Whenever I come across a mention of the golden arm story, I always think of Mark Twain's daughter (I think it was Susy) begging her dad NOT to do the golden arm story when he visited her college. Parents are always so embarrassing when you are that age. He did it anyway.
Barbara
Barbara Ladd
Professor of English
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia 30322
tel: 404 727-7998
fax: 404 727-2605
________________________________________
From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Dustin Zima <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2015 3:25 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: A Review from the Ann Arbor show, December 12, 1884
Scott,
These are wonderful, and always a joy to read.
Thank you!
Dusty Zima
Elmira College
On 3/20/15, Scott Holmes <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I cam across this "review" of the show quite by fortuitous circumstance.
> I was inquiring of the archivist at Northwestern University, Evanston,
> IL about the show in that town on January 18, 1885. They did a number
> of searches and came up with several references about the students
> preparing for the show but found nothing on the actual venue nor a
> review of the show but they did find a review of the Ann Arbor show
> published in their own newspaper.
>
> Northwestern: Date 12-19-1884, Page 2; Evanston, Illinois (copyright
> NewsBank 2011)
>
> The Academy says that Mr. George W. Cable shares with Nathaniel
> Hawthorne, Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Mr. Bret Harte, the
> distinction of striking out a vein of indigenous American fiction, which
> is no mere provincial copying of English literature, as the major part
> of American fiction, which has not already copied these three, has
> hitherto shown itself to be. Mr. Cable and Mark Twain seem to be making
> a marked success of their new joint-combination venture, the author of
> Creole Days providing the sober, and pathetic, and acting as a
> safety-valve for the exuberant humor of his companion. All selections
> are taken from the works of the lecturers. A week ago to-night they
> succeeded in entertaining an audience of three thousand at University
> Hall, Ann Arbor. It is reported that the audience not only greeted the
> lecturers, but slapped them on the back, as it were, so enthusiastic was
> its cordiality. The students generally, of whom the audience was
> largely composed, abandoned themselves to the most thunderous laughter
> every time Twain appeared on the stage; staid members of the University
> Faculty, who always maintained a twenty degrees below zero countenance
> in the classroom, laughed till they were out of breath; law professors,
> wrapped up in ponderous legal volumes, and who have not been known to
> smile in twenty-one years, fairly rolled off their seats from laughter
> at every point Twain made. Even a couple of Japanese students, who,
> although having a fair command of English, could not readily see the
> incongruities of Twain's remarks, felt in duty bound to join in the
> general feeling, and undoubtedly did their best, although several times
> they broke forth in the wrong place to the astonishment of those about
> them. Mr. Cable gave several selections from Dr. Sevier, and sung in a
> fine tenor voice two Creole songs. He was well received, but Mark's
> famous whistling story, and his wierd[sic] unearthly =E2=80=9CWho-o-o-o's=
got my
> go-o-o-o-old-en arm?=E2=80=9D with its unexpected denouement brought down=
the
> house.
>
> The Senior class has this popular combination billed for the evening of
> January 19 next. Be sure and get your tickets. A limited number of
> reserved seats is on sale at $1.00 per ticket. Unreserved tickets are
> to be obtained for 75 cents. A. F. Mathews, Cornell University, '83, is
> acting manager for Messrs. Twain and Cable.
>
> Courtesy of
> Janet C. Olson
> Assistant University Archivist
> Northwestern University Library
>
>
>
>
> --
> There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of
> in your philosophy.
> http://bscottholmes.com
>
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