| Jupiter Laughs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | A. J. Cronin |
| Premiere | |
| Date | March 4, 1940 (1940-03-04)1 |
| Place | King's Theatre, Glasgow |
| Author | A. J. Cronin |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Play |
| Publisher | Gollancz (UK) Little, Brown (US) |
| Publication date | 1940 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 190 |
| OCLC | 1498417 |
| ASIN B000OHEBC2 | |
Jupiter Laughs is A. J. Cronin's 1940 play in three acts about a doctor who falls in love with a colleague—a woman doctor who plans to become a medical missionary. The play was first staged in Glasgow at the King's Theatre and starred Henry Longhurst, Catherine Lacey and James Mason.1 In September 1940, it opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre and starred Alexander Knox and Jessica Tandy.2 Film adaptations include Shining Victory, with James Stephenson and Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Ich suche Dich ("I Seek You") with O.W. Fischer and Anouk Aimée.3
Reception
Brooks Atkinson panned the play in his September 10, 1940, review in The New York Times, criticizing the work itself and its realization. "Dr. Cronin…is all thumbs in the theater… the story is maudlin and the characters cut out of colored cardboard. If the drama has any interior meaning, it does not penetrate the mechanical performance that Reginald Denham has directed."4
Adaptations
Shining Victory, a 1941 Warner Bros. film starring James Stephenson and Geraldine Fitzgerald, is based on Jupiter Laughs.5
References
References
- "Dr Cronin's First Play - "Jupiter Laughs" at the King's: James Mason's Fine Performance". The Glasgow Herald. 5 March 1940. p. 8. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- "Jupiter Laughs: Biltmore Theatre". IBDB. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- Goble, Alan (1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film (reprint ed.). Walter de Gruyter. p. 99. ISBN 9783110951943. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- "THE PLAY IN REVIEW; 'Jupiter Laughs' Is First Drama Written by Dr. A.J. Cronin--Professor Dante's 'Sim Sala Bim'--The Lunts Return to Broadway". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- "Shining Victory". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved 9 May 2026.