal "The play's events... allude toWendell Willkie, the utility company head who became the surprise Republican candidate for president in 1940. 'This is a play about a businessman who is a dark-horse candidate.' "[8] According toGerald Bordman, "Many critics and playgoers saw more than a touch of the late Wendell Willkie in Matthews".[9]
Lewis Nichols, reviewing for theNew York Times, wrote: "While every boy inherits the right to grow up to be President of the United States, it takes additional talent to write a good play about it.... With wonderfully funny lines and situations, the new comedy about politics also has enough sentiment to keep it from being farce."[10] In a later column, Nichols wrote: " 'State of the Union' is a comedy with a serious purpose...it briskly wonders why there must be horsetrading rather than honesty, why...the country's people are again losing faith in the ideals.... Certain aspects of the play suggest that the authors admired the late Wendell Willkie in his politically iconoclastic ideas, but the comedy is not a biography."[11]
In 1948 the play wasadapted for a film directed byFrank Capra. The film starsSpencer Tracy andKatharine Hepburn.[12]
