What Price Glory? – or Victory, Fame or Beauty?

FAMOUS QUOTE AND PLAY TITLE: “What Price Glory?”         The famous play by Maxwell Anderson and Laurence Stallings         The title of this World War I drama is taken from a line in the play: “And since six o’clock there’s been a wounded sniper in the tree by that orchard angle crying ‘Kamerad! Kamerad!’ Just like a big crippled whippoorwill. What price glory now?” The classic 1952 movie version starred James Cagney as Capt. Flagg.

RECENT POLITICAL VARIATION: “What price victory?”        Cover headline on The Week magazine, April 2, 2010        Referring to the passage of the Democrats’ health care bill

CELEBRITY FAME VERSION: “What Price Fame?”        Cover of OK! magazine, January 11, 2009        Referring to the ups and downs of Britney Spears

CELEBRITY FACE VERSION: “What Price Beauty?”        From the headline of a 2009 article by Hugh Wilson on MSN about plastic surgery addicts like socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein. She spent $4 million on plastic surgery and ended up with this disfigured face.

The book of quotations for theatre fans: The Audience Book of Theatre Quotations A great source of quotes from and about the theatre, compiled by Prof. Louis Phillips