LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. Class A . JOSEPH JEFFERSON Reminiscences of a Fellow Player BY FRANCIS WILSON Illustrated LONDON CHAPMAN AND HALL, LIMITED 1906 [All rights reserved] Copyright, 1906, by CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS for the United States of America Printed by The University Press Cambridge, U.S.A. To MY WIFE 220739 JOSEPH JEFFERSON Born, Philadelphia, Pa Feb. 20, 1829 Appeared in " black face " in imitation of T. D. ("Jim Crow") Rice at Washington, D.C. . 1833 Acted in Mexico, a camp follower of the American Army 1846 Married Margaret Clement Lockyer . . . . 1850 Joined Laura Keen's Theatre. Success as " Dr. Pangloss" 1857 Winter Garden, success as "Caleb Plummer " and "Salem Scudder " 1859 Adapted "Oliver Twist'* for the stage . . . 1860 Death of Mrs. Jefferson 1861 In Australia and England 1861-5 Olympic Theatre, New York, in revised and re- written Rip Van Winkle 1 866 Married Sarah Isabel Warren, his cousin . . . 1 867 Named "The Little Church around the Corner" 1870 In London, "Rip Van Winkle," " Golightly," " Hugh de Brass " 1875-7 Produced his amended version of " The Rivals," Philadelphia 1 880 Published Autobiography 1889-90 Given the degree of M. A. by Yale University . 1892 Given the degree of M. A. by Harvard University 1 895 Presented with a loving-cup by the actors and actresses of America l $95 All-Star Rivals " Tour 1896 Died at Palm Beach, Florida . . . April 23, 1905 PREFACE THOSE who seek the facts of his life, and the standard and accepted estimates of Jefferson's work and art, will find them in the adequate pages of Mr. William Winter. Those who would acquaint themselves with the ineffable charm of his personality must linger over the pages of the comedian's Autobiography, a book to be mentioned only with Colley Gibber's Apology, equal in interest, beyond it in charm. The present writer has aimed merely to set down the remembrances, mostly anecdotal, which were his over a number of years in connection with the subject of this sketch. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. FIRST ACQUAINTANCE i II. CHARACTERISTICS ....... n III. RIP VAN WINKLE ....... 24 IV. His RECREATIONS 46 V. JOSEPH JEFFERSON AS A LECTURER . 97 VI. THE AUTHOR 149 VII. " THE RIVALS " AND THE ALL-STAR PERFORMANCES 182 VIII. CHARACTERISTIC DAYS 280 IX. CONCLUSION v 326 ILLUSTRATIONS JOSEPH JEFFERSON Frontispiece Photogravure from a Photograph Joseph Jefferson and William Florence in "The Rivals" . Facing page 8 Joseph Jefferson's Birthplace " 20 Joseph Jefferson as Rip Van Winkle (Old Age) " 24 Joseph Jefferson as Rip Van Winkle (Youth) . ' 36 Joseph Jefferson sketching " 46 Mr. Cleveland and Mr. Jefferson off for a Day's Fishing . " 54 The Indefatigable Fisherman, Grover Cleveland -" 58 Buzzards Roost A Monotype by Jefferson . " 62 Joseph Jefferson and Judge Henry E. Rowland " 68 King of the Forest A Painting by Jefferson . 90 Portrait of Israels, by himself 94 Mr. Jefferson delivering an Address .... " 98 1812 " " 108 Crow's Nest, Jefferson's Home at Buzzards Bay " 142 Mr. Jefferson planting the Jefferson Tree . . " 178 Joseph Jefferson as " Bob Acres " .... " 182 Mrs. John Drew as "Mrs. Malaprop " . . " 188 Francis Wilson as " David " " 196 ILLUSTRATIONS Joseph Jefferson and The Fanny Rice Baby Facing page 198 William H. Crane as Sir Anthony Absolute" " 200 Nat. C. Goodwin as "Sir Lucius O' Trigger" " 206 Julia Marlowe as " Lydia " " 212 Robert Taber as " Captain Absolute " ... " 216 E. M. Holland as " Fag" " 220 Joseph Holland as "Falkland" " 224 Fanny Rice as "Lucy " " 228 Flatboat on a Bayou of the Mississippi From a Painting by Jefferson " 280 Imitation of Turner, by Joseph Jefferson . . " 306 Joseph Jefferson at Palm Beach, Fla., Sep- tember 26, 1904 " 326 Mr. Jefferson, C. A. Walker, and C. B. Jefferson on a Fishing Expedition ' 340 Mr. Jefferson on his Seventy-sixth Birthday . ' 344 The Grare of Jefferson at Sandwich, Mass. . " 346 JOSEPH JEFFERSON I have devoted all my life to acting, and I stand to-day