The Butter and Egg Man
by George S Kaufman
Highlights
What readers are saying
Readers find The Butter and Egg Man a delightful comedy filled with energy and creativity. The opening scene captivates audiences as it introduces the frantic efforts of the producers to save their show.
Synopsis
In a rare solo play by George S. Kaufman, an innocent, naive named Peter Jones, the “butter-and-egg man” of the title (a 1920s slang term for a wealthy rural businessman eager to spend large amounts of money in the big city), arrives on Broadway from Chillicothe, Ohio, hoping to invest $20,000 in a play and turn a profit large enough to buy a local hotel back home.
He is conned by shady producer Joe Lehman and his partner Jack McClure into backing their play with a 49-percent stake.
After the play bombs out of town, Lehman and McClure want out.
Jones buys them out, then revamps the show into a huge hit.
Jones then sells the play back to them at a huge profit after learning from a lawyer that the play was plagiarized.
He returns home to Ohio — with his new love Jane Weston, Lehman’s office girl — to buy his hotel.
Press Reviews
"If you like smart, funny, sentimental, satirical comedies, here is a chance to enjoy yourself"
— The New York Herald Tribune
"the wittiest and liveliest jamboree of the behind-the-scenes ever distilled from the atmosphere of Broadway." — The Sun"The audience nearly laughed itself to death"
— The New York Evening Post
"Way before Mel Brooks created Max Bialystock, George S. Kaufman used the stock theatrical character of a producer short on cash and ethics and big on ambition to spin a comedy that was driven by one-liners and duplicitous shenanigans."
— Elyse Sommer
Publication
The Butter and Egg Man is a comedy play written by George S Kaufman and published by Samuel French (2021).
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