Hello Out There (1941)

Original Broadway Production - September 29th to November 7th, 1942 at the Belasco Theatre. 

Producer - Eddie Dowling

Director - Eddie Dowling

Setting - Watson Barrett

 

Original Cast 

Photo Finish - Eddie Dowling

Ethel - Julie Haydon

The Man - John Farrell

Another Man - Farrell Pelly

The Woman - Ann Driscoll

 

Notes:

Hello Out There was first produced in September 1941 by The Selznicki Company at Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA. It was directed by John Houseman, former collaborator with Orsen Welles and future Oscar-winning actor. 

Hello Out There was produced in 1950 as a short film directed by James Whale (Frankenstein), but was never commercially released. It starred Harry Morgan and Marjorie Steele. It was Whale's final film.

 The play was also shot by the Market House Theatre and Paducah Two in 1980. James Robbin and Bernadette O'Bryan starred, along with Garry Massa and Rebecca Fletcher. 

The Player's Theatre in Hollywood produced Hello Out There in 1955 with legendary film director Preston Sturges directing, and starring Harold Gordon and Cathy O'Donnell. 

In 1963, Al Pacino made his Broadway stage debut in a production of Hello Out There. 

Composer Jack Beeson created an opera around Hello Out There that premiered in 1960. In the liner notes for the 1960 Destio Recirds recording, Saroyan concludes his remarks with "This is the second time I have listened to it, and damned if I don't like it."

 

Associated Materials:

 

In the Forever Saroyan collection:

Hello Out There/Professor Tosti program, 1945, Master Institute Theatre New York, PB017

Hello Out There, 1949, Samuel French, B292

Hello Out There, 1949, Samuel French, B293

Hello Out There, 1949, Samuel French, B294

Hello Out There, 1949, Samuel French, B295