ENCORE EPISODE: Banned in Philadelphia Artwork

Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia

Bringing you the best stories from the deep and fascinating history of theater in the city of Philadelphia.

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Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia

ENCORE EPISODE: Banned in Philadelphia

July 17, 2026 • Peter Schmitz, Christopher Mark Colucci • Season 2 • Episode 129

0:00 | 31:14

During the Great Depression years of the 1930s, some touring Broadway shows got into trouble in Philadelphia.

"The People's Mayor" S. Davis Wilson had his limits when it came to what he would allow in the city's theaters, and plays such as Tobacco Road, New Faces of 1936, and Langston Hughes' Mulatto came under official scrutiny.

For more background information and images about this episode, go to our website:
https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/the-peoples-mayor/

For another story about S. Davis Wilson and the musical he censored called "Orchids Preferred" read all about it on our Patreon page! The link is HERE.

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