 John Oxenford's 1835 one-act farce "A Day Well Spent" had been extended into a full-length play entitled "Einen Jux will er sich machen" by Austrian playwright Johann Nestroy in 1842.In 1938, Wilder adapted Nestroy's version into an Americanized comedy entitled "The Merchant of Yonkers", which attracted the attention of German director Max Reinhardt, who mounted a Broadway production, which ran for 39 performances.Fifteen years later, director Tyrone Guthrie expressed interest in a new production of the play, which Wilder extensively rewrote and rechristened "The Matchmaker".