The Desperate Hours
The Desperate Hours is a play by American author and playwright Joseph Hayes [1] (1918-2006). Originally a novel (1954) about a family held hostage in their own house by three escaped convicts, turned into a stage play by the author. This was first produced in 1955 on Broadway with Karl Malden and Paul Newman. Then made into a Hollywood film by William Wyler in 1955 with Humphrey Bogart and Frederic March, remade in 1990 by Michael Cimino with Mickey Rourke and others.
Contents
The original text
Translations and adaptations
Performance history in South Africa
1955: First produced in South Africa by Taubie Kushlick at His Majesty's Theatre Johannesburg, in association with ACT, starring Bill Brewer and Sadie Festenstein.
1958: A Durban production featured Malcolm Woolfson.
Sources
Tucker, 1997. 85.
Theatre programme (1958 production) held by NELM: [Collection: WOOLFSON, Malcolm L]: 1999. 113. 13. 17. 2.
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