The Man Who Came to Dinner is a
comedy in three acts by
George S. Kaufman and
Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the
Music Box Theatre in
New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of New York and
London revivals. The first London production was staged at
The Savoy Theatre starring
Robert Morley and
Coral Browne. In 1990, Browne stated in a televised biographical interview, broadcast on
UK Channel 4 (entitled
Caviar to the General), that she bought the
rights to the play, borrowing money from her dentist to do so. When she died, her will revealed that she had received royalties for all future productions and adaptations.