Odets' biggest hit was made into a 1939 film of the same name, starring William Holden in his breakthrough role, and also served as the basis for a 1964 musical with Sammy Davis Jr. Joe Bonaparte, a young Italian American man and talented violinist, dreams of becoming a professional musician.
His own internal struggle to choose between art and materialism became the basis for the theme of his play, his first to focus more on psychology and personal relationships than social criticism.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reviewer noted that Odets wrote about social consciousness in Waiting for Lefty and "lessons of faith" in Awake and Sing, but in Golden Boy he set out to "merely tell a story.
"[3] Odets called the play "symbolic", with one latter-era critic noting that "the show pits spiritual ideals against lust for fame and money in what can only be termed an implausible setup.
"[4] According to John Lahr, "The heroes of 'Golden Boy' and 'The Big Knife' are both torn between commercial success and artistic fulfillment, driven crazy by their decision to live against their natures; both murder themselves out of nostalgia for their lost integrity.
"[1] The original Broadway production, directed by Harold Clurman, opened on November 4, 1937 at the Belasco Theatre,[5] where it ran for 250 performances.
The cast included Luther Adler as Joe, Robert Lewis as Roxy, Morris Carnovsky as Joe's father, Roman Bohnen as Tom, and Frances Farmer as Lorna, John Garfield as Siggie, Lee J. Cobb as Mr. Carp, Elia Kazan as Eddie Fuselli and Howard da Silva as Lewis.