The Hasty Heart (play)

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The Hasty Heart (play)

The Hasty Heart is a drama written by John Patrick. It premiered on January 3, 1945, at the Hudson Theatre in New York and ran on Broadway for 207 performances. The play was later adapted into a 1949 film and has been produced for radio and television.

Setting and plot
- Setting: A temporary British military hospital in Southeast Asia, in a convalescent ward during World War II (Burma).
- Plot: A dying Scottish soldier’s outlook is softened and changed through the kindness and humor of the other patients and staff around him.

Characters
- Lachlan “Lachie,” a Scottish soldier
- Yank, an American soldier
- Digger, an Australian soldier
- Kiwi, a New Zealand soldier
- Blossom, an African Basuto soldier
- Tommy, a Cockney soldier
- Margaret, a British nurse
- The Colonel, a British officer

Production and reception
- Produced by Lindsay and Crouse.
- Warner Bros. bought the film rights in 1945 for $100,000 plus a share of profits; a 1949 film adaptation followed.
- The play was noted for offering a change of pace from typical war dramas, combining humor with a serious undertone.