Greetings! As some of you know, Kevin Mac Donnell has done his usual intrepid research into another Twainian issue -- what on earth did he sound like? Hal Holbrook, of course, did a massive amount of research himself into the matter, and there are all sorts of descriptions, trails to follow, and tales of wax-cylinder recordings destroyed by fire or bombing.

Kevin always has some odd corner of Samuel Clemens's life to shed light on, and here he is on this one:  He "separates the facts and rumors surrounding the six times that Mark Twain’s voice was recorded, reviews the imitators and impersonators who were active during his lifetime (and Twain’s opinion of one of them) and connects one of them directly to Hal Holbrook’s incomparable impersonation of Mark Twain. New evidence is presented that answers the question of whether Twain’s famous drawl was genuine or part of his stage persona, and new documentary evidence is also presented that establishes exactly how slowly (words per minute) he spoke."

 This genial and generous collector and scholar will speak (live from Austin, Texas) at The Mark Twain House & Museum's "The Trouble Begins at 5:30" program, viewable at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14, on the museum's Crowdcast platform, which is pretty cool. The museum only asks that you consider donating what you might pay for admission, and makes it easy to do that. If you're poor, or rich but miserly, it's free.

To register: https://marktwainhouse.org/event/trouble-begins-kevin-mac-donnell-the-voice-of-mark-twain/
[https://marktwainhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Trouble-Begins-logo-300x205.jpg]<https://marktwainhouse.org/event/trouble-begins-kevin-mac-donnell-the-voice-of-mark-twain/>
TROUBLE BEGINS - Kevin Mac Donnell: The Voice of Mark Twain - Mark Twain House<https://marktwainhouse.org/event/trouble-begins-kevin-mac-donnell-the-voice-of-mark-twain/>
As one of America’s favorite authors, Mark Twain’s words are familiar to us through his books, letters, and quotes. However, in his day, Twain was also a popular lecturer, speaking to audiences all over the United States and all over the world. This leads us to ask, what did his voice sound like? Kevin Mac […]
marktwainhouse.org
All best,
Steve

Steve Courtney, Curatorial Volunteer
The Mark Twain House & Museum
351 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, Connecticut 06105
860-302-8969

A