The theatre of adaptation : cross-industrial exchange in postwar American culture

The American theatre, film, and television industries were inextricably linked in the years following World War II. From the late 1940s to the early 1960s, the three industries were in constant collaboration, with the New York theatre community (a.k.a. Broadway) constantly selling the adaptation rights for its popular plays to the Hollywood studios and the young television networks, and (to a lesser extent) vice versa. This vibrant system of cross-industrial exchange caused all three industries to bloom both financially and artistically. The screen industries were desperate for content: particularly content with proven profitability in other mediums. By adapting successful Intellectual Property (IP) from Broadway as well as other sources, the television and film industries leveraged the prestige of “highbrow” culture and secured their own bottom line. In addition to doing its own share of adaptation, Broadway’s increased revenue from adaptation rights provided a much needed boost during a sudden and extended hike in its production costs. Thus, this system of cross-industrial exchange benefited all three of the involved industries. To prove these points, this dissertation will apply the legal concept of IP to this historical moment, demonstrating how that framework can more clearly illuminate the near-infinite ways in which industries exchange, reuse, and recycle content among themselves.