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 >