in awe of its greatness. My boys sometimes get discouraged, and I say to them : " Go out and do something for somebody. Go out and give something to any body , if it's only a pair of woollen stockings to a poor old woman. It will take you away from yourselves and make you happy /" JOSEPH JEFFERSON. CHAPTER I FIRST ACQUAINTANCE I WAS never introduced to Joseph Jefferson ; we just shook hands. To me his name was the synonym for all that was highest and best in our profession, and I had long won- dered if I should ever come to know him. I first saw him one Saturday afternoon, in 1870, as I can see him now, on the southwest corner of Twenty-third Street and Sixth Avenue, New York, eating Malaga grapes out of a paper bag. In those days there was a fruit-stand on that corner. He stood on the curbstone abstractedly eating the grapes and watching the crowd file into Booth's Theatre for the matinee performance of " Rip Van Winkle," which was then in the midst of an eight months* run. How I drank him in and ate him up as he stood there and I re- member how, boy-like, I brushed past him just to be able to feel that I had come in contact JOSEPH JEFFERSON with him ! My action had not disturbed him, for he did not turn toward me or make any sign that he had heard my frightened words of apology. This relieved me, for I was so scared at my temerity that I should not have known what to say or do. I followed him, at a re- spectful distance, across the street, past the main entrance of the theatre, to that mysterious portal, the stage door, through which he vanished from my admiring gaze. Since that time I have had pleasure in watch- ing people assemble to witness performances of my own, but it has always recalled my first glimpse of Joseph Jefferson and that paper bag of Malaga grapes ! Once, in later years, as we were passing that corner together, I told him of the incident, placed him in the exact position in which he had stood, and begged him to eat imag- inary, grapes in an abstracted way, and together we acted over the little comedy, the original of which was so fraught with importance to me. This amused him greatly, and as we passed up the street he admonished me always to preserve as much as possible the simplicity and buoyancy of youth. FIRST ACQUAINTANCE I had often been his auditor, but had never had him as one of my own, so far as I know, until November, 1889, at the old Globe Theatre in Boston, when he commanded me to place a box at the disposal of himself, Mrs. Malaprop Drew, and Sir Lucius O'Florence for a perform- ance of "The Oolah." It was an anxious day for me, and I came upon the stage with my voice full of quavers and my memory ready, as " Acres " says, " to ooze out of the ends of my fingers." I gathered myself with an effort, and it was not long before I had the reassuring pleasure of seeing Mr. Jefferson give way to a hearty burst of laughter which but for. the back of his chair must have upset his equilibrium, while Mrs. Drew and Mr. Florence seemed to be greatly enjoying themselves. On the instant all nervousness vanished, and the performance proceeded to the end with confidence and spirit, " Rip Van Winkle " kissing his hand to me as the curtain fell. I had been corresponding with Mr. Jefferson about his Autobiography, but newly begun in the November " Century Magazine," and he had promised to help with gifts of prints and letters JOSEPH JEFFERSON in the extra-illustrating of my own copy when the Autobiography should be published in book form. He asked me to come and see him, appointing the business office of the Park Theatre, Boston, as the place, and one o'clock as the hour. As I entered, he sprang from his chair, and before any- one could introduce us, he had grasped me by the hand and thus was realized my youthful dream of meeting Rip Van Jefferson. The first thing about him to impress me, at friendly close range, was the kindly, winsome, and at the same time inquiring, penetrating ex- pression of his face. My notes, made on the same day, say that he was above rather