Ed Mosher
Why was the character of Ed Mosher (former circus man and Harry Hope's brother in law) cut out of this production?
shareProbably because he's a little too similar to Pat McGloin,the defrocked cop.
shareI thought the same thing. Plus, his quarrel with McGloin is too similar to Lewis and Wetjoen in my opinion. You really don't miss him when you watch the movie.
"What's wrong with showing a guy getting his head cut off?" -Humphrey Bogart
I have no academic background in either theater or literature,so I can't make too much in the way of truly informed remarks.My English requirements as an undergraduate were focused on 3 quarters of English Composition.Nonetheless,I did a little reading since I made the first observation,and feel that an additional comment might be in order.
It's my understanding that O'Neill was one of those Irish Roman Catholics who had lost his faith.(As a Roman Catholic myself,I feel that I can make this observation without causing undue offense.)Consequently,the ensuing void caused considerable,and profound despair.This is allegedly one explanation for the term "Black Irish."(The other one that I am familiar with is that those Irish who hail from the West Coast[Mayo,Clare] are those of Gaelic origin,with sallow complections and dark hair,rather than the Celts who have ruddy complections and red hair.My maternal grandfather was a Moran from Mayo,and was a Black Irishman with sallow complection,dark hair,and gray eyes.)They have an ambivalent relationship to the Church,and long to return to a faith that they find difficult to embrace.
From what I have read,certain aspects of the play "Iceman Cometh"lend themselves to an interpretation of a blasphemous parody of the Last Supper.Hickey fills the place of Christ,Parrit is the equivalent of Judas,Harry is John,and Larry is Peter.By leaving Ed Mosher out of this production,we are left with only 11 at the Last Supper.So,parts of this film,seen from an interpretation of this type,leave it unbalanced and asymetrical.
Take this for whatever it happens to be worth.
I was about to say the same thing. It's pretty obvious that part of the play was an allegory on the Last Supper, so that it was necessary to have the Twelve Disciples, which was lost by leaving out any of the characters. You're right about O'Neill being a lapsed Catholic - he lost his Catholic faith to take up anarchism and socialism in his youth, only to be disillusioned with that too. Hickey and Larry represent O'Neill's two losses of faith. The Parritt=Judas and Hickey=Christ connection is pretty obvious, but why the Harry=John and Larry=Peter interpretation?
On a different note, you speak of "Black Irish" vs. Celts - from what I've read, I believe that the Black Irish are the most Celtic people on the island, as the Celts were a dark haired, dark-eyed people originally. The red hair and blue eyes in Ireland and Scotland is largely due to Viking (and possibly Pict) influence.
i for one had not realised the close association with the last supper. thanks for that!
I remember seeing a picture from the 1946 production of that very scene and it was laid out just like the painting of the Last Supper, cast on one side of the table and facing the audience. It's not so obvious in the film. I wonder if that is how the scene is typically set on stage.
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