falls in love with her, an admired actress. Joe responds by telling Tom to “be the wonderful young doctor . . . [and] correct the errors of the world,” and he organizes a car trip for them. Act 4 brings the audience back to Nick’s, where the barman’s heartfelt concern for his patrons and his worry about Blick become obvious. For Dudley, desires are fulfilled when he meets his true love, Elsie, who is willing to sleep with him because she fears his death on a future battlefield.

The last act takes place at night, when Joe and Tom return from their trip. Joe now hints at the harmful nature of his money, since he made it by speculating rather than through productive work. Professing to be a student of beauty in unusual places, Joe has set up Kitty in a new place and sends Tom on his last errand; alone again, Joe asks Kit to ready his gun and instruct him in its use. Meanwhile, suddenly, Willie wins his game of skill. Tom returns for a chewing-gum contest with his master; chewing wildly, Joe arranges a job as a truck driver for Tom, who leaves to get the vehicle.

As Harry and Wesley show up for their next performance, Kitty drops by, confessing that she has never been a burlesque dancer; Joe leaves to fetch her some books to cheer her. While Nick is absent, too, Blick enters to torment Kitty and beat up Kit Carson offstage. Returning, he orders Kitty to dance and sing to show that she is not a prostitute. When she complies, full of fright, Joe and Tom arrive; while Blick beats Wesley, Joe sends Tom and Kitty off in the truck to marry at Tom’s first destination. Joe then aims his gun at Blick, but it does not fire; he tries again with the same result. Nick returns and pushes out Blick; offstage, three shots are heard. Nick rushes out, comes back, and tells everyone that Blick has been killed. Joe is ready to leave the bar, perhaps forever, when Kit Carson enters and proclaims that he “shot a man once. . . . In 1939, I think it was. . . . Couldn’t stand the way he talked to ladies.”

When The Time of Your Life first opened, director Bobby Lewis used a highly stylized, “prettified” set with fanciful lighting instead of following William Saroyan’s stage directions, which call for a set modeled on a real-life downtown watering hole in San Francisco personally known to the playwright. The set collapsed on top of the actors during the first performance, and the production was nearly abandoned as a disaster.

In this emergency, Saroyan fired Lewis and relied on lead actor Eddie Dowling, who played Joe, and himself to revive The Time of Your Life. In his drive for perfect verisimilitude, Saroyan bought a real bar and used its parts as the setting; suddenly, the play worked so well that it earned both the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Best Play in 1939. Even after closing on Broadway, The Time of Your Life continued to be performed in high realist fashion at the insistence of Saroyan, and stock and amateur productions have generally followed suit in later years.

Saroyan’s insistence on re-creating his personal vision in The Time of Your Life, however—an ambition which can be traced in the minute detail of the stage directions—has led to some almost absurd complications. For the first production, the theater company used the services of an inventor to design Willie’s fantastic “marble-game” so that it would perform as specified. In New York, Saroyan even toyed with the idea of knocking out some theater walls to accommodate his ideas about the play’s presentation. Yet for all its emphasis on realism, The Time of Your Life has elements of the fantastic and even mythic: It incorporates such icons of American vaudeville theater and popular culture as the trite “hooker with a heart of gold” and the kindly bartender and suggests that these parts are to be played seriously, unlike the self-conscious role of Kit Carson.

Furthermore, Saroyan’s insistence that Kitty’s room be built within the barroom set—which is to remain onstage, darkened but still present—also shows that the apparent realism of The Time of Your Life is somewhat deceptive. Similarly, Saroyan toys with synchronicity when he requires that act 4 bring the audience back to the end of act 2. This jump backward in time is indicated by Joe and Tom’s leaving Nick’s Bar at the beginning of act 4 to go to Kitty’s room, obviously to do what the audience has just seen them doing.

For the 1947 film version of The Time of Your Life, in which Jeanne and James Cagney played Kitty and Joe, censors insisted that Kit Carson could not shoot policeman Blick. Instead, the film shows Kit lassoing Blick, who is then punched by Joe. This version, however, violates the play’s basic premises of Joe’s relatively limited ability to interact with others and his need to rely on Tom as his “hand”; the comic lassoing made the film lighter fare than the theatrical production.

