- Sheridan Whiteside, The Man Who Came To Dinner
"On this eve of eves... when my own heart is overflowing with peace and kindness... I think it is most fitting to tell once again the story... of that still and lustrous night." - Sheridan Whiteside, The Man Who Came To Dinner These words are spoken by Sheridan Whiteside, an irascible radio personality in The Man Who Came To Dinner. He is the reluctant guest of a wealthy family in Iowa, because he fell on their icy steps when he was there for a dinner. Now temporarily wheelchair-bound, he is the worst visitor ever as he bullies everyone in sight- especially his nurse- and wreaks havoc amongst the family, urging the daughter to elope with the boyfriend her father disapproves of, and the son to follow his dream to become a photographer- a plan also frowned upon by their parents. He fills their house with eccentric characters and animals, and tells them that he will be recording his Christmas Eve program in their living room. Meanwhile during their stay, his personal secretary-Maggie Cutler- has fallen in love with a local man and has announced to Whiteside that she will be leaving his employ to get married. Not wanting to lose her, Whiteside invites Lorraine Sheldon- a man-eating actress of their acquaintance- to visit, scheming to have her steal away Maggie's beau Bert by offering to work with him on the play he's writing. Everything comes to a head on Christmas Eve, with various characters raging, screaming, or crying as the radio crew sets up for the show. Seemingly unmoved by the emotional and physical chaos he is responsible for, Whiteside begins reading his schmaltz-y Christmas address, accompanied by a boys' choir humming Silent Night, just as if he were a sweet and sentimental man instead of a cynical, poisonous old coot.
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