The Clothes "Make" The Man

By frankcraven.com

 A moral comedy of right and wrong

about good conduct and proper tongue.

The story of a farmer and his wife,

something comes between them to change their life;

that's almost scary and not so funny,

Colorful clothing and lots of money!

A shocking thing that causes great quarrels

but does not stop ones ethics and morals.

The sequel and third tale; explore deep love

and our inner power to change the law.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: frankcraven.com
• Release date: Mar 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201365097

frankcraven.com

Frank Craven is a famous name in early Hollywood as a ghost writer for MGM & Columbia Pictures, a character actor, pipe smoking gentleman that that did cameos and leads, a popular playwright/actor of Broadway comedies in the 1920,30 & 40's. His grandson, is the present day author/poet that has staged various original Off Off Broadway shows (a few are viewable at The Lincoln Center Libray theater on tape archive) and has a sharp bite on politics as a Vietnam draft dodging student reared in Barcelona, Spain. Under a harsh fascist dictatorship of Generalisimo Francisco Franco. His (famous) Dad, Actor John Craven (Original lead of Our Town, Two on Island & others and pioneer of TV in The Egg & I, and various other shows), was the Drama coach and Master Theater  Director of the INAS Institututo Americano de estudios Norte Americanos 1968-1975,  had to navigate the tricky McCarthy witchunt and advised his son "Keep your politics in your back pocket,son. When you go to the voting booth, you draw the curtain and its a private thing". Well, young Franky was unfairly pounced upon by tough rough cops and applauded Prez. Nixon having to step down from The Pentagon Papers and Watergate scandal in an era of authentic journalism and free press vs. presnt day scripted pseudo "news". A vociferous peace activist and champion for Human Rights  (Authority Vs. Majority) and eco rights (National Vanity Vs. Natural Sanity AKA: 4 Chats et 1 Loup) plus various Art Attack shows that proclaim eco friendly energy solutions to fossil fuel industry pollutions, alongside an ongoing public access cable TV program for the village of skyscrapers, since 1998 webstreamed via mnn.org called WA/HA? (A primordial patriot war cry, global native wailing) What's Ailing/Healing US America? A question we have a right/duty to ask/answer! On venus/Friday nights, Shebat Shalom, as an ongoing prayer vigil and self empowerment project that awakens consciousness for stuff that mainstream media avoids.

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Table of Contents

THE CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

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THE CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

1, 2 & 3  BY

FRANK CRAVEN

A moral comedy of right and wrong

about good conduct and proper tongue.

The story of a farmer and his wife,

something comes between them to change their life;

That’s almost scary and not so funny,

colorful clothing and lots of money.

Chapter two challenges authority

by deep conscientiousness exploring.

Chapter three tries to fix the prison jails

and asks; what is it, that our Lord God hails?

HISTORY OF THE PLAY, TRANSLATION AND TITLE

I’ve borrowed a classic, well-known phrase for the title, but I’ve put a twist on it (to sum up the show in a nutshell) by adding quotations marks to the word make.

Because it’s something everyone assumes, but; the clothes really don’t make the man, do they?

They don’t change one’s spiritual and moral convictions.  Nevertheless, this comedy hopes to raise some laughter and deepen the spiritual and moral convictions of the audience.

It was born in September of 1989, when a muse landed on my shoulder and wouldn’t stop whispering limericks and rhymes in my ear.

(I tend to think it was a leprechaun because it seemed to have the brogue of the Emerald Isle.)

What’s more, my maternal grandfather Frank Langan, was born in New York City, but was a child of a greenhorn from County Mayo, my and Dad’s (thespian) grandparents hail from Irish bloodlines, aye, thick as pea soup (and twice a green).  Ol’ Frank Langan trailblazed the lathers (iron workers ) Union and married my grandmother: Lillian Zimmerman, a Russian Jewess...raising five children during the Depression of the thirties.  That must be fertile ground for other plays: They all grew up to glorify the American Dream as solid citizens, sprouting countless cousins.

