WHITE WINGS

White wings: translation

Philip Barry's four-act comic fantasy opened on 15 October 1926 at the Booth Theatre for a mere 27 performances despite positive reviews. Produced byWinthrop Ames,White Wingsfeatured actor George Ali, who specialized in playing animals, acting the role of a horse, Joseph. The horse belongs to Archie Inch, a young man who works as a street cleaner, or "white wings," as they are known. His job cleaning up after horses nearly ends his courtship of Mary Todd. Archie refuses to seek more prestigious work, swearing that he will continue as a "white wing" until the last horse is dead. Toward that end, Mary has Joseph, the proverbial last horse, shot and Archie begins a new career as a cab driver. Not typical of Barry's more sophisticated later work, the play's failure was an unfortunate setback early in his career.