The Winter of our Discontent
by John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck - The Winter of our Discontent, dram. William Roberts.
BBC Radio 4
Set in the small New England town of New Baytown in 1960, "The Winter of Our Discontent" follows Ethan Allen Hawley, who has lost the
acquisitive spirit of his wealthy and enterprising forebears, a long line of proud New England sea captains and Pilgrims. Scarred by failure,
Ethan works as a grocery clerk in a store his family once owned. But his wife is restless and his teenage children troubled and hungry for the
material comforts he cannot provide. Then a series of unusual events reignites Ethan's ambition, and he is pitched on to a bold course where
all scruples are put aside....
Steinbeck's searing examination of the evil influences of money, immorality, greed and ambition on America drew acclaim from the Nobel
Committee who hailed him as an "independent expounder of the truth".
Dramatised in two parts by William Roberts from John Steinbeck's last novel, "The Winter of Our Discontent", published in 1961. The title
is a reference to the line "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York," from William Shakespeare's
"Richard III".
Directed by Adrian Bean.
1) Part 1 of 2 (Sunday 12th February 1995)
Ethan Hawley, a man who has been approaching life complacently, discovers that his family and friends consider him an abject failure. His
struggle to determine the best course of action to regain the respect of those he loves includes a complete re-examination of all he has
considered good and righteous, and to set a new course for his life. During the spring and early summer of 1960, circumstances and events
occur which force Ethan to question even the purpose of life itself.
With Jack Shepherd [Ethan Hawley, a Grocery Clerk], Shelley Thompson [Mary Hawley, Ethan's Wife], David Healy [Mr. Baker, The
First National Bank President], Steve Hodson [Danny Taylor, the Town Drunkard and Ethan's Childhood Friend], John Church [Mr. Alfio
Marullo, Italian Immigrant Owner of Grocery Store], Lorelei King [Margie Young-Hunt, a Divorced Middle-Aged Seductress], Ed Bishop
[Mr. Biggers, a Wholesale Food Salesman], Vincent Marzello [Joey Morphy, Teller at First National Bank and Town Playboy], Jonathan
Adams [Stonewall Jackson, the New Baytown Chief Constable], Oona Beeson [Ellen Hawley, Ethan's Teenage Daughter], and Anthony
Taylor [Allen Hawley, Ethan's Teenage Son].
60 minutes
2) Part 2 of 2 (Sunday 19th February 1995)
Ethan decides to make his move by making an anonymous call to the United States Justice Department of Immigration and Naturalization
Service. A short while later, Ethan is visited by a Federal man who asks him how long he knew his boss and when did Mr. Marullo arrive in
New Baytown. When Marullo sees this, he decides to make himself scarce....
As he renounces his morals, will Ethan's new-found wealth bring him happiness?
With Jack Shepherd [Ethan Hawley, a Grocery Clerk], Shelley Thompson [Mary Hawley, Ethan's Wife], David Healy [Mr. Baker, The
First National Bank President], Lorelei King [Margie Young-Hunt, a Divorced Middle-Aged Seductress], John Church [Mr. Alfio Marullo,
Italian Immigrant Owner of Grocery Store], Vincent Marzello [Joey Morphy, Teller at First National Bank and Town Playboy], Ed Bishop
[Mr. Biggers, a Wholesale Food Salesman], Jonathan Adams [Stonewall Jackson, the New Baytown Chief Constable], John Evitts [The
TV Executive], Dominic Letts [Richard Walder, U.S. Department of Justice Agent], Oona Beeson [Ellen Hawley, Ethan's Teenage
Daughter], Anthony Taylor [Allen Hawley, Ethan's Teenage Son], and John Fleming [Fat Willy, the New Baytown Police Constable].
60 minutes.
Jim
