Project Gutenberg 2004-03-01 Public domain in the USA. 423 Ferber, Edna 1885 1968 Cheerful—By Request Cheerful: by request -- The gay old dog -- The tough guy -- The eldest -- That's marriage -- The woman who tried to be good -- The girl who went right -- The hooker-up-the-back -- The guiding Miss Gowd -- Sophy-as-she-might-have-been -- The three of them -- Shore leave. Produced by Janet Kegg and PG Distributed Proofreaders "Cheerful—By Request" by Edna Ferber is a novel written during the late 1910s. The story primarily revolves around Josie Fifer, a struggling actress-turned-costume keeper in a theatrical warehouse, navigating her complex life in the doldrums of the New York theater scene. The narrative emphasizes the stark contrast between the grim realities of theater production and the author’s desire for a more uplifting tale in a post-war society. The opening portion introduces readers to the world of Josie Fifer, who is entrenched in the behind-the-scenes aspect of theater, managing the costumes of failed productions. The dialogue sets a tone of discontent with the prevailing gloomy and "realistic" narratives common at the time. Josie is depicted with a sharp wit and a somewhat jaded outlook, having faced years of disappointment and hardship within the industry. Through a series of vignettes, we see her reflections on her past aspirations, her current position, and her interactions with others, including Sid Hahn, a prominent theatrical manager. The opening establishes a pitch for a "cheerful" story, hinting at Josie's desire for both recognition and a more hopeful narrative amidst the tragedy she finds herself surrounded by. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 84.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Short stories, American Manners and customs -- Fiction PS Text Category: Novels Category: American Literature 576617 2025-08-05T07:40:49.168865 text/html 555003 2024-10-28T18:40:17 text/html 285036 2025-08-05T07:40:56.896815 application/epub+zip 292322 2025-08-05T07:40:51.020873 application/epub+zip 292322 2025-08-05T07:40:49.873830 application/epub+zip 503102 2025-08-05T07:41:01.817750 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 476393 2025-08-05T07:40:56.138829 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 439750 2022-09-05T13:03:42.258205 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 517439 2025-08-05T07:40:47.743826 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 497761 2024-10-28T18:40:17 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16577 2025-08-05T07:41:01.969743 application/rdf+xml 13090 2025-08-05T07:40:50.392824 image/jpeg 3468 2025-08-05T07:40:50.134814 image/jpeg 278079 2025-08-05T07:40:49.213871 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia