Arms and the Man

Summary

1958 BBC Television production of G. B. Shaw’s Arms and the Man.

Theatre play

Arms and the Man by [George] Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) [more information]

Play synopsis

A comedy ‘that takes place in 1885, during the Serbo-Bulgarian War. Raina Petkoff is engaged to the gallant Sergius Saranoff, hero of the recent Bulgarian victory over the Serbs. But she is distracted by the abrupt arrival of Captain Bluntschli, a Swiss mercenary who fought for the Serbian army. He takes refuge in her bedroom after the battle and although he is initially threatening, reveals that he carries chocolates instead of bullets. Will Raina marry the posturing Sergius or the chocolate cream soldier? Extra intrigue is provided by saucy servant girl Louka, her dour fiance Nicola, and Raina’s hand-wringing parents.' Source: https://archive.org/details/armsandtheman_1003_librivox.

Production history

The play was first produced on 21 April 1894 at the Avenue Theatre, London, and published in 1898.

Date of transmission

Sunday 5 October 1958

Time

8.45-10.10pm

Series

Sunday-Night Theatre

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Alan Bromly

Playwright

[George] Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Designer

Stephen Bundy

Cast

Stanley Baker	Major Sergius Saranoff
Ina de la Haye	Catherine Petkoff
Carl Duering	in an unnamed part
Joanna Dunham	Louka
Geoffrey Keen	Nicola
Alan MacNaughtan (1920-2002)	Captain Bluntschli
Susan Maryott	Raina Petkoff
Ian Wallace	Major Petkoff

Additional details

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

19th-century setting; comedy; marriage; wartime, as theme or setting

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 3 October 1958 (Newspaper review)

Linking notes

article, p. 7; listing, p. 13

Title

War No Longer Romantic: Arms and the Man not Sizzling Now (Newspaper review)

Reference

The Times, 6 October 1958, p. 3