 The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 14  April 1943 and closed 17 June 1944 after 500 performances. The  opening night cast included Skip Homeier (qv) as Emil and  Edit Angold (qv) as Frieda, both of whom originated their movie  roles in the play, and Ralph Bellamy (qv) as Mike Frame,  Shirley Booth (qv) as Leona Richards and Kathryn Givney (qv) as  Jessie Frame. Producer Lester Cowan (qv) bought the rights to the  play for $75,000 plus 25% of the gross, not to exceed $350,000. He  wanted to change the title of the movie to "The Intruder," but a  poll of exhibitors voted him down.