| Three Men on a Horse | |
|---|---|
 Playbill for the 1935 original Broadway production of Three Men on a Horse starring William Lynn, Sam Levene and Shirley Booth | |
| Written by | George Abbott John Cecil Holm |
| Date premiered | January 30, 1935 |
| Place premiered | Playhouse Theatre New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Farce |
| Setting | Ozone Heights, New Jersey Lavillere Hotel, New York City 1935 |
Three Men on a Horse is a three-act farce co-authored by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott. 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. Originally titled Hobby Horse by John Cecil Holm, Three Men On A Horse was a property controlled and produced by Alex Yokel, who reached out to Warner Bros. for financial assistance; Warners agreed to provide financing on the condition Yokel find someone to doctor the script and direct the Broadway production. George Abbott, the director, who had since 1932 directed and produced each of his Broadway productions, immediately saw the potential and rewrote the script and agreed to direct if he received co-author credit and split the author's royalties with Holm. Abbott wrote a third act, resulting in a new three-act play titled Three Men on a Horse.[1]