Key Largo (play)

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Key Largo was a play written in blank verse by Maxwell Anderson that became the basis for the 1948 film by the same name.

[edit] Plot

A deserter of the Spanish American War played by Paul Muni redeems himself in death by defending the family of a true war hero against some bandits on the tiny island of Key Largo, Florida.

[edit] History

The play only ran for 104 performances in 1939. The rights to the play were bought by producer Jerry Wald. Wald convinced maverick film director John Huston to turn this into the 1948 film Key Largo starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

The film script was heavily changed from the play. John Huston was so angered at the deficiencies in the play that he barred producer Jerry Wald from the set of the film. It was believed that Huston was in a rage over the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings and didn't want to adapt a play by a reactionary who hated Franklin Delano Roosevelt.