The Solid Gold Cadillac
Performances
October 4 & 5, 1956
Venue
Scottish Rite Temple
Synopsis
In the early 1950s, a little old lady, Mrs. Partridge, with only 10 shares of stock from the corporate giant, General Products, asks a question at the stock holders’ meeting. She wants to know how many hours does the chairman of the board work to earn his $170,000 yearly salary? Unable to quickly explain or answer her question properly, the board members offer Mrs. Partridge a job as liaison to minority stockholders. She accepts and creates wonderful relationships with all of the people who own only a few shares. She discovers something amiss and goes to the former company president, Edward L. McKeever, now working for the Federal government. When he learns of the mess made by the current board of directors–Blessington, Metcalf, Gillie and Snell–McKeever quits his government job and returns with Mrs. Partridge to fight to regain control of his old company. Things now look dark indeed, the wicked directors are about to triumph and Mrs. Partridge is fired, when suddenly proxies of all of the minority stockholders start to pour in, and thanks to them, Mrs. Partridge and Mr. McKeever triumph.
Authors: Howard Teichmann & George S. Kaufman
Historian’s Corner
In an effort to give a more balanced season and owing to the success of the mystery-drama “Dial ‘M’ for Murder” from last season, the Players offered a comedy, “Solid Gold Cadillac,” two dramas, “The Desperate Hours” and “Anastasia,” and a Noel Coward play with music, “Tonight at 8:30.” A try-out night was again set, and all five directors were in attendance at the Bamboo Room in the Rogers Hotel. “Tonight at 8:30” would use two directors.