Customer Reviews

A Memory of Two Mondays (Broadway Theatre Archive) [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
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Set in summer, 1933, in the depths of the Depression, Arthur Miller's most personal and intimate play focuses on the workers in a warehouse, a grim place in which men and women work for small wages and are grateful for the work. Appearing at the beginning of this production to set the scene, Miller observes that the Civil War and the Depression were the only times in American history in which the whole country was in the same boat-"You could not do a single thing that you wanted to do because no one had any money." The warehouse, he notes, became a grotesque sort of haven for the employees since they, at least, had jobs. Miller's own experience in a warehouse shows in his exceptionally realistic portrayal of the workers, men who often lose themselves in alcohol to escape reality, and women who must put up with sexual abuse and mistreatment to save their jobs.

Focusing primarily character, rather than plot, this intimate, made-for-TV production (1970) features a stellar cast of characters whose dreams have been deferred or destroyed: Bert (Kristoffer Tabori), a young boy who dreams of college; Kenny (Dan Hamilton), a young Irish immigrant with a song on his lips, poetry in his heart, and a yearning to see the sun through the begrimed windows; Raymond (Dick Van Patten), the sympathetic manager, who must ensure that the work gets done; Tommy Kelley (J. D. Cannon), an alcoholic accountant who becomes almost catatonic with drink, then is "saved"; Gus (Jack Warden), another drunk, called "King Kong" by the women in the office; Agnes (Estelle Parsons), a kind hearted receptionist who bursts into tears at the sadness of the lives around her. An equally talented subordinate cast, including Jerry Stiller as a mechanic, provides an exceptionally broad view of life.

As the characters reveal their inner lives within the warehouse, their emotional depressions become even more obvious than the economic Depression. When Gus, who has just lost his wife, suddenly enters wearing a new coat and fancy suit, after cashing in his life insurance policy, the scene is set for his confrontation with the boss and the eventual climax. The casting is superb, the acting is outstanding, and the dramatic action, all taking place in a dreary warehouse room, reveals both the camaraderie and the tension resulting from the enforced intimacy of characters who are not always compatible. Directed by Paul Bogart, this play shows Miller looking at everyday Depression life through a microscope, a dramatic change of focus from the broader, more universal themes which usually dominate his plays. Inspired by Miller's own life, this play speaks to the heart. Mary Whipple

Here, KULTUR's dub of a nearly 40-year-old broadcast videotape doesn't show damage or dropouts. Colors do lack vibrancy and there's an overall "soft" look that only detracts when being viewed on a super-large screen.


This PBS "Theater in America" presentation of A MEMORY OF TWO MONDAYS opens in the summer of 1933. It's a semi-autobiographic reminiscence by Arthur Miller about his time working in a grungy auto parts warehouse while trying to save up enough money to go to college. The young man who represents Miller (Dan Hamilton) speaks to the audience of leaving this depressing place behind, yet he will never forget the many co-workers who stay there even though they won't again think of him almost as soon as he walks out the door. It just rings true.

Three of the characters have serious drinking problems. One cleans up after a threat of dismissal, one takes to the bottle following the death of his wife while he's at work and the third, an educated deep thinker, battles demons during the play's second Monday that we never fully learn of.

Miller originally paired "Two Mondays" with another one-act play, "A View from the Bridge." They had a 159 performance Broadway run that began on 9/29/55. The cast included Richard Davalos, Eileen Heckart, Van Heflin, J. Carrol Naish and Jack Warden, who reprises here the role of widower Gus, the story's most tragic figure (of several).


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.

(7.6) A Memory of Two Mondays (TV-1971) - Jack Warden/Barnard Hughes/Harvey Keitel/Estelle Parsons/Tony Lo Bianco/Jerry Stiller/Catherine Burns/Dick Van Patten/George Grizzard/Earl Hindman