*San Francisco

*San Francisco. Port city in Northern California in which the play is set. Saroyan delighted in setting his tales in his native California. While he often preferred rural locations, he also used urban settings, and although he wrote this play in New York City, his heart was in San Francisco, where he lived and secured a place for his mother to live. It was a city he knew well—and for him it provided daily illustrations of the miracle of life. By 1939, when this play was first produced, San Francisco had approached its peak population and the surrounding Bay Area region contained about a third of California’s inhabitants. As a transportation hub, the city drew together people from all over the Americas and the world, who arrived by ship under the Golden Gate Bridge, or by rail over the Union Pacific lines. Nearly destroyed by an earthquake in 1906, the city was constantly reinventing itself. As one character in the play puts it, San Francisco has “no foundation, all the way down.” That kind of life on the edge, both physically and socially, appealed to Saroyan and inspired the cast he created to populate a typical Bay Area bar.

Nick’s Pacific Street Saloon

Nick’s Pacific Street Saloon. San Francisco waterfront bar in which the entire play is set. The saloon is the kind of honky-tonk that Saroyan loved—a place in which drinkers can talk, play music, and dance, while hearing the blare of foghorns from the bay. Its furnishings include card tables, a marble game, a juke box, piano, small dance floor, and a long bar. A uniquely American place, the saloon has characteristics of a church—a place in which confessions are made and heard. It is also a stage on which talent is displayed in talk, by tap, and on the keyboard. It is microcosm of pure democracy in which Thomas Jefferson’s philosophy prevails—a place in which no one is the inferior of or superior of anyone else.

Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the rise of European fascism, and the beginning of a new world war, Nick’s Saloon is also a rehabilitation center, a meeting place, in which perceptions of difference can be transcended by a shared recognition of human value. As Saroyan himself noted, Nick’s is committed to the belief that life can be redemptive. Finally, Nick’s is a philosopher’s club; bartender Harry believes that the world is sorrowful and needs laughter, which he will provide. The power of Nick’s Saloon, in the script, on the stage, and in its screen adaptation, is that it possesses the delightful ambiguity of being both ordinary, like any neighborhood tavern, and also extraordinary, a special place in which life can be made whole.

The Great Depression
On October 29, 1929, the New York Stock Exchange plummeted as investors sold off sixteen million shares in a single trading day. Just a year before, Herbert Hoover had been elected U.S. president, with the nation experiencing an unprecedented economic boom. However, the stock market crash set the country on a path toward the Great Depression. By 1933, the unemployment rate had soared to about twenty-five percent. Historians and economists have debated the causes of the depression: some argue it was a global crisis, worsened by Germany's inability to pay the reparations demanded by England and France for its role in World War I; others blame a reduction in American consumer spending; while some point to overvalued stocks as the primary cause.

The stock market collapse did not immediately devastate the nation's economy. Gradually, businesses shut down, banks failed, and savings and investments evaporated. Fewer families could afford new cars, and spending on new construction in 1933 dropped to one-sixth of its pre-depression level. Many credit the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939 with revitalizing both the world and national economies, thereby ending the Great Depression. Others believe the depression's end was due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs, which helped restore the American people's confidence in the economy.

Labor Unrest in the 1930s
The Great Depression forced companies to lay off millions of American workers, drastically altering their lives. High unemployment and worsening working conditions led to widespread labor unrest and a renewed interest in unionization among workers. Strikes became a powerful tool for unions to make their demands known to corporations. In 1934, 1.5 million workers across the United States went on strike. Unions achieved significant victories by employing sit-down strikes in various industries; from 1936 to 1939, American workers participated in 577 such actions, where they stopped working while remaining at their jobs.

