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"Henry A. Feldman" <[log in to unmask]>
Wed, 5 Feb 1997 08:44:10 EST
text/plain (20 lines)
          While we are on Mark Twain's self-characterization concerning
   hair color, I will repeat this bit from Billie Burke's autobiography,
   recently posted to the Forum, for those who may have missed it.  Miss
   Burke in 1906 was a 22-year-old comedienne, starring in a Broadway hit
   with the eminent actor John Drew.

        [Mark Twain] loved the theater, often occupying a box with friends
      to see our play, and he enjoyed coming backstage to visit Mr. Drew
      and me.  It was always exciting and enjoyable to see him.  He would
      shake that beautiful shock of snowy white hair and lean his wonderful
      head against mine to say, "Billie, we redheads have to stick
      together."

    Billie Burke, as is evident even at a later age in The Wizard of Oz,
  was a flaming redhead with long locks.  To enhance the effect she pinned
  an extra "curl" on top, which bounced fetchingly.  These pin-on curls were
  marketed in department stores in 1906 as the Billie Burke Curl -- a
decidedly
  pre-Disney showbiz merchandising spinoff.

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