What Price Glory? (play)
| What Price Glory? | |
|---|---|
Leyla Georgie in the play | |
| Written by | Maxwell Anderson and Laurence Stallings |
| Date premiered | September 3, 1924 |
| Place premiered | Plymouth Theatre |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | Company Headquarters in a French farmhouse in the zone of advance; a cellar in a disputed town; and the bar at Cognac Pete's. |
What Price Glory? is a 1924 comedy-drama written by poet/playwright Maxwell Anderson and journalist/critic/veteran Laurence Stallings. It was Anderson's first commercial success, with a long run on Broadway, starring Louis Wolheim.
The play depicted the rivalry between two U.S. Marine Corps officers fighting in France during World War I.
The play was notable for its profanity, "toot goddam sweet," etc., and for censorship efforts by military and religious groups. These efforts failed when the primary censorship authority, Rear Admiral Charles P. Plunkett, was revealed by columnist Heywood Broun to have written a far more vulgar series of letters to a General Chatelaine.
The play's success allowed Anderson to quit teaching and journalism, and start his long and successful career as a professional playwright. It was included in Burns Mantle's The Best Plays of 1924-1925.