Having Wonderful Time

Having Wonderful Time (1937), a comedy by Arthur Kober. [Lyceum Theatre, 372 perf.] Having quarreled with an older man whom she had been dating, Teddy Stern ( Katherine Locke), a Bronx stenographer, comes to Camp Kare‐Free in the Berkshires for a vacation. She is quickly courted by a young lawyer, Chick Kessler ( John Garfield, still billed as Jules Garfield), who is working as a waiter to meet expenses. Chick's eagerness puts off Teddy, but when she is next courted by an unscrupulous Lothario, Pinkie Aaronson ( Sheldon Leonard), she comes to appreciate Chick's sincerity. This comic view of Jewish camp life was turned into an even more successful musical, WISH YOU WERE HERE (1952), with a book by Kober and Joshua Logan and a score by Harold Rome. Patricia Marand was Teddy; Jack Cassidy, Chick; and Paul Valentine, Pinky. Notable songs: Wish You Were Here; Flattery; Where Did the Night Go? The tuneful musical comedy, which got a lot of publicity because of its practical swimming pool on the Imperial Theatre stage, ran for 598 performances. Arthur KOBER (1900–75) was born in Austria. These were his only successful plays.