1951

No less than 15 shows were performed during the Playhouse's 12th Season. The season opened with a play called Clutterbuck.

The second show of the season was entitled Miss Mabel and starred the legendary Lillian Gish. One of the most famous stars of the silent picture era, Miss Gish appeared at the Bucks County Playhouse in 1947 in The Marquise.

The comedy, The Animal Kingdom was the next production, opening July 2, 1951 for one week. Described as witty and sophisticated, the play revealed a humane understanding of human frailties and foibles. In the leading role was actor Leslie Nielsen. In Mr. Nielsen's biography in the program for The Animal Kingdom, he was described as "one of the busiest as well as most popular dramatic stars in television."

Scheduled from July 23 for one week was Suspect starring Florence Reed. The actress was described as "one of the great ladies of the American theatre, pride of her native Philadelphia, and one of the best beloved of the stars who have acted at the Playhouse." This was her third appearance at Bucks County having appeared previously in a 1949 production of The Circle and a 1950 production of The Royal Family.

Next up was the comedy, Claudia, starring actress June Lockhart. At the time, Miss Lockhart was known for motion pictures such as All This and Heaven Too, Sergeant York, T-Man, White Cliffs of Dover and Bury the Dead. Audiences of today know her as two of television's most popular mothers in "Lassie" and "Lost in Space".

The cast of Claudia in rehearsal behind the Playhouse. June Lockhart is on the left.

Old friend, Philip Bourneuf returned to the Playhouse for a production of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion as Professor Henry Higgins.

An all star cast of Playhouse favorites returned in August for When Ladies Meet, a comedy about a publisher's mistress who unwittingly becomes friendly with his wife. The trio of ladies in the lead were Frances Reid, Sara Seegar and Ruth White. The play originally scheduled for that time was a satire entitled The Chuckeyhead Story. A program for the play Second Threshold, the show prior to When Ladies Meet, described the cancellation of The Chuckeyhead Story as something too complicated to explain.

Next up was a new comedy entitled Mirror, Mirror starring Kay Francis. Ms. Francis had appeared in over 75 movies and had opened up the 1949 season at the Bucks County Playhouse in Let Us Be Gay. Mirror, Mirror was seen here before it hit Broadway in the Fall of 1951. The Playhouse was firmly establishing itself as a pre-Broadway theatre.