CAST

“Growing Pains” was Andrea King’s professional acting debut, under the name Georgette McKee. At the tender age of 14, Georgette had been spotted by Mr. C.P. Greneker, the right-hand man for Lee and J.J. Shubert, the most powerful theatrical producers of the day. Mr. Greneker happened to attend a boarding school recital in Connecticut, in which Georgette was playing Juliet in the famous balcony scene from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Unexpectedly, her balcony collapsed during the scene, but without hesitation, Georgette continued and finished amongst the rubble. Mr. Greneker was so impressed with her tenacity, concentration, and (naturally!) beauty, that scarcely a month passed before she was making her Broadway debut. She appeared as Jane with the large youthful ensemble in “Growing Pains,” a light comedy that would later serve as an inspiration for author Aurania Rouverol’s “Andy Hardy” film series at MGM. The play ran only 14 performances, but Georgette had been introduced to the footlights of Broadway, and an actress was born. Playing her sister Helen in the production was another newcomer Patricia Morrison (later spelled “Morison”). Pat would become a star herself, appearing in many films and scoring a theatrical triumph on Broadway as the original Kate in the Cole Porter musical “Kiss Me, Kate.” The cast of “Growing Pains” also included Lili Zehner who would appear with Georgette in her next Broadway play, “Fly Away Home,” and Philippe de Lacy, who would be reunited with Georgette in 1940 to work on “The Ramparts We Watch,” Georgette’s film debut.

The star of “Growing Pains” was Junior Durkin, fresh from his two appearances as Huckleberry Finn in the most recent film adaptations of Mark Twain’s popular books. Junior would die tragically only a few years after this play in an automobile accident, cutting short a bright future and a promising career.