In May 1934, San Francisco longshoremen, like McCarthy in the play, went on strike, refusing to unload cargo after their employers failed to recognize their union, the International Longshoremen’s Association. Two months later, thousands of tons of food, steel, and other goods clogged docks and warehouses. The day after the Fourth of July celebrations, a day-long battle between police and workers erupted on the streets of San Francisco; two strikers were killed, and hundreds on both sides were injured. This event, known as "Bloody Thursday," captured the attention of many workers in the city. On July 16, a general strike began. Unionists and workers blockaded streets and closed stores for four days until their leaders called off the strike for the good of the city.

The Beginning of World War II
In 1938, Adolf Hitler, the chancellor of Germany, commenced his domination by annexing Austria, a nation with strong ties to Germany. Later that year, Hitler and the major European powers signed the Munich Pact, which effectively ceded a portion of Czechoslovakia to Germany. Many Europeans believed this would be Hitler's last territorial demand and thus viewed the pact with optimism.

However, this belief proved incorrect, as within a year, Germany occupied the remainder of Czechoslovakia. Great Britain and France had to concede that their appeasement strategy had failed, prompting them to prepare for war. In August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union—longtime rivals—announced a nonaggression pact, removing the threat of a two-front war for Germany. In September 1939, just one month before the setting of Saroyan’s play, Germany invaded Poland, leading Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany. World War II had officially begun.

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, the predominant sentiment in the United States was isolationist, as many citizens still recalled the horrors and bloodshed of World War I. The United States would remain out of the conflict until December 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Stage Direction
Saroyan provides very detailed stage directions in this play, likely due to his dissatisfaction with the production and direction of his earlier work, My Heart’s in the Highlands. He meticulously describes nearly every character, including their attire, character traits, movements, and societal status. For instance, in his description of Willie, the marble game player, Saroyan writes that the young man is "the last of the American pioneers, with nothing more to fight but the machine, with no other rewards than lights going on and off." This elevates Willie beyond just a young man playing a game; he symbolizes the history and spirit of a nation and its people.

Saroyan even introduces the play with a paragraph that outlines its core philosophy, ensuring the reader understands his intent:

In the time of your life, live—so that in that good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or for any life your life touches. Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding-place and let it be free and unashamed.

Plot
Many critics and reviewers have remarked on the play’s minimal plot. Essentially, the play presents a snapshot of a day at Nick’s bar rather than a traditional story with a clear beginning and end. The main source of tension revolves around Blick, his mistreatment of Kitty and others at the bar, and his eventual murder. Without Blick’s malevolent presence, the play would consist merely of conversations where patrons discuss their lives and aspirations.

There are, however, minor plot threads, such as the developing romance between Kitty and Tom, Dudley’s attempts to persuade Elsie to marry him, and Willie’s success in the marble game. Over twenty characters come and go throughout the play, highlighting Saroyan’s focus on character development over plot. Blick’s death serves less as a significant event and more as a catalyst that unites the bar’s patrons, culminating in a literal circle around Kit Carson at the play’s conclusion.

1930s: To address the unemployment of forty thousand theater workers, the U.S. government establishes the Federal Theater Project. This initiative brings live theater to small towns across the nation. However, many members of Congress suspect that the project's beneficiaries are politically radical or communist, leading to its shutdown in 1939.

Today: The U.S. government supports thousands of projects by artists and writers through the National Endowment for the Arts. Additionally, National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System receive federal funding for parts of their operating budgets. Nonetheless, many in Congress frequently question the appropriateness of government-funded art and federal support for non-commercial broadcasting services.

1930s: In the 1930s, children's toys are predominantly made of wood and metal. The toys featured in the play are typical of this era: Joe gives Kitty a toy carousel that plays music, and Tom finds toys for Joe such as a music box, whistles, and a large figure that dances and moves when wound with a key.

Today: Modern children's toys, often constructed from plastic, are far more advanced and frequently incorporate technology like computer chips. Educational toys are also popular, aiding children in using computers, improving their reading and math skills, and learning about subjects like astronomy.

1930s: Although the United States aims to stay neutral as war looms in Europe, President Roosevelt requests approximately $1.3 billion for national defense in 1939 and issues an executive order to purchase over five hundred military aircraft. This marks the beginning of a boom in the American defense industry, which significantly boosts the U.S. economy throughout World War II.

