And Uber man doesn't have quite the gravitas it had in Friedrich's day........

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Wolfgang Hochbruck
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2022 1:42 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Hal Holbrook

....Nietzsche wasn't nearly as funny as Twain -- and then he went completely bonkers, which is a real show-stopper under all circumstances. One of my friends and colleagues here is the chief editor of Nietzsche's complete works, and he hasn't heard of anyone ever doing a Nietzsche impression. 
Come to think of it, Holbrook went on tour as Twain longer than Twain did himself, didn't he? Quite amazing. 

best
w

On Mon, 24 Jan 2022 17:19:44 +0000
 Mac Donnell Rare Books <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>OK, if not Goethe or Schiller, how about Nietzsche?
>
>For one thing, his mustache is a heck of lot better than Twain's, plus 
>he said a lot of witty Twainian things ("In heaven, all of the 
>interesting people are missing").  But he might want to avoid that "God 
>is dead" shtick; some audiences can be touchy.
>
>As for Hal Holbrook, I can't add much to what I said in my elegy in the 
>MTJ, but I cannot imagine anyone who ever met him didn't come away from 
>that encounter without an indelible memory, and I think anyone who ever 
>saw him in live performance as Mark Twain counts that experience as a 
>blessing.
>
>Kevin
>@
>Mac Donnell Rare Books
>9307 Glenlake Drive
>Austin TX 78730
>512-345-4139
>Member: ABAA, ILAB, BSA
>
>You can browse our books at:
>www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
>
>
>------ Original Message ------
>From: "Wolfgang Hochbruck"
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Sent: 1/24/2022 9:50:51 AM
>Subject: Re: Hal Holbrook
>
>>..what a remarkable story - thanks for sharing! I don't think Hal 
>>Holbrook ever toured Germany, i would have loved to see him. He may 
>>even have been a far distant relation; there is a story in the family 
>>that some great x 4 or so uncle changed his name to Holbrook upon 
>>arrival in the USA because people choked on the German "ch" and he 
>>didn't like the idea of being called Hogbrook -- In the early 80s, 
>>there was a Twain impersonator on tour in Germany, and i saw him but i 
>>don't remember who it was nor was the tour particularly successful. At 
>>that time, nobody over here had ever
>heard
>>of living history presentations, and teachers of German would likely 
>>have fainted at the idea of somebody impersonating Goethe or 
>>Schiller...
>>
>>best
>>w
>>
>>
>>
>>On Mon, 24 Jan 2022 07:12:55 -0500
>>  Warren Miller <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>Thank you for remembering Hal Holbook, Shelley.
>>>
>>>I had the good fortune to win a scholarship to attend Culver
>Military
>>>Academy starting in the fall of 1958.  It was a fabulous and 
>>>life-changing experience. I graduated in 1961. Having graduated from 
>>>Culver in
>1944,
>>>Mr.
>>>Holbrook had preceded me there by seventeen years. I saw him perform 
>>>once there and several more times over the years. The last time was 
>>>in
>the
>>>early
>>>1990s when my beloved bride and I lived in Tulsa. Before the curtain 
>>>went up that night, I sent a note to him backstage; on the back of my 
>>>business card, I said I was a Culver graduate and asked him if he 
>>>would do
>'The
>>>War
>>>Prayer' which I had seen the first time at Culver more than thirty 
>>>years before. I had read that he chose what he was going to do in a 
>>>given performance as he went along, based on the audience's reaction 
>>>to
>the
>>>choices he was making. Sure enough, near the end of the evening, he 
>>>did the 'The War Prayer.' It was even more spectacular and moving 
>>>than I had remembered. I was thrilled.
>>>
>>>A couple of weeks later, I got a handwritten note from him in the 
>>>mail. He thanked me for attending and said he hoped I enjoyed 'The 
>>>War
>Prayer'.
>>>I
>>>was thrilled yet again and also humbled.
>>>
>>>What a wonderful, wonderful man. We lost a great American a year
>ago.
>>>May
>>>he rest in peace.
>>>
>>>Thank you again, Shelley.
>>>
>>>Warren Miller, CPA, CFA
>>>Lexington, Virginia
>>>
>>>On Sun, Jan 23, 2022 at 10:58 AM Shelley Fisher Fishkin < 
>>>[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>  One year ago today, on January 23rd, the world lost a gifted
>actor,
>>>a
>>>>  brilliant scholar of Mark Twain, and a kind, generous, and caring
>>>human
>>>>  being. Many of us on this list lost a  friend. Hal Holbrook Z”L —
>>>May his
>>>>  memory be a blessing.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  ===============================
>>>>  Shelley Fisher Fishkin
>>>>  Joseph S. Atha Professor of Humanities; Professor of English, and  
>>>> Director of American Studies, Stanford University
>>>>  Mail: Department of English, Bldg. 460, 450 Jane  Stanford Way,
>>>Stanford
>>>>  University, Stanford, CA 94305-2087 
>>>>https://english.stanford.edu/people/shelley-fisher-fishkin < 
>>>>https://english.stanford.edu/people/shelley-fisher-fishkin>
>>>>
>>
>>
>>Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hochbruck
>>Dept. of English
>>Centre for Security and Society
>>Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg
>>Rempart St. 15
>>D-79098 Freiburg
>>Germany
>>


Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hochbruck
Dept. of English
Centre for Security and Society
Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg
Rempart St. 15
D-79098 Freiburg
Germany