JUNE MOON

   Ring Lardner and George S. Kaufman collaborated on this three-act comedy inspired by Lardner's short story, "Some Like 'Em Cold." Produced by Sam H. Harris, it opened on 9 October 1929 for 273 performances at the Broadhurst Theatre. A light satire of Tin Pan Alley, the burgeoning New York City center of songwriting and publishing activity, the play focuses on Fred M. Stevens, who quits a steady job in a Schenectady, New York, shipping firm to become a songwriter. When he scores a hit writing "June Moon" in partnership with Paul Sears, who is living on the proceeds of his hit song "Paprika: The Spice of My Life," Fred's inflated ego causes him to abandon his naïve girlfriend, Edna Baker, in favor of a fling with Sears's avaricious sister-in-law, Eileen, who is only too pleased to spend Fred's new fortune. Maxie, a sarcastic piano player, finally opens Fred's eyes to Eileen's gold-digging just as Fred is about to sail to Europe with her. He returns to Edna as the curtain falls. A 1933 revival managed only 49 performances, but a 1974 public television* production was well-received.