Broadway last week reached the end of Tobacco Road. After seven and a half years, the 3,180th and last performance of history's longest continuously running drama was signalized by no valedictory speeches or mortuary effects. But in the third row sat slight, beaming Francis De Valiant, who was seeing the play for the 34th time and is, symbolically enough, advertising director of Fairchild Sons, Inc., New York undertakers.
During its 390-week run, Tobacco Road was advertised as "closing" 389 times, lost money during 70 weeks, just about broke even during 42 weeks....
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
