Emperor Jones - Where The Cross Is Made
The Theatre Guild On The Air
ABC - November 11, 1945
I assume this adaptation was made with O'Neill's permission maybe with his participation, he was at the height of his abilities as a writer when it was made, his best work came last. These aren't the only O'Neill plays presented on the radio by The Theater Guild Of The Air.
Where The Cross Is Made is one of those one-acts that I said would make a good focus for audio theater adaptations. Apparently someone else had that idea a long time before I did. I knew nothing about the play before finding this video. It's clear that when it was first presented O'Neill was very involved with the production.
Here's an interesting account of the first production from the Province Town Playhouse.
The adaptation of The Emperor Jones removed the original use of the "N" word, which was an issue with the various actors who played the title role from the first production. I haven't studied the background of the play to see the extent to which O'Neill confirmed the claims that it was conceived as a criticism of imperialism in the tragic history of Haiti or if the flight through the rain forest was really inspired by O'Neill's experience in Central America. I'd prefer to have posted the other play without this one with all it's problems. Though the adaptation is more effective than the movie they made of it in the 1930s, the only production of it I ever saw.
Considering the place that madness and delusions play in both plays it's rather natural that they'd have been produced together.
Perhaps the most stunning feature of the recording is the message from the United States Steel Corporation president in which he boasts about the companies good labor relations. That as well as them broadcasting O'Neill shows that it was a much different world. I can't imagine a corporation doing anything like this now.
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