The Petrified Forest: A Drama for Broadway and Hollywood, 1935–1936

Robert Sherwood’s play The Petrified Forest was a star vehicle for Leslie Howard, who not only starred in it but also co-produced the stage version at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York in the first half of 1935. Thereafter, the play was faithfully adapted to the big screen and released as a Warner movie in February 1936, with both Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart reprising their stage performances. Focusing mainly on Howard’s subtle and naturalistic underplaying, this chapter explores how an element of theatricality was retained despite a lack of emphatic gestures and facial expressions. It also considers the reasons for Bette Davis’ subdued performance and how underplaying contributed to her development of a more polished acting style, more fully utilized by Warners after 1936.