I opened the thread because I had no idea why you would be wrinting about Sarah Bernhardt. Of course, I was thinking of Sandra Bernhardt and it took me to the end of the OP to get my head straight. I know who John Wilkes Booth is, and I guessed that the Barrymore chap was the father of the other Barrymores, but other than that I’m clueless. But, theatre ain’t exactly my thing. And I only guessed at the Barrymore thing cause I saw a Biography of one of 'em (probably Drew ) on the History Channel.
And I’m about as average, white-bread, middle-American as you’re gonna get.
Names I know that are mentioned in this thread are David Garrick, Maurice Barrymore, Sarah Bernhardt, Lilly Langtree, J.W. Booth (but not for his acting) and Lillian Russell.
Unmentioned, like no dog barking in the night-time, is William Gillette, who made his name and fortune playing Sherlock Holmes and — bad luck for Rathbone — out-Basiled Basil, apparently. But many would say Jeremy Brett did, too.
Sir Henry Irving was another of the great 19th century A-list. Because nothing remains of his dramatic performances he is probably best known today for his association with Dracula author Bram Stoker (who was his secretary among other job titles over the years; some scholars claim Dracula is based in large part on the suave and consuming Irving).
Sarah is overdue for another good biography, incidentally. (There are many biographies of her, some recent, but the definitive one, and most particularly the definitive movie portrayal, are up for grabs- I’ve always thought Streisand should grab the chance to portray her- since Sarah was acting in her 70s with one leg, she still could do the role.)
The Booth family would be an interesting family to study for the genetics of insanity. The father was a nutcase (and a bigamist and an alcoholic) as was J.W. and as were some of the others, but the illnesses were very different. Two interesting triviums concerning Booths:
1- Early in the Civil War, Edwin Booth saved the life of a young man who had Edwin not grabbed him would have fallen to his death onto a set of train tracks far below. The young man was Robert Todd Lincoln.
2- When performing at Ford’s Theater, JW Booth usually took a room at the Peterson boarding house across the street. When he shot Lincoln this is where he was taken for treatment. Lincoln died in a bed and a room that Booth his assassin had slept in several times.
Bernhardt told this story, so its veracity is anybody’s guess: on a trans-Atlantic crossing she noticed an obviously deranged older woman crying and teetering too close to the rails of the ship. When the woman lost her balance (or attempted to jump) Bernhardt grabbed her and pulled her back. The woman asked “What is your name?” and when Bernhardt told her, the woman looked at her with complete contempt and said “I do not associate with people from the theater. They murdered my husband.” It was, of course, LadyBird Joh… sorry, Mary Todd Lincoln. (Grain of salt, but it definitely would have been in character for Mrs. Lincoln.)
I suppose Enrico Caruso is the first 19th century performing artist whose greatness we have proof of thanks to sound recordings. (It’s hard to measure a stage actor’s ability from silent movies even if they made them as the techniques are so different.) He was definitely the first performer to become rich from “points” in a recorded project. (He was also a bigger compulsive liar about his past than Bernhardt was, claiming among other things that he was 18th of 22 children of an impoverished family, only two of whom survived- totally bogus all around; his parents were middle class and had a small [by 19th century Roman Catholic standards] family of two children.
) on the History Channel.
