VISIT TO A SMALL PLANET

[NY: Gloria Enterprises, 1957. Signed by Cyril Ritchard, the star of the play, on the front cover. A large, 12-page program promoting the play. "Visit to a Small Planet" debuted as an original television production in 1955 then was reworked by Vidal as a Broadway play, starring Cyril Ritchard and Eddie Mayehoff. On Broadway, the play debuted on February 7, 1957, and ran for 388 performances. It was Vidal's first Broadway play. Ritchard, who also directed the play, received a Tony Award nomination for his performance as Kreton. Mayehoff also received a nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actor. Vidal intended the play as a satire on the post-World War II fear of communism in the United States, McCarthyism, Cold War military paranoia and the rising importance of television in American life. The play, a comedy, tells the story of Kreton, an alien from an unnamed planet who lands on Earth intending to view the American Civil War. He miscalculates and lands instead 100 years later. Having missed the opportunity to see conflict first hand, but delighted with all the new playthings the 20th century has invented for war-making, he decides to create a war for himself. "Visit To A Small Planet" was made into a film, starring Jerry Lewis. The film was released on February 4, 1960. Quarto, printed wraps; 16 pages. Photographs by Friedman-Abeles.. Very Good (covers nice; contents clean & tight).