Twelve posters, nine of which are original artwork, with text and illustration on thick posterboard or mounted from drawing paper. At least five of the posters are from the play's 1942 Broadway debut. Two posters (the largest 2 in the group) are signed by the artist, Witold Gordon (best known for his New Yorker magazine covers). The three printed posters (duplicates) are from the debut at the Martin Beck Theatre on 45th Street. Sizes of the original artworks vary from approximately 13x9" to 28x20", the printed posters are approximately 22x14".
The Moon is Down was John Steinbeck's second attempt at writing a novel in play form (Of Mice and Men was his first). It was composed while on assignment from the Foreign Information Service, a division of the Office of Strategic Services charged with combating Nazi propaganda. His original story, depicting a small American town invaded by enemy troops, was rejected by the FIS, who feared that it might demoralize the civilian public. In his revised manuscript, published by Viking in 1942, Steinbeck kept the same plot but set it in an unnamed Scandinavian town rather than the United States. Despite mixed critical reception, the book was a remarkable public success, outselling The Grapes of Wrath two-to-one in pre-publication; it would eventually pass through 76 editions. Shortly after publication, the producer Oscar Serlin purchased the dramatic rights to The Moon is Down (Herman Shumlin initially bought them but passed them on, saying he “did not care for [The Moon is Down’s] politics.” Serlin, known for his production of “Life with Father,” accepted the challenge, believing Steinbeck’s play would attract a large audience. “The Moon is Down” premiered on Broadway in April 1942, starring Otto Kruger as Colonel Lanser and Ralph Morgan as Mayor Orden. Like the novel before it, the play was publicly adored but critically lambasted. Life magazine reported that it was “trumpeted louder than any literary event of the season,” while the critical consensus was that “Steinbeck was too easy on the Germans, too optimistic about the ultimate victory of the Allies, [and ultimately] too moralistic." Despite its initial Broadway run lasting only nine weeks, the play was immensely successful on the road and abroad, especially in London and Stockholm. Rather surprisingly, it was nominated for Best Play by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle and placed second. Provenance: From the collection of producer Oscar Serlin.