Hi all,
To piggyback on Kevin's last point--about Mark Twain being a performance--I
would point to my birthday post for Sam Clemens today on Humor in America:
Happy Birthday, Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Not you, Mark Twain.
https://humorinamerica.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/happy-birthday-samuel-langhorne-clemens-not-you-mark-twain/
The distinction between Mark Twain and Clemens is central to my forthcoming
book--cover image at the link above. My promotion of Mark Twain's
"birthday" as being February 3rd is in no way related to that being my
birthday as well, I promise.
Best,
Tracy Wuster
On Mon, Nov 30, 2015 at 1:48 PM, Kevin Mac Donnell <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Twain actually attended one of Gillette's performances in which he
> impersonated Twain and gave him a left-handed compliment, but a compliment
> none the less. Mr Holbrook did listen to one of Gillette's (several)
> recordings of the jumping frog story. He also consulted Lyon and Bim Pond
> (son of Twain's last lecture agent). Others who knew or heard Twain later
> attended Mr Holbrook's performances. I have a letter from Gillette about
> his
> Twain performances, Clara's enthusiastic letter to a friend two days after
> she met Mr Holbrook, and Mr. Holbrook's letter to Lyon after he visited
> her.
> I've shared these with Mr Holbrook, and the details of this are all
> included
> in an article (one of several at the moment) that I'm writing.
>
> But suffice to say that Mr Holbrook bases his impersonation on that of a
> fellow who had Twain's own endorsement and that this endorsement was
> reaffirmed by Clara and others.
>
> It might be worth pointing out that Mark Twain is a persona created by Sam
> Clemens and that Sam Clemens performed that role from 1863 until April 9,
> 1910 when he signed his name "Mark Twain" for the last time. Mr Holbrook
> has
> performed the role of Mark Twain even longer. So, when you see Mr Holbrook
> perform you are indeed seeing Mark Twain, even if you are not seeing Sam
> Clemens.
>
> Kevin
> @
> Mac Donnell Rare Books
> 9307 Glenlake Drive
> Austin TX 78730
> 512-345-4139
> Member: ABAA, ILAB
> *************************
> You may browse our books at:
> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stephen Archer
> Sent: Monday, November 30, 2015 10:50 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Mark Twain Tonight
>
> Are you all familiar with the recording made by the actor William =
> Gillette as Twain? He knew Twain as a=20
> young man and recorded a brief bit of =E2=80=9CThe Jumping Frog of =
> Calaveras County=E2=80=9D imitating Twain. You can
> find it on YouTube as =E2=80=9CTwain=E2=80=99s Voice.=E2=80=9D There =
> used to be a disk recording of it on display in the Museum in
> Hannibal, but I didn=E2=80=99t see it the last time I was there. I have =
> a copy, though, I got in the 1970s.
>
> I cannot imagine that Holbrook didn=E2=80=99t listen to it many times.
>
> Stephen M. Archer
>
>
> > On Nov 30, 2015, at 8:05 AM, Terry Ballard <[log in to unmask]> =
> wrote:
> >=20
> > I had read that Holbrook was vetted not only by Clara, but by Isabel =
> Lyons.
> > If true, that means that Holbrook's voice is the nearest thing we will =
> ever
> > have to a recording of Twain. PS, Happy birthday, Mark Twain. You are =
> 180
> > and your words are as inspiring as ever to people living in this =
> troubled
> > world.
> >=20
> > On Mon, Nov 30, 2015 at 12:38 AM, Susan Bailey =
> <[log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:
> >=20
> >> Carl, when I saw him last year at Hartford I was so engrossed in his
> >> performance that I thought I was seeing Twain on the stage. He is a
> >> magnificent actor. In the scene where he falls asleep in the chair, I =
> was
> >> just hoping one of the stage hands would wake him up!
> >>=20
> >> I know he met with Clara once and I believe she was ill at the time. =
> I
> >> think her second husband, Jacques Samossoud set it up.
> >>=20
> >> In the fall of 1965, a few months before she died in January 1966, =
> Nina saw
> >> his show at least once when he was playing in the desert near Los =
> Angeles.
> >>=20
> >> Susan Bailey
> >> Co author
> >> The Twain Shall Meet
> >> <
> >> =
> http://www.amazon.com/Twain-Shall-Meet-Granddaughter-Gabrilowitsch/dp/1499=
> 799497/ref=3Dsr_1_1/191-7847938-3534132?ie=3DUTF8&qid=3D1415889321&sr=3D8-=
> 1&keywords=3Dthe+twain+shall+meet+susan+bailey
> >>>=20
> >> Twain Page <https://www.facebook.com/marktwainsgranddaughter>
> >> www.marktwainonline.com
> >> Greenville, SC
> >>=20
> >> On Sun, Nov 29, 2015 at 7:43 PM, Carl J. Chimi <[log in to unmask]> =
> wrote:
> >>=20
> >>> Folks,
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>> The other day I watched an old Dirty Harry movie, Magnum Force, =
> wherein
> >> Hal
> >>> Holbrook plays a crooked cop. That made me realize that I haven't =
> ever
> >> seen
> >>> his 1967 taped production of Mark Twain Tonight. I saw him perform =
> it
> >> live
> >>> in Boston when I was young, in 1973 and maybe 1979. I remember =
> being
> >>> mesmerized and thrilled to see a live representation of my hero on a
> >> stage.
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>> I downloaded and watched the 1967 Mark Twain Tonight just now. I =
> was
> >> blown
> >>> away with how good Hal Holbrook was. The makeup was amazing for =
> 1967;
> >>> although he doesn't look exactly like the 70-year-old Mark Twain, =
> his own
> >>> Hal Holbrook look seems to nearly disappear within the Mark Twain
> >> persona.
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>> Even when he was recreating well known stories such as The Golden =
> Arm, he
> >>> still managed to completely hold my short little span of attention =
> by his
> >>> use of unexpected sounds and voices, and with his impeccable timing. =
> His
> >>> take on Jim Blaine was just hilarious, and somehow made me feel it =
> is a
> >>> quintessential American story. His more serious remarks were well =
> chosen
> >>> for 1967 and for any time after that, too.
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>> In short, a true masterpiece of acting.
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>> Does anyone know if Clara or her daughter ever saw Holbrook perform =
> Mark
> >>> Twain?
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>> Regards,
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>> Carl
> >>>=20
> >>=20
> >=20
> >=20
> >=20
> > --=20
> >=20
> >=20
> > Terry Ballard
> > Author and Leisure Studies Manager
> > http://www.terryballard.org
> > Author of the book "Google this" http://googlethis.com
> > <http://googlethisforlibraries.com/>
> >=20
> > "My memory has a mind of its own."
>
|
