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Silver Cord, The
Silver Cord, The (1926), a play by Sidney Howard. [John Golden Theatre, 112 perf.] Mrs. Phelps ( Laura Hope Crews) is a pathologically possessive mother determined to destroy the engagement of her son Robert ( Earle Larimore) to Hester ( Margalo Gillmore), as well as the marriage of her son David ( Eliot Cabot) and his wife, Christina ( Elizabeth Risdon). When Christina accuses her of being little more than a civilized cannibal, she responds, “I would cut off my hands and burn out my eyes to rid my son of you.” She succeeds in driving Hester to suicide and cowing Robert, but with Christina's encouragement David breaks his mother's “silver cord.” Gilbert Gabriel of the Sun called the Theatre Guild production “a play for the mature, the unafraid; and to them it guarantees an evening of excitive truths and rare dramatic instinct.” While many critics compared the piece favorably with George Kelly's study of a selfish spouse, Craig's Wife, it failed to find the large public of the earlier play.
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Cite this article
Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Silver Cord, The." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Silver Cord, The." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-SilverCordThe.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Silver Cord, The." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-SilverCordThe.html |
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Silver Cord, The
Silver Cord, The, play by Sidney Howard, produced in 1926 and published in 1927.
Mrs. Phelps, the widowed mother of David and Robert, has a pathological love for her sons that passes the maternal and causes her to employ every possible means to hold their love and destroy any attachment they may have for others. Her constant threatening and wheedling lead the younger son, Robert, to remain faithful to her, even though it means the breaking of his engagement with Hester, who in her desperation attempts suicide. David is nearly captured, but his stronger will, bolstered by that of his wife, Christina, permits him to escape from the silver cord of a mother fixation after Christina has finally made clear the nature of his mother's influence. |
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Cite this article
James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Silver Cord, The." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Silver Cord, The." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-SilverCordThe.html James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Silver Cord, The." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-SilverCordThe.html |
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