The Tender Trap

The Tender Trap is a 1954 play by Max Shulman and Robert Paul Smith. It is a three-act farce, with a small cast, one setting, and moderate pacing. The story concerns a bachelor with a trio of professional women and a recent college grad as girl friends, who tries to avoid their suggestions of marriage. The play's original Broadway performance was produced by Clinton Wilder, staged by Michael Gordon, and starred Robert Preston, Kim Hunter, and Ronny Graham. The play was profitable but a venue scheduling conflict forced it to close early while still making money. Popular with community theatre and regional theatre during the 1950s, it has never had a Broadway revival, but was adapted by its authors for a 1955 MGM film release. Characters Listed in order of appearance within their scope. Leads Charlie Reader is a 35 year-old bachelor, a pharmaceutical executive, trying to avoid marriage. Joe McCall is a married man living in Indianapolis, a chemist who comes to Charlie with an invention. Sylvia Crewes is a classical violinist who cooks breakfast for Charlie and cleans his apartment.