The Sunshine Boys Totally Explained

Everything about The Sunshine Boys totally explained

The Sunshine Boys is a play by Neil Simon that was produced on Broadway in 1972 and later adapted for film and television.
It focuses on aging Al Lewis and Willy Clark, a one-time vaudevillian team known as "Lewis and Clark" who, over the course of forty-odd years, not only grew to hate each other but never spoke to each other off-stage throughout the final year of their act. Clark, who wasn't ready for retirement, resented Lewis for breaking up the act when he opted to leave show business. It is now 1972 and CBS is inviting the team to reunite for a special on the history of comedy, with the pair representing the vaudeville era at its best. Clark is convinced by his nephew Ben to revive one of the old routines one last time. Much of the humor is derived from efforts to get the two cantankerous actors into the same room for a rehearsal, their differences of opinion once they reunite, and their shenanigans on the actual broadcast.
Neil Simon was inspired by two venerable vaudeville teams. The longevity of "Lewis and Clark" was inspired by Smith and Dale who, unlike their theatrical counterparts, were inseparable lifelong friends. The undercurrent of hostility between "Lewis and Clark" was inspired by the team of Gallagher and Shean, who were successful professionally but argumentative personally.

Theatre productions

After two previews, the original Broadway production, directed by Alan Arkin, opened on December 18 1972 at the Broadhurst Theatre. It transferred to the Shubert and then the Lunt-Fontanne before completing its 538-performance run. The original cast included Sam Levene as Lewis, Jack Albertson as Clark, and Lewis J. Stadlen as Ben. Replacements later in the run included Lou Jacobi as Lewis and Jack Gilford as Clark. Tony Award nominations went to Simon (Best Play), Albertson (Best Actor in a Play) and Arkin (Best Direction of a Play), and Albertson won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance.
In 1997, under the auspices of the National Actors Theatre, a production was mounted at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, and its success justified a transfer north. After twelve previews, the Broadway revival directed by John Tillinger opened on December 8 1997 at the Lyceum Theatre, where it ran for 230 performances. The cast included Tony Randall as Lewis, Jack Klugman as Clark, and Matthew Arkin as Ben.

Film adaptation

In 1975, Simon adapted his play for an MGM film produced by Ray Stark and directed by Herbert Ross. The cast included George Burns as Lewis, Walter Matthau as Clark, and Richard Benjamin as Ben, with Lee Meredith, F. Murray Abraham, Rosetta LeNoire, Howard Hesseman, and Ron Rifkin in supporting roles. Woody Allen originally was asked to direct, but he was more interested in playing the role of Lewis and declined the offer. Twenty years later he'd be cast as Lewis in a television adaptation.
Initially, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby were proposed for the leads, but Simon was opposed to the idea, as he felt the roles required Jewish comedians. Several actors, including Phil Silvers auditioned, and the roles eventually were given to Red Skelton and Jack Benny. Benny was forced to withdraw after being diagnosed with the pancreatic cancer that would soon kill him, and recommended his friend Burns, who hadn't been in a film since 1939, for the role. When Skelton eventually dropped out as well, possibly because he considered the material too "blue", he was replaced by Matthau.

Awards and nominations

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Burns, winner)
Academy Award for Best Actor (Matthau, nominee)
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)
Academy Award for Best Art Direction (nominee)
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy (winner)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Matthau, winner)
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor (Benjamin, winner)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Burns, nominee)
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay, Motion Picture (nominee)
BAFTA Award for Best Actor (Matthau, nominee)
BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay (nominee)
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium (winner)

Television adaptations

In 1995, Simon adapted his play yet again for a Hallmark Entertainment production that finally aired on December 28 1997. His teleplay updated the setting and made the two comedians the product of the early days of television, the medium in which the playwright got his start. Directed by John Erman, it starred Woody Allen as Lewis and Peter Falk as Clark, with Michael McKean, Liev Schreiber, Edie Falco, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Whoopi Goldberg in supporting roles.
There have been three German television versions of The Sunshine Boys, all entitled Sonny Boys. The 1982 adaptation starred Carl-Heinz Schroth and Johannes Heesters, the 1995 version featured Harald Juhnke and Wolfgang Spier, and Werner Schneyder and Dieter Hildebrandt appeared in the 2001 edition.

Further Information

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