The Voice of the Turtle (1962)

The Voice of the Turtle is a comedic play written by John William Van Druten set in New York City during World War II. In the play, aspiring actress Sally Middleton is new to the city, quickly dumped by a married Broadway producer, and feeling conflicted about her own sexual morality. When he is stood up by Sally's friend Olive, army sergeant Bill Page (left bitter by a past relationship) ends up spending time with Sally over the weekend. By the end of the play, Bill and Sally must face their growing attraction to each other.

The play first debuted on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre in December 1943. The first cast included Margaret Sullavan (Sally), Elliott Nugent (Bill), and Audrey Christie (Olive). In 1947, Ronald Reagan, Eleanor Parker, and Eve Arden starred in the film adaptation.

In June 1962, Inger Stevens took on the role of Sally in a production of the play at O'Hare Inn Theater in Chicago. Anthony George performed as Bill and Toni Gilman played Olive. The show opened on June 21st and closed on July 3rd.

Chicago Tribune reviewer Thomas Willis found "something lacking" in the play. He wrote:

Sally is determined to smother a stiff-necked past, though here it is Joplin, MO., which is the culprit. Her aim is to act, her fear is that letting nature take its course again will hurt. Miss Stevens, in every way qualified for the role, takes her about half way. The tension, the nail-biting anxiety, and the sweetness born of part bewilderment are all there, but not yet the gaiety which makes sense of mutability, and which the playwright made so much of, nor the underlying charm.

She is not helped much by Mr. George. His Sgt.—now oddly promoted to Lt.—Page is a very sincere young man, perfectly willing to let things take whatever course they will until the very last moment. The predatory masculinity, only for the moment under the skin, which keeps the duel of the sexes always in mind, is missing altogether. The results--a few moments of tension, several of tenderness, but little of the parry and riposte which is the stuff of the play.

Nor is she helped by Toni Gilman's Olive, blunt vulgarian instead of the case hardened veteran of cocktail parties whose prime weapon is veneer.

The summer of 1962 was a busy one for Inger. She'd been a guest on multiple Tonight Shows with Mort Sahl hosting (listen to a clip on the Inger Youtube channel) and it was highly believed she would join Johnny Carson as a regular guest when he took over that fall. Instead, The Farmer's Daughter received financial backing and Inger focused on preparing to take on the starring role in a sitcom for the following year.

Inger and Mort grew close while working together on The Tonight Show and he visited her several times while she was in Chicago for The Voice of the Turtle. Gossip columnist Herb Lyon reported that Inger had turned "totally turtle over Mort Sahl" and that they were keeping the telephone lines hot. Mort visited Inger during rehearsals, but did not attend the opening night. Mort flew in to visit Inger and dined with her at Singapore restaurant the weekend before the show closed.

While in Chicago, Inger stayed at the Ambassador East hotel and enjoyed many after-show dinners at La Bistro with costar Anthony George, with whom she'd worked on the Checkmate television series in 1960.

The Voice of the Turtle would be Inger's ninth and final performance in a professional play, but she was always open to returning to the live stage. In late 1969, Inger expressed hope that she would one day be cast in a Broadway musical.  

 

Sources:

Denton, Charles. "Television Tidbits." The Blade. July 22, 1962.

Lyon, Herb. "Tower Ticker." Chicago Tribune. June 18, 1962. 

Lyon, Herb. "Tower Ticker." Chicago Tribune. June 22, 1962.  

Lyon, Herb. "Tower Ticker." Chicago Tribune. June 27, 1962.  

Lyon, Herb. "Tower Ticker." Chicago Tribune. July 3, 1962.   

Willis, Thomas. "Something Lacking in New 'Turtle'." Chicago Tribune. June 23, 1962.