# Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ambrose_Applejohn's_Adventure > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ambrose_Applejohn's_Adventure.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_Applejohn's_Adventure > Source revision: 1331058206 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Play by Walter Hackett Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure Written by Walter Hackett Genre Comedy ***Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure*** is a 1921 [play](/source/Play_(theatre)) written by [Walter Hackett](/source/Walter_Hackett). It was a hit on the [West End](/source/West_End_theatre), where it ran for 18 months, and also on [Broadway](/source/Broadway_(theatre)), where it was performed under the title ***Captain Applejack***. It has been adapted multiple times as a movie and also as a stage [musical](/source/Musical_theatre). ## Plot Ambrose Applejohn is bored with his life in [Cornwall](/source/Cornwall), where he lives with his ward, Poppy Faire. He decides to sell his country estate so he can find excitement elsewhere. Several strangers appear at his door, all claiming reasons to be there that have nothing to do with the sale. One woman says she is a Russian dancer trying to defect, and a man claims to be looking for her. A couple says their car has broken down. Applejohn assumes they are all really prospective buyers investigating his home. That night Applejohn dreams he is a pirate, Captain Applejack. His visitors appear in the dream as his adversaries. The next day, he discovers that the visitors are thieves hunting for a [treasure map](/source/Treasure_map) hidden in the house. Applejohn and Faire overcome the criminals, and he decides that life in Cornwall is exciting enough after all. ## Productions The play debuted at London's [Criterion Theatre](/source/Criterion_Theatre) in 1921. The play was [previewed](/source/Preview_(theatre)) at the [Theatre Royal, Brighton](/source/Theatre_Royal%2C_Brighton) on 11 July 1921, under the title *Spanish Treasure*. After being retitled *Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure*, it made its [West End](/source/West_End_theatre) debut at the [Criterion Theatre](/source/Criterion_Theatre) on 19 July 1921. [Charles Hawtrey](/source/Charles_Hawtrey_(actor_born_1858)) produced and starred as Applejohn; [Marion Lorne](/source/Marion_Lorne) played Poppy Faire. The play continued at the Criterion over a year, until 19 August 1922, with 454 performances.[1] It then moved to the [Savoy Theatre](/source/Savoy_Theatre) on the [Strand](/source/Strand%2C_London), opening there on 2 October 1922 and running until 27 January 1923, with 139 performances.[2] While the West End production was still ongoing, a [Broadway](/source/Broadway_(theatre)) production was launched, this time titled *Captain Applejack*. [Wallace Eddinger](/source/Wallace_Eddinger) played Applejohn, with [Phoebe Foster](/source/Phoebe_Foster) as Faire. [Sam H. Harris](/source/Sam_H._Harris) produced. It opened on 30 December 1921 at the [Cort Theatre](/source/Cort_Theatre), where it ran for 195 performances, closing in June 1922. In 1922 the play made its first appearance in [Australia](/source/Australia), opening at the [Criterion Theatre](/source/Criterion_Theatre_(Sydney)) in [Sydney](/source/Sydney) on 2 September 1922, with [Lawrence Grossmith](/source/Lawrence_Grossmith) starring as Applejohn.[3] ## Cast and characters The characters and cast from the West End and Broadway productions are given below: [Charles Hawtrey](/source/Charles_Hawtrey_(actor_born_1858)) produced and starred in the West End production. [Hilda Moore](/source/Hilda_Moore) played Anna Valeska in the West End production. Cast of the West End and Broadway productions Character Criterion Theatre cast[1] Savoy Theatre cast[2] Cort Theatre cast[4] Ambrose Applejohn Charles Hawtrey Charles Hawtrey Wallace Eddinger Poppy Faire Marion Lorne Marion Lorne Phoebe Foster Horace Pengard Edward Rigby Edward Rigby Alec F. Thompson Ferdinand Gottschalk Lush Arthur Fayne Arthur Fayne John Gray Mrs. Pengard Annie Esmond Annie Esmond Helen Lackaye Anna Valeska Hilda Moore Hilda Moore Mary Nash Ivan Borolsky Leslie Faber Clifton Alderson William Stack Hamilton Revelle Dennett Wilson Blake C. Fairlie Wilson Blake Walter F. Scott Johnny Jason H. V. Surrey Austin Fairman Austin Fairman Harold Vermilye Mrs. Agatha Whatcombe Mona Harrison Mona Harrison Marie Wainwright Marie Winifred McCarthy Christine Rayner Christine Rayner Palmer Maud Andrew ## Reception A reviewer for *[The Spectator](/source/The_Spectator)* "thoroughly enjoyed" the play, despite criticizing it as "silly" and "loosely put together".[5] In *The New York Times*, [Alexander Woollcott](/source/Alexander_Woollcott) praised the play as a "droll and ingenious farce".[4] ## Adaptations In 1923, [Louis B. Mayer](/source/Louis_B._Mayer) produced an adaptation of the play as a [silent film](/source/Silent_film), titled *[Strangers of the Night](/source/Strangers_of_the_Night)*, directed by [Fred Niblo](/source/Fred_Niblo), and which starred [Matt Moore](/source/Matt_Moore_(actor)), [Enid Bennett](/source/Enid_Bennett), and [Barbara La Marr](/source/Barbara_La_Marr). [Warner Brothers](/source/Warner_Brothers) produced a [sound film](/source/Sound_film) adaptation, titled *[Captain Applejack](/source/Captain_Applejack)*, in 1931. [John Halliday](/source/John_Halliday_(actor)) and [Mary Brian](/source/Mary_Brian) starred, with direction by [Hobart Henley](/source/Hobart_Henley). In 1933, [R. P. Weston](/source/R._P._Weston) and [Bert Lee](/source/Bert_Lee) created a stage musical, *[He Wanted Adventure](/source/He_Wanted_Adventure)*, based on Hackett's play. ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-London107_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-London107_1-1) Wearing, J. P. (2014). *The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel* (2nd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. [107](https://books.google.com/books?id=5vFEAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA107). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8108-9301-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8108-9301-6). 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-London184_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-London184_2-1) Wearing, J. P. (2014). *The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel* (2nd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. [184](https://books.google.com/books?id=5vFEAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA184). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8108-9301-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8108-9301-6). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["*Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure*"](http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16022727). *The Sydney Morning Herald*. 4 September 1922. p. 5. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-woollcott_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-woollcott_4-1) [Woollcott, Alexander](/source/Alexander_Woollcott) (31 December 1921). ["The Play"](https://www.nytimes.com/1921/12/31/archives/the-play.html). *The New York Times*. Vol. 71, no. 23, 352. p. 14. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["*Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure* at the Criterion Theatre"](http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/30th-july-1921/17/ambrose-applejohns-adventure-at-the-criterion-thea). *The Spectator*. 30 July 1921. p. 141. ## External links - The full text of *[Captain Applejack](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b298635&view=1up&seq=7)* at [HathiTrust Digital Library](/source/HathiTrust_Digital_Library) - [*​Captain Applejack​*](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/10442) at the [Internet Broadway Database](/source/Internet_Broadway_Database) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_Applejohn's_Adventure) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_Applejohn's_Adventure?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.