Three Men on a Horse

Three Men on a Horse
Written by	George Abbott John Cecil Holm
Date premiered	January 30, 1935
Place premiered	Playhouse Theatre New York City
Original language	English
Genre	Comedy
Setting	Ozone Heights, New Jersey Lavillere Hotel, New York City 1935

Three Men on a Horse is a play by George Abbott and John Cecil Holm. The comedy focuses on a man who discovers he has a talent for choosing the winning horse in a race as long as he never places a bet himself.

Mild-mannered Erwin Trowbridge, bored with his suburban New Jersey life with his wife and brother-in-law and frustrated by his low-paying job writing greeting card verses, decides to declare his independence by skipping work and spending the day in a local saloon. There he meets two men and a woman who make a living by betting on horse races. When they discover Erwin has an almost supernatural ability to go through a racing form and pick the winners, they persuade him to join them at a New York City hotel and regularly give them tips. Complications arise when Erwin begins to miss his wife and job and his cronies insist he put some money on a horse himself, despite his claim he will lose his power if he places a bet.

The play has been produced on Broadway four times. The original production opened at the Playhouse Theatre on January 30, 1935, and remained there until November 1936, when it transferred to the Fulton Theatre to complete its run of 835 performances. Directed by George Abbott, the opening night cast included Joyce Arling, Garson Kanin, Shirley Booth, and Sam Levene.

The first revival opened at the Forrest Theatre on October 9, 1942, and ran for 28 performances. Directed by John Cecil Holm, the cast included Horace McMahon.

The second revival opened at the Lyceum Theatre on October 16, 1969. It ran for four previews and 100 performances. Directed by George Abbott, the cast included Sam Levene, Jack Gilford, Dorothy Loudon, Butterfly McQueen, Paul Ford, Hal Linden, and Rosemary Prinz.

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