Golden Boy (play)

For other uses, see Golden Boy.

Golden Boy is a drama by Clifford Odets. The play was initially produced on Broadway by The Group Theatre in 1937. Odets' biggest hit was made into a 1939 film of the same name, starring William Holden in his breakthrough role, and also served as the basis for a 1964 musical.

Plot

It focuses on Joe Bonaparte, whose dream of becoming a violinist could become a reality when prizefight promoter Roxy Gottlieb offers to sponsor him as a boxer. He finds himself torn between the lure of big money and the distinct possibility of injuring his hands, thereby destroying his musical career. Among those offering him advice are his Italian immigrant father, his manager Tom Moody, and Tom's girlfriend Lorna Moon, with whom Joe falls in love.Nugent, Frank S. "Movie Review Golden Boy (1939)", The New York Times, September 8, 1939

Production history

Following his 1935 successes Waiting for Lefty and Awake and Sing!, Odets had headed to Hollywood to script The General Died at Dawn with the intention of using his salary to support the Group Theatre, the independent theatre company that had produced his earlier plays,Lahr, John.The New Yorker, April 17, 2006 despite his previous protests against large corporations, including movie studios. His own internal struggle to choose between art and materialism became the...
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