The Demi-Virgin

The Demi-Virgin
Broadway program
Written by	Avery Hopwood
Date premiered	October 18, 1921 (1921-10-18)
Place premiered	Times Square Theatre
Original language	English
Genre	Farce
Setting	Hollywood

The Demi-Virgin is a three-act play written by Avery Hopwood. Producer A. H. Woods staged it on Broadway, where it was a hit during the 1921–22 season. The play is a bedroom farce about former couple Gloria Graham and Wally Deane, both movie actors, whose marriage was so brief that the press speculated about whether Gloria was still a virgin. She attempts to seduce Wally when they are forced to reunite for a movie, but after playing along he surprises her by revealing that their divorce is not valid.

Because it contained suggestive dialog and the female cast wore revealing clothes, the production was considered highly risqué at the time. The script included allusions to a contemporary scandal involving actor Fatty Arbuckle, and one scene featured actresses stripping as part of a card game. Reviewers generally panned the play as unfunny and vulgar, and local authorities attempted to censor it. The Broadway production resulted in obscenity charges being brought against Woods. A New York City magistrate ruled the play was obscene, but a grand jury declined to indict Woods. The city's Commissioner of Licenses attempted to revoke the theater's license, but this effort was blocked in court. Woods actively promoted the controversy to increase ticket sales, and the play was one of the most successful of the season. It had no long-term literary impact and was never published, but it did stimulate arguments over censorship of theatrical performances.

The story centers on the character Gloria Graham, a silent film actress who had previously been married to fellow actor Wally Deane. After he received a late-night call on their wedding night from a former girlfriend, Gloria stormed out and went to Reno to obtain a divorce. The brevity of the union leads gossip columnists to speculate about whether the marriage was consummated. They label Gloria the "demi-virgin". The first act opens with a group of actresses, including Cora Montague and Betty Wilson, filming a scene for a movie and gossiping about the failed marriage. Betty's aunt Zeffie comes to the studio with a magazine article about how the couple has been forced to reunite to complete the movie, for which they were contracted before their break-up. When they arrive for filming, Gloria claims Sir Gerald Sydney has proposed to her. In an act of jealousy, Wally lies and says he is engaged to Betty. Betty is actually interested in another actor, Chicky Belden, although her aunt disapproves of him. The first act culminates with Gloria and Wally being required to film a love scene together.