than below the middle size. He was thin, and his face was much wrinkled, which is not to be wondered at, for, as was said of his illustrious predecessor, David Garrick, " no man's face has received more wear and tear." This is true of all actors, for " their faces have double the business of any other man." Mr. Jefferson's mixed gray and brown hair was worn rather long, compared with the fashion of the day (which resembles that of the convict crop), and there was a plentiful wad of it on the 4 FIRST ACQUAINTANCE top of his, I should say, rather small head. The hair was parted comparatively low down on the left side, combed up over the front of the head, and curved up toward a generous right ear. The nose and chin were rather prominent, giving what Mr. Jefferson himself has elsewhere humorously described "as a classical contour, neither Greek nor Roman, but of the pure Nut-cracker type." As it impressed me, in that part just over the eyes, denoting perception, the forehead was full, broad, and especially prominent. The mouth was exceptionally kind in expression, and his speech, neither low nor high in tone, had great clearness and remarkable carrying quality^ with a tendency to the sh sound in the use of sibilants. But the eye was the great feature of the face. There was mildness, sweetness, frankness, fun, jollity, and especially was there riveted attention in it when he listened and no man to my knowledge ever listened better ! Good health shone out of his eyes and how they did shine ; and what wonderful control he had of them, giving them, as his long professional practice had taught him, every shade of meaning and expres- sion his fancy might care to depict. I noticed 5 JOSEPH JEFFERSON an unusual white mark in one of his eyes/ due no doubt to an operation for glaucoma, which threatened, in 1872, to rob him entirely of sight, -a calamity happily averted by the skill of Dr. Reuling, of Baltimore. I found him, as I knew he would be, keenly alive to the humorous ; and the conversation did not go far in any direction before it reminded him of something laughable in the storehouse of his vast experience. He dipped liberally and narrated skilfully, employing voice, eyes, hands, hair, and body. He was interested in some prints I had brought with me of his grandfather and other theatrical people of a past age, and he gave me a minute history of each. An etching of the father of William Warren, the comedian, he declared to be a counterpart of the son, then just dead. In speaking of the great popularity of his con- tribution to the " Century Magazine," his Auto- biography, he replied, giving me an exceedingly interesting account of the request to publish the work. He had never before written anything for publication, and was not aware that he had any talent in that direction. When he began it, about 6 FIRST ACQUAINTANCE three years earlier, he did so haltingly at first, but soon got into the swing of it, and as recol- lections would come to him he would rise at unseemly hours of the night to jot them down, fearful that he might not be able to recall them in the morning. He told me how the " Century " at first wished to publish only extracts from the work. This re- quest was 'refused. With a quiet chuckle of satisfaction he modestly added that since the appearance of the first instalment he had been requested to extend the story. Here Mr. Florence joined the party, and then began a little banter. Mr. Jefferson explained that he was absent-minded at times, and told of having written a letter to his wife the other night, and not wishing to forget to post it he carried it in his hand, got into a car, paid his fare on enter- ing, and sat down. Later, the conductor, forget- ting Mr. Jefferson had paid, touched him on the shoulder, and held out his hand. Mr. Jefferson abstractedly put the letter into the conductor's hand, saying : " Mail this for me, will you, please ? " " I have n't time to mail your letters ! " yelled 7 JOSEPH JEFFERSON the fare-taker, which brought Mr. Jefferson to himself, when, of