The Second Man

Summary

BBC production of S. N. Behrman’s comedy The Second Man.

Theatre play

The Second Man by S. N. [Samuel Nathaniel] Behrman (1893-1973) [more information]

Play synopsis

Set in in Clark Storey’s flat on the West Side of New York, The Second Man is a comedy that ‘concerns a hack writer faced with a romantic choice between a wealthy woman who supports him financially and a beautiful younger woman who adores him. This portrait of a character in a state of indecision was praised by critics for its cultured, witty dialog and its subtle insight into human psychology’. (Source: http://snbehrman.com/biography.htm.)

Production history

The Second Man is a dramatization of a story written for The Smart Set in 1919 and, when produced by the Theater Guild in 1927, it made his reputation. Noël Coward acted in a London production of the play. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._N._Behrman.)

Date of transmission

Sunday 24 March 1957

Time

8.30pm (90 mins)

Series

Sunday-Night Theatre

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Joy Harington

Playwright

S. N. [Samuel Nathaniel] Behrman (1893-1973)

Designer

Stephen Bundy

Cast

Jeremy Hawk	Clark Storey
Helen Horton	Kendall Frayne
Errol MacKinnon	Austin Lowe
Judith Wyler	Monica Grey

Additional details

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

America, as theme or setting; American drama; comedy

Print sources

Title

Contrasted Plays: The Second Man and Catch a Falling Star (Newspaper review)

Reference

The Manchester Guardian, 25 March 1957, p. 12

Title

Radio Times, 22 March 1957 (Magazine)

Linking notes

pp. 7 (article) and 13 (listing)