History Theatre / TheSubjectWasRoses

It's set in [[BigApplesauce The Bronx]] in 1946. Timmy Cleary, son of an Irish Catholic family, comes home after three years away fighting in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. His parents Nettie and John are thrilled to have him home, but there are problems lurking beneath the facade of domestic contentment. Nettie makes Timmy his favorite breakfast, and John skips a business meeting to spend a day out with his son. But soon enough, various hidden resentments -- chiefly arising from Nettie and John's failed marriage -- come bursting forth.

* TitleDrop: Timmy asks his father why he admitted the truth about the roses. A long rant follows in which John shouts about how Timmy has been pampered, in contrast to John's own childhood which involved dire poverty and John dropping out of school at ten when his father died. Timmy lets him finish and then calmly replies "The subject was roses."

* TitleDrop: Timmy asks his father why he admitted the truth about the roses. A long rant follows in which John shouts about how Timmy has been pampered, in contrast to John's own childhood which involved dire poverty and John dropping out of school at ten when his father died. Timmy calmly replies "The subject was roses."

* ShoutOut: Timmy quotes the "My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you" line from ''Film/YankeeDoodleDandy''. Later he sings a song from ''Film/FlyingDownToRio''.
* TitleDrop: Timmy asks his father why he admitted the truth about the roses. A long rant follows in which John shouts about how Timmy has been pampered, in contrast to John's own childhood which involved dire poverty and John dropping out of school at ten when his father died. Timmy calmly replies "The subject was roses."

It's set in [[BigApplesauce The Bronx]] in 1946. Timmy Cleary, son of an Irish Catholic family, comes home after three years away fighting in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. His parents Nettie and John are thrilled to have him home, but there are problems beneath the facade of domestic contentment. Nettie makes Timmy his favorite breakfast and John skips a business meeting to spend a day out with his son, but very soon the hidden resentments, chiefly coming from Nettie and John's failed marriage, come bursting forth.

It's set in the Bronx in 1946. Timmy Cleary, son of an Irish Catholic family, comes home after three years away fighting in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. His parents Nettie and John are thrilled to have him home, but there are problems beneath the facade of domestic contentment. Nettie makes Timmy his favorite breakfast and John skips a business meeting to spend a day out with his son, but very soon the hidden resentments, chiefly coming from Nettie and John's failed marriage, come bursting forth.

The original play featured Creator/JackAlbertson and Irene Dailey as John and Nettie and a young Creator/MartinSheen in the big break of his acting career as Timmy. In 1968 the play was adapted into a film directed by Ulu Grosbard. Albertson (who earned an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Supporting Actor) and Sheen reprised their roles, with Creator/PatriciaNeal, in her first film after suffering a series of strokes, playing Nettie. Frank Gilroy adapted his own script for the screenplay. Music/JudyCollins sings two songs on the soundtrack.

In a 2010 revival Sheen played the father, John.

* BittersweetEnding: Borders between this and DownerEnding. Timmy, without siding with either parent, announces he can longer going to intervene in his parents' troubled marriage, or save them from it, and he is leaving home, in order to save himself. His parents reluctantly accept his position, and the three have one final breakfast together. The fate of John and Nettie's marriage is unsettled, but it's likely they soon divorced.

* BittersweetEnding: Borders between this and DownerEnding. Timmy, without siding with either parent, announces he can longer going to intervene in his parents' troubled marriage, and he is leaving. They reluctantly accept, and the three have one final breakfast together. The fate of John and Nettie's marriage is unsettled, but it's likely they soon divorced.

* BittersweetEnding: Borders between this and DownerEnding. Timmy, without siding with either parent, announces he can longer going to intervene in his parents' troubled marriage, and he is leaving. They reluctantly accept, and the three have one final breakfast together. The fate of John and Nettie is undisclosed, it it's likely they soon divorced.

* BittersweetEnding: Borders between this and DownerEnding. Timmy announces he's no longer going to intervene in his parents troubled marriage, which is likely to end in divorce, and he is leaving. They accept, bu the three have one last breakfast together.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Timmy, by giving his father the roses to give to his mother. It initially seems to patch things up between the two parents, but, in the long run, causes things to go [[FromBadToWorse]].

The original play featured Jack Albertson and Irene Dailey as John and Nettie and a young Creator/MartinSheen in the big break of his acting career as Timmy. In 1968 the play was adapted into a film directed by Ulu Grosbard. Albertson (who earned an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Supporting Actor) and Sheen reprised their roles, with Creator/PatriciaNeal, in her first film after suffering a series of strokes, playing Nettie. Frank Gilroy adapted his own script for the screenplay. Music/JudyCollins sings two songs on the soundtrack.

The original play featured Jack Albertson and Irene Dailey as John and Nettie and a young Creator/MartinSheen in the big break of his acting career as Timmy. In 1968 the play was adapted into a film directed by Ulu Grosbard. Albertson (who earned an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Supporting Actor) and Sheen reprised their roles, with Patricia Neal, in her first film after suffering a series of strokes, playing Nettie. Frank Gilroy adapted his own script for the screenplay. Music/JudyCollins sings two songs on the soundtrack.

The original play featured Jack Albertson and Irene Dailey as John and Nettie and a young Creator/MartinSheen in the big break of his acting career as Timmy. In 1968 the play was adapted into a film directed by Ulu Grosbard. Albertson and Sheen reprised their roles, with Patricia Neal, in her first film after suffering a series of strokes, playing Nettie. Frank Gilroy adapted his own script for the screenplay. Music/JudyCollins sings two songs on the soundtrack.

* TitleDrop: Timmy asks his father why he admitted the truth about the roses. A long rant follows in which John shouts about how Timmy has been pampered, in contrast to John's own childhood which involved dire poverty and John dropping out of school at ten when his father died. Timmy calmly replies "The subject was roses."
* YourCheatingHeart: John is a philanderer. His wife confronts him with this and later he admits it to his son. In the film Nettie meets a man in a restaurant and may have gone with him for sex, although it isn't clear.

* ArmchairMilitary: John is envious of Timmy for having served in the war. John claims that he would have been a great soldier in World War I but he was supporting his family. An indulgent Timmy agrees.

* ArmchairMilitary: John is ''jealous'' of Timmy for serving in the war. John claims that he would have been a great soldier in World War I but he was supporting his family. An indulgent Timmy agrees.

It's set in the Bronx in 1945. Timmy Cleary, son of an Irish Catholic family, comes home after three years away fighting in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. His parents Nettie and John are thrilled to have him home, but there are problems beneath the facade of domestic contentment. Nettie makes Timmy his favorite breakfast and John skips a business meeting to spend a day out with his son, but very soon the hidden resentments, chiefly coming from Nettie and John's failed marriage, come bursting forth.

* TheOneWhoGotAway: Nettie mourns over not accepting a proposal from her other suitor, a baker who wouldn't have been as successful as John but would have been more loving.

The original play featured Jack Albertson and Irene Dailey as John and Nettie and a young Creator/MartinSheen in the big break of his acting career as Timmy. In 1968 the play was adapted into a film directed by Ulu Grosbard. Albertson and Sheen reprised their roles, with Patricia Neal, in her first film after suffering a series of strokes, playing Nettie. Frank Gilroy adapted his own script for the screenplay.

* MinimalistCast: The play features only three parts. The film, surprisingly, sticks to that pretty closely, featuring only two more small roles: a woman at the nightclub who is clearly John's mistress, and an emcee at that same nightclub.