course, explanations and apolo- gies followed. The story was inimitably told, and caused much laughter. " Oh, that man Jefferson 's a funny creature," said Florence. " How do you know ? " I asked. " Oh, he makes me laugh," replied Florence. Turning to Jefferson, he said : " By the way, Joe, when I ask you at night [in " The Rivals"] c What 's the matter with you/ and you turn and say, in that God-forsaken way, c I don't know what 's the matter with me/ I can't help laughing to save my life. At that moment there is n't a particle of Jefferson in you, nothing that reminds me of your real self! " This pleased Mr. Jefferson very much. He seemed greatly to relish Florence's compliments. He was susceptible to honest admiration. I have often heard him declare since that he would not give the snap of his finger for anybody who was not. Mr. Jefferson had written for me on one of his photographs the eyes of which he thought JOSEPH JEFFERSON AND WILLIAM FLORENCE IN "THE RIVALS' From a photograph by Falk FIRST ACQUAINTANCE rather starey and I was trying to dry the ink by waving the picture in the air. " I fear I have written a round, bold hand, Sir Lucius," quoted Mr. Jefferson, and then, turning to Florence, he added : " By the way, Billy, there 's a line in the c Rivals ' I never speak.'* " There 's a lot in that piece, Joe, if you 'd only study it ! " instantly retorted Florence. Nobody enjoyed this more than Mr. Jefferson, who was one of the few men capable of enjoying a joke on himself. " But I always give you the cues ! " comically whined Jefferson. " Yes," said Florence, " and the cues are about all you do give me ! " Mr. Jefferson told another cc absent-minded " story. When in Washington, thirty years ago, he had been introduced to Senator Stephen A. Douglas and was invited to drink. On leaving the place one of the party who accompanied Mr. Jefferson asked if he knew what he had done. "I can't imagine something dreadful, I'll be bound ! What was it ? " " Why, Douglas paid for those drinks with a five-dollar piece and you pocketed the change ! " 9 JOSEPH JEFFERSON Mr. Jefferson told me that Mrs. Drew, who was nine years his senior, was facetiously known in the company as the " soubrette," while Mr. Florence was called the "juvenile man." He then spoke pleasantly of" Erminie," which he had seen at the Casino, New York. He said he had often played the character of " Caddy " ; only, he added, it was known as "Jacques Strop." " I used to play it, Wilson, with an actor named Browne Browne, with an " I have often seen you criticised adversely for omitting certain lines of Sheridan from c The Rivals.' Why do you do it ? " " Because I cannot say them," he replied. " Because many things were not only permissible but demanded in Sheridan's time that would insult the more refined taste of the audience of to-day. For example, in ' The Rivals ' Sir Lucius dictates the letter to Acres ; he says : c To pre- vent the confusion that might arise from our both addressing the same lady,' and Acres, ac- cording to Sheridan, confuses the lines and writes, speaking aloud, c From our both undressing the same lady ' ! " This was once spoken, but I took the liberty of substituting something less offensive and con- iSI , > 1 THE A L L-S TAR "RIVALS" densing the piece to the form in which it is, and which I thought would make it more acceptable to the tastes of the present time. No," he con- tinued, " you ought to say nothing on the stage you would not say in private. You would n't insult your friends in private ; why should you in public ? " In the spring of 1895 a benefit performance of " The Rivals " was given at the Fifth Avenue Theatre for Jefferson's friend C. W. Couldock, the veteran actor. Besides Jefferson, a number of prominent actors were in the cast. From this performance came the idea of forming an all- star company to play the same comedy on tour for a month. This was carried into effect, after much trouble involving a great deal of negotia- tion. The tour began May 4, 1896, at