Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (1960)

Jason Robards burst onto the Broadway scene in 1956 with his performance in Eugene O'Neill's devastating Iceman Cometh, playing the central role of Hickey, a salesman who comes to a rundown bar on a mission to bring peace to its boozing denizens by lifting their illusions--only to wreak disaster on them and himself. Four years later, director Sidney Lumet (later to direct such classics as Dog Day Afternoon and Network) made this skillful television version of the play, bringing back Robards, along with a sterling collection of character actors (particularly Myron McCormick as a former communist who comes to see his reasonableness as a form of cowardice) and a young Robert Redford (in a strikingly unheroic role). Robards became famous for his roles in many O'Neill plays; his galvanizing performance drives The Iceman Cometh and makes this production one of the landmarks of television drama. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

celebrated TV drama

In the Golden Age of Television, there were some productions which became instantly legendary. Some have (unfortunately) disappeared; others are making their way back into the public eye, thanks to enterprises like the Broadway Theater Archive. And so this famous production of O'Neill's THE ICEMAN COMETH, directed by Sidney Lumet, has been available, and it remains a revelation.

The power of O'Neill's writing, rendered with conviction and total empathy by the impeccable cast, is overwhelming. And Jason Robards justifies all the claims of his greatness as the quintessential O'Neill interpreter. With this production, his role in LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT and A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN, Robards made his claim as the premier O'Neill actor, a claim which has not yet been disputed. Here, as Hickey, he brings so much dread and horror, yet also so much humor and brashness, that Hickey becomes totally mythic, a man who has set out to live out an extreme truth, because he has faced life and found it intolerable.

In terms of the production: the production values were skimpy at best, and the visual quality... who are we kidding? There is no visual quality! But there is great energy and pacing, and Lumet shows some of his talent for unleashing the resources of his actors. So many of the actors, for years afterwards, remained so associated with their roles here that it was often a shock to see them in other work. For all its shortcomings as an audiovisual work, as a record of one of the classic theater events of the 1950s, this DVD is invaluable. May 5, 2008

The Iceman Cometh

Sir
I have not received this item yet. It is now 30th Dec.2007 and I am not too impressed that the items I purchased have not arrived

Regards
William Kavanagh December 30, 2007

THE STUFF DREAMS ARE NOT MADE OF

The dreams of the very wretched of the earth are different from you and I. Or are they? This is the true subject matter of Eugene O'Neill fine play. Very little action, lots of drinking, lots of dreaming, lots philosophizing and in a low down gin mill to boot doesn't sound like the makings of a great American play. But, it is. This thing turns into a microcosm of American society in the early part of the 20th century. Between shots of whiskey and beer the denizens of this small work exhibit all the emotions, contradictions, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of life that the rest of us `normals' have to face. Except, for dramatic effect, those flophouse devotees get their noses rubbed in it by one Harry Hickey- traveling salesman, former chief denizen who now has got `religion' and wants to spread his newfound `glad tidings'. Spare us from the Hickeys of the world-a little dreaminess and a couple of illusions never hurt anyone. Did they? Although in O'Neill's hands the dialogue is a little stilted and the characters are a little stereotyped and wooden the point he is trying to make gets across just fine. This is a must read on your American drama list. Needless to say Jason Robards as elsewhere in O'Neill's work defines the role of Harry Hickey June 20, 2007

Robards was incredible!!!!

I can't get enough of Hickey. O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh" captures what all of us pipe dreamers know:'My pipe dream helps me face my reality. Please don't take it away. I might go nuts.' Poor Hickey didn't realize that getting rid of his pipe dream made him totally "bughouse". Jason Robards' manic portrayal was wrenching. His final scene gives me chills.

His portrayal of Jamie in "Long Day's Journey..." was also incredible. It brings tears to my eyes.

Robards' interpretation of the dispossessed strikes a cord deep within that you might find hard to listen to.

I wasn't around when he gave his performances of these two O'Neill plays in 1956-58 but I am so glad someone had the good sense to capture the "staged" production of "Iceman" on celuloid. If only "Long Day's journey..." were similarly captured.
July 21, 2006

A Great Version of a Great Play

Many people, including me, believe The Iceman Cometh is Eugene O'Neil's best play, even better than Long Day's Journey into Night. Iceman is one of the deepest dives into the American psyche ever put on stage. The bad news about the Broadway Theater Archive DVD (originally released as a teleplay by CBS in 1960) is that its production values are primitive. The good news is that this Sidney Lumet television version is based on Jose Quintero's definitive 1956 Broadway production. The best news is that Jason Robards reprises his Broadway role as Hickey.

The setting is Harry Hope's saloon, and the year is 1912. Harry's regulars, a diverse lot of misfits and failures, spend their days drinking and dreaming of the things they're going to do when they get right again. Into their midst bursts the drummer Hickey, right on time for his annual bender. But this year Hickey's different. He's not drinking; he's not making his usual jokes about finding his wife in bed with the iceman; and he's on a mission to help Harry's regulars wise up and let go of their pipe dreams.

Hickey uses his salesman's pep and charm to convince his old drinking buddies to pick up the burdens they set down in favor of gin-induced oblivion. The toughest nut for Hickey to crack is Larry, a former labor radical who claims to be sick of life and through with caring about other people. Larry has his own distraction. Don, the son of Larry's old girlfriend, has shown up bearing a load of guilt he wants Larry to help him carry. Larry's mask of indifference keeps slipping, and he keeps trying to push it back into place.

Over four mesmerizing acts we see what happens to Harry's little community when they cast off their illusions. We learn why Hickey's changed, and why it's so important to him that the others wise up, just like he has.

With one glaring exception, the large cast is excellent. Farrell Pelly as Harry Hope and Myron McCormack as Larry anchor the rolling chaos of the saloon. Tom Pedi as the bartender Rocky provides a rude energy that keeps things moving. Jason Robards lit up the theater world when he played Hickey on Broadway. His is the definitive portrayal, one of the great turns on the American stage. Hickey's final speech, about how he overcame his own pipe dreams, is worth the price of the DVD by itself. The glaring exception is Don, played by a very young Robert Redford. Don is a difficult part, a weak man who's done an unsavory thing, for whom we're supposed to feel pity. Redford just isn't up to it, which drags down this part of the plot.

O'Neil is showing us the American Century in embryo. Its bottom social layer was awhirl in vague dreams and murderous rages, filled with people fighting a desperate rear guard action against despair. O'Neil isn't judging here, simply trying to understand. His language and his compassion for these characters pin the play down in time and space. His insight that human illusions are both necessary and lethal give the play universal implications.

Iceman has been revived several times since this version aired. I'm not sure modern American actors can get to the emotional core of this play any more. For all of its criminality, all the boozing and profanity and violence, there's innocence in these characters, and a sweetness in the way they care for one another that's probably passed out of American life. Mid-century America still had it to some degree, which is why this is the version of Iceman you want to see.


February 1, 2006

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