AMERICAN MASTERS: EUGENE O'NEILL: A GLORY OF GHOSTS (TV)
Summary
One in this documentary series that explores the lives and achievements of America's most celebrated native-born and adopted artists and performers. Part one in this two-part documentary, hosted by Joanne Woodward, profiling playwright Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) through excerpts of his plays, dramatizations of quotations by O'Neill and his friends and associates, and interviews with scholars and actors, accompanied by biographical narration. After an introduction by Woodward, O'Neill's character and talent are explored through the words of his second and third wives, Agnes Boulton O'Neill and Carlotta Monterey O'Neill, and two drama critics and lifelong friends, Kenneth MacGowan and George Jean Nathan. Additional quotations from Susan Glaspell describe O'Neill's first theater production with the Provincetown Players. Included is an excerpt of his first play, "Bound East for Cardiff." Next comes a discussion of O'Neill's wild years as a sailor, during which he experienced extreme highs and lows; this period of his life later made its mark on many of his plays. O'Neill scholar and critic Travis Bogard speaks of the instability characteristic of O'Neill's young adulthood. Interspersed with scenes from the autobiographical play "Long Day's Journey Into Night" is information about O'Neill's family members and their itinerant life with his father's traveling production of "Monte Cristo." Comparisons are drawn between the characters of the Tyrone family in "Long Day's Journey" and members of the O'Neill family. The importance of O'Neill's strict Catholic education is also emphasized. The year 1912 is noted as pivotal in O'Neill's life; an attempted suicide and a bout with tuberculosis forced him into a period of solitary study and self-examination. He emerged from his convalescence and became involved in a group of radical artists in New York's Greenwich Village. At the same time he was adopted by the Provincetown Players as their premier playwright. Actor Walter Abel recalls the heyday of the Provincetown Players and O'Neill's role within the company. There is a discussion of O'Neill's marriage to Agnes Boulton, as well as the production of his first Pulitzer-Prize-winning play, "Beyond the Horizon."
The episode examines the autobiographical nature of O'Neill's work, his fearless tackling of difficult subject matter, and his novel dramatic techniques. There is a discussion of his two controversial plays dealing with race, "The Emperor Jones" and "All God's Chillun Got Wings," including information about the groundbreaking performance of actor Charles Gilpin and about O'Neill's experimental use of African drums. A scene from "The Emperor Jones," with Mario Van Peebles, follows. The words of Kenneth MacGowan illuminate the themes of freedom and belonging, which dominate O'Neill's next successful play, "The Hairy Ape." After showing a scene from "The Hairy Ape," the documentary describes O'Neill's introduction to lead actress Carlotta Monterey, who would become his wife. During a discussion of O'Neill's second Pulitzer-Prize-winning play, "Anna Christie," actress Colleen Dewhurst comments on the incredible challenge O'Neill's writing presents to actors. After a scene from that play, Dewhurst talks with actors Jason Robards and Walter Abel about O'Neill's next pieces, "A Moon For the Misbegotten" and "Desire Under the Elms." Robards offers a taste of "A Moon for the Misbegotten" and describes the struggles of the main character, which reflect the struggles of O'Neill and his brother James over their mother's death in 1922. In 1923 James O'Neill died a premature death, and "Desire Under the Elms" came to the stage. For the next few years, O'Neill and his family lived between Bermuda and New York, and he worked on his third Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "Strange Interlude." Information follows about the breakdown of O'Neill's marriage to Agnes Boulton and his ensuing marriage to Carlotta Monterey, motivated in part by the demands of his artistic career. The newlyweds set up housekeeping in a French chateau, in which O'Neill went on to write an unsuccessful play, "Dynamo," and the trilogy "Mourning Becomes Electra." Quotations from O'Neill follow regarding his aims in the trilogy. Scholar and critic Travis Bogard then speaks about the important role played by Carlotta O'Neill in her husband's life and about the sacrifices she made for his work. Next, the plays "Days Without End" and "Ah, Wilderness!" are surveyed through the words of O'Neill and George Jean Nathan. In 1936, O'Neill won the Nobel Prize for literature, which financed his next move to a home and sanctuary called Tao House in northern California. During the years in Tao House O'Neill produced several famous works, including "The Iceman Cometh" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night." O'Neill was still troubled during this period, however, first by the conflict of World War II, then by the disappointing reception of "The Iceman Cometh," and finally by his own encroaching Parkinson's disease, which interrupted his authorship of a lengthy cycle of plays. The program concludes with information about the final dark days of O'Neill's life, and about the recent extremely successful revival of his works, beginning with Jose Quintero's production of "The Iceman Cometh." Included are excerpts of "The Iceman Cometh" with Jason Robards.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by Rosalind P. Walter, 1999.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
- DATE: September 8, 1986 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:23:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:58856
- GENRE: Arts documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Perry Miller Adato Archive Project; Theater; She Made It Collection (Perry Miller Adato); Dramatists
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1986-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Susan Lacy … Executive Producer
- Susan Lacy … Executive Producer
- Jac Venza … Executive Producer
- Harlene Freezer … Coordinating Producer
- Joan Kramer … Producer
- Megan Callaway … Producer
- Perry Miller Adato … Producer, Director
- Jac Venza … Executive Director
- David Heeley … Director
- John L. Miller … Writer
- Paul Shyre … Writer
- Robert Dennis … Music by
- Jonathan Tunick … Theme music by
- Joanne Woodward … Host
- John Adams … Music (Misc. credits), Music Supervisor
- Erika Gottfried … Researcher
- Zoe Caldwell … Cast, Carlotta Monterey O'Neill
- Frances Conroy … Cast, Agnes Boulton O'Neill
- Frank Converse … Cast, George Jean Nathan
- Joel Fabiani … Cast, Kenneth MacGowan
- Jeffrey DeMunn … Voice, Eugene O'Neill
- Blythe Danner … Cast, Anna Christie
- Geraldine Fitzgerald … Cast
- Bette Henritze … Cast
- Thomas Hulce … Cast
- Lo Bianco, Tony … Cast
- James Naughton … Cast
- Robards, Jason (See also: Robards, Jason, Jr.) … Cast
- Van Peebles, Mario … Cast
- Walter Abel
- Travis Bogard
- Colleen Dewhurst
- Charles Gilpin
- Susan Glaspell
- James O'Neill
- Jose Quintero