A Little Bit of Fluff (play) explained

A Little Bit of Fluff is a British farce written by Walter W. Ellis which was first staged in 1915 and went on to have a long original run.^[1] Starring Ernest Thesiger, it ran at the Criterion Theatre, London, between 1915–1918, for a total of 1241 performances.^[2]

Original production

The play opened at the Criterion Theatre on October 27, 1915, with the following cast: ^[3]

• Ernest Thesiger as Bertrand Tully
• George Desmond as John Ayers
• Marjorie Maxwell as Pamela
• Ruby Miller as Maimie
• Stanley Lathbury as Trippett
• Alfred Drayton as Dr. Bigland
• Violet Gould as Ursula
• Lilian Talbot as Aunt Hannah
• Dulcie Greatwich as Chalmers

Critical reception

Writing of the original production, The Annual Register described the play as "a really first-rate farce", and the performance of Ernest Thesiger (playing the comic hero), as "wonderful".^[2]

Other productions

The play, with Stanley Lathbury from the London cast, opened on Broadway in August 1916 at the 39th Street Theatre, but closed after only 17 performances.^[4] It was revived in London at the Ambassadors Theatre in 1923, with Thesiger reprising his role as Tully; and at the Ambassadors once more, in 1943.^{[5] [6]}

Adaptations

The play was twice turned into films during the silent era. A 1919 film A Little Bit of Fluff, again with Thesiger, Stanley Lathbury and Alfred Drayton, directed by Kenelm Foss; and the 1928 film A Little Bit of Fluff which featured Betty Balfour, the most popular British actress of the day, and Sydney Chaplin, Charlie Chaplin's elder half-brother.^{[7] [8] [9]}

Bibliography

• Low, Rachael. History of the British Film, 1918-1929. George Allen & Unwin, 1971.

Notes and References

1. Low p.149
2. Web site: "A Little Bit of Fluff"Ernest Thesiger as Bertram TullyWest Pier, BrightonOctober 11Criterion Theatre, LondonOctober 27, 1915 - ?, 19181241 perf. ernestthesiger.org.
3. Web site: Theatre collections: record view - Special Collections & Archives - University of Kent. www.kent.ac.uk.
4. Web site: A Little Bit of Fluff – Broadway Play – Original - IBDB. The Broadway. League. www.ibdb.com.
5. Book: Slide, Anthony. Eccentrics of Comedy. 13 March 1998. Scarecrow Press. 9780810835344. Google Books.
6. Web site: Production of A Little Bit of Fluff - Theatricalia. theatricalia.com.
7. Book: Low, Rachael. History of British Film (Volume 4): The History of the British Film 1918 - 1929. 13 September 2013. Routledge. 9781136206344. Google Books.
8. Web site: Little Bit of Fluff, A (1928) - Overview - TCM.com. Turner Classic Movies.
9. Web site: BFI Screenonline: Balfour, Betty (1903-1978) Biography. www.screenonline.org.uk.