Assassination of John F. Kennedy President Kennedy as his motorcade continued down Elm Street. About 80% of the witnesses recalled hearing three shots. A minority of the witnesses recognized the first gunshot they heard as weapon fire, but there was hardly any reaction to the first shot from a majority of the people in the crowd or those riding in the motorcade. Many bystanders later said that they heard what they first thought to either be a firecracker or the backfire of one of the vehicles shortly after the President had begun waving. Although some close witnesses recalled seeing the limousine slow down, nearly stop,
The Girl in the Limousine (play) the initial version of the play and offered it to producer Al Woods, who had previously produced "Up in Mabel's Room", a play Collison co-wrote with Otto Hauerbach. Woods gave it to Avery Hopwood for revisions. The play was initially titled "Betty's Bed", but was changed for production to "The Girl in the Limousine", despite the fact that no female character is in a limousine at any time during the story. The play's Broadway opening was at the Eltinge 42nd Street Theatre on October 6, 1919. John Cumberland and Doris Kenyon starred as Tony and Betty. It ran on Broadway