Today: The terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, prompt a significant increase in government spending on national security and homeland defense. In early 2002, President Bush requests a 12 percent rise in military spending, the largest increase in two decades, and nearly doubles the budget for protecting U.S. residents domestically.

In 1948, United Artists released a film adaptation of The Time of Your Life featuring Jimmy Cagney, which is available on VHS tape. A television version of the play was produced for the show Playhouse 90 in October 1958. Additionally, a DVD version of the play is accessible. This disc contains a recording of a 1976 stage performance in New York, presented without an audience. Directed by Kirk Browning and part of the Broadway Archive Series, it stars Patti LuPone.

Sources
Anghoff, Charles, Review of The Time of Your Life, in North American Review, Vol. 248, No. 2, Winter 1939–1940, pp. 403–404.

Atkinson, Brooks, Review of The Time of Your Life, in Broadway Scrapbook, Theatre Arts, Inc., 1947, pp. 129–132, originally published in the New York Times, November 5, 1939.

Barnes, Clive, ‘‘Saroyan Play Revived by Plumstead Troupe,’’ in New York Times, February 25, 1972, p. 26.

Brown, John Mason, ‘‘America’s Yield,’’ in Broadway in Review, W. W. Norton & Company, 1940, pp. 132–197, originally published in the New York Post, October 26, 1939.

Carpenter, Frederic I., ‘‘The Time of William Saroyan’s Life,’’ in the Pacific Spectator, Vol. 1, No. 1, Winter 1947, pp. 88–96.

Dusenbury, Winifred L., The Theme of Loneliness in Modern American Drama, University of Florida Press, 1960, pp. 155–178, 197–212.

Gill, Brendan, Review of The Time of Your Life, in the New Yorker, November 15, 1969.

McCarthy, Mary, ‘‘Saroyan, an Innocent on Broadway,’’ in Sights and Spectacles: 1937–1956, Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1956, pp. 46–52, originally published in a slightly altered form in the Partisan Review, March–April 1940.

Mills, John A., ‘‘‘What. What Not’: Absurdity in Saroyan’s The Time of Your Life,’’ in Midwest Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 2, Winter 1985, pp. 139–159.

Rhoads, Kenneth, ‘‘Joe as Christ-type in Saroyan’s The Time of Your Life,’’ in Essays in Literature, Western Illinois University, Fall 1976, pp. 227–243.

Shinn, Thelma J., ‘‘William Saroyan: Romantic Existentialist,’’ in Modern Drama, Vol. 15, No. 2, September 1972, pp. 185–194.

Vernon, Grenville, Review of The Time of Your Life, in Commonweal, Vol. 31, November 10, 1939, p. 78.

Further Reading
Bedrosian, Margaret, Magical Pine Ring: Culture and the Imagination in Armenian-American Literature, Wayne State University Press, 1991. Bedrosian explores the ongoing impact of Armenian history on Armenian-American literature. In addition to Saroyan, Bedrosian discusses nine other Armenian-American authors, including Emmanuel Varandyan, Diana der Hovanessian, and Richard Hagopian.

Keyishian, Harry, ed., Critical Essays on William Saroyan, Macmillan Library References, 1995. This collection features reviews of Saroyan’s significant plays, stories, novels, and autobiographical works, along with numerous critical analyses of his literature.

Lee, Lawrence, and Barry Gifford, Saroyan: A Biography, Harper Collins, 1984. Lee and Gifford narrate Saroyan’s life using firsthand accounts from his twice-divorced wife, his children, and friends like Artie Shaw, Celeste Holm, and Lillian Gish.

Terkel, Studs, Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression, New Press, 2000. Originally released in 1970, Studs Terkel documents the Great Depression’s impact on numerous ordinary people (and a few notable ones), using their own words.

Whitmore, Jon, William Saroyan, Greenwood Publishing, 1995. This biography profiles Saroyan, emphasizing his theater career. It includes critical summaries of Saroyan’s work, plot outlines, production details for his plays, a bibliography, and other writings about his contributions to theater.