The 1935 Broadway comedy, Sweet Mystery of Life, closed after 11 performances. You’d think this play was ideally suited to Depression-era audiences: Greedy associates of a hypochondriac businessman convince him to purchase a $5 million life insurance policy, naming them as beneficiaries. Then they try to cause the businessman’s demise by encouraging him to indulge in rigorous and unhealthy behaviour. … Continue reading The Big-Screen Success of a Broadway Flop