Spring- field, Mass., and ended, after thirty performances, May 30, 1896, in New York City. A special train of Pullman cars housed the company and bore it after performances to the various cities in which it was to appear. The route was as fol- lows: May 4th, Springfield; 5th, Hartford; 6th, New Haven; yth, New York, matinee; yth, Brooklyn, night; 8th, Philadelphia; 9th, Balti- 189 JOSEPH JEFFERSON more, afternoon; 9th, Washington, night; nth, Pittsburg; I2th, Louisville; ijth, Cincinnati, matinee and night; I4th, St. Louis; I5th and 1 6th, Chicago, two nights and matinee; i8th, Milwaukee; I9th, Indianapolis; 2oth, Grand Rapids, Mich.; 2ist, Toledo, Ohio, afternoon; 2ist, Detroit, night; 22d, Columbus, Ohio; 2jd, Cleveland, Ohio; 25th, Buffalo; 26th, Rochester ; 2yth, Syracuse, afternoon ; 2yth, Utica, night ; 28th, Albany ; 29th, Boston, after- noon ; 29th, Worcester, night; joth, New York. After all business arrangements had been made I wrote Mr. Jefferson about rehearsals, the cos- tumes, etc., of David, and received the following reply : 1319 ST. CHARLES AVE., NEW ORLEANS, LA., Feb. 21, '96. MY DEAR SIR FRANcis, 1 If as David you were to dance before the Lord or go on an ille- gitimate courting expedition after the Queen of Sheba, I would suggest short skirts for the first and an acrobatic get-up for the latter, but for my old friend David in "The Rivals'* pumps, 1 My usual form of address to him was " My dear Sir Joseph.' ' 190 THE RIVALS A COMEDY IN THREE ACTS. BY RICHARD BRItfSLEY SHERIDAN UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF C. B. JEFFERSON AND JOSEPH BROOKS. CAST OF CHARACTERS. Sir Anthony Absolute, ... - William H Crane Captain Absolute, ...--. Robert Taber Falkland, ..* Joseph Holland Acres, .------ Joseph Jefferson Sir Lucius O'Trigger, - - - - Nat. C. Goodwin Fag, E.M.Holland David, ........ Francis Wilson Mrs. Malaprop, Mrs. John Drew Lydia Languish, .... - Julia Marlowe Taber Lucy, Fanny Rice SYNCPSIS OF SCENES* ACT I. Scene IMrs. Malaprop's Reception Room. Scene 2 Captain Absolute's Bachelor Apartments. ACT II. Scene 1 North Parade at Bath, showing Bath Abbey. Scene 2 Mrs. Malaprop's Reception Room. Scene 3 Apartments of Bob Acres. ACT III. Scene 1 Mrs. Malaprop's Apartments. Scene 2 Hallway in JMEra. Malaprop's House. Scene 3 King's Meades Fields, showing the City of Bath and Cathedral tn the distance. (The cele- brated Dueling grounds. Scenery by Walter Burridge. Construction by C. I*. Hagen. Costumes by Herman. THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS" white stockings, red plush breeches, long yellow vest, white necktie with huge bow, and a long old-fashioned square-cut livery. As for the wig, that, as Sam Weller says, cc depends upon the taste and fancy of the speller, my lord." I would say a red or black close crop. But whatever color you choose you are sure to paint the Town red. A little later he wrote : BOSTON, April 29, 1896. * . . I find it will be quite out of the question to rehearse in Springfield until Monday. If you can get here Saturday morning or afternoon, I can give you an hour or two at my hotel, the Parker House. Your photo of David is ad- mirable. You seem to have hit the spirit of it. I predict great things for you ; but nous verrons, as we say in Dutch. . . . It was the honor more than the liberal emol- ument of the thing which, at the end of a labori- ous season, brought together such a company as The Rivals organization. There was an aesthetic flavor about the whole tour, a unanimity of feel- ing that rendered it particularly delightful. Such was the buoyancy of feeling that I am not sure that the most inefficient of us did not feel him- JOSEPH JEFFERSON self quite competent to play the most impor- tant part. However that may be, I do know that nobody felt himself too big to play the small- est part. I thought that a record of the incidents and accidents (if any), and anecdotes of the trip might prove interesting. I set them down imme- diately, while the impressions were fresh. They follow, with the exception of much