Well, I was resting upstate in the country with my folks, exhausted after having staged a gruesome political play about torture throughout prisons in Latin America.  It was a love story of a Colonel with a conscience (and covert CIA aid to support dictatorships to keep workers from striking or revolting).

The show was a fundraiser for Greenpeace, Amnesty International and Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo (for families of the missing in Guatemala.)  With 20 cast members and two-month run, audiences cried and warmly shook my hand afterwards. Authority Contra-Versus Majority, an expanded remake of the original Aut vs. Maj (done on June 12, 1982 for the biggest disarmament rally at the United Nations, and viewable at the Lincoln Center theatre/video library in New York City.) Connie Javinez, helped me type out the comedy\screenplay that garnered top prize at Houston Worldfest 1992 (out of 3,500 entries).

My vast family, with assorted youngsters, enjoy attending my plays.  Except that one, because it was just too brutal and scary.  They asked me to write something that they could enjoy with their children...

So, I included in my daily prayers a bid for inspiration to write something that would outlast me without any cursing or violence...something fun for young and old alike...

Voila!  Inspiration struck and I became obsessed with writing it...The original piece took about three weeks, then with the aid of Marie Dimarzo (who typeset it on the computer), it took us about a month to patiently polish the corners. 

Victoria Camille Hubbs (of Amherst, Massachusetts) then published a limited quantity, and tried to help me in my search for a church, school or theatre that would produce it in the Big Apple.  We couldn’t quite catch someone who felt that it was a delicious, delightful and dandy as we did.  NYC is notorious for shrugging its shoulders while the rest of the world gazes in fascination and shock.

So I moved (back) to Spain, and was thrilled to discover that my latest brain-child was actually being used at the British Institute of Barcelona as an aid in learning English as a Second Language.

Well, I bruised up my body by joining a futbol (soccer) match to round up English-speaking actors, as I’d heard that that’s where I could find a serious group who enjoy reading plays aloud.  I made a goal that day and found half my cast.  We eventually opened for an officially-staged reading at The British Institute on May 3rd, 1991.

Roger   Simon Postgate

Maggie    Richard Torrington

Magistrate  Charles Cummins

John    Frank Craven

Janice   Vicki Baker

Beggar   Michael Summers

I scheduled that debut date to honor the happy birthday of Fedora di Eugenio (a supportive fan and friend of mine who is an Italian diplomat).  Well, we had minimal props.  With script in hand, we walked through the scenes onstage with heated joy.  Our public was rather amused and so, our rehearsals paid off!  In fact, the actors often spoke in rhyme after our run-throughs. 

The Beggar barked out in an Irish accent, and I, too [as John] decided to use mine, but the cast insisted that I use my Standard English with a sprinkle of the Oxford Upper Crust.  It was Richard’s stage debut, and he looked absolutely ridiculous as a man in drag playing Maggie (English humor, old boy).  He and I were acting on the same television episode of Dark Justice at the time.

I just confess tremendous pride at the event (and I wore my tuxedo) because I was the first North American playwright to be produced by the British Council.  Being a cultural institution, all United Kingdom dramatists are considered, but never a Yank!

Well, Gerard Libero (a friend and former producer of mine) offered me a nice sum to continue the run of the show at another theatre, but I had to return to the USA and attend to John Craven’s [my father] heart surgery.  [He pulled through!]  My father was my drama teacher in high school. 

John Craven was the very first TV soap series lead actor in The Egg And I, I the days of live television.  Amongst various other Broadway lead roles, my dad also originated the most popular role in American theater: ‘George Gibbs’ in Our Town.

So, throughout the summer of 1991 until early Spring of 1992, I struggled with the TRANSLATION: with keen and vital help from Miquel Darnes, plus assorted assistance from Susana Allentorn and Ana Lladanosa i Usall and other Spanish friends that helped me translate the play into Catalan!  Now, Spanish is easier for me, and the market reaches about a third of the whole world, but six million people of the northeastern region of Spain speak that peculiar language and their versions vary from village to village!  It’s older than Castilian Spanish – by two centuries, close to Latin and more romantic.  It has a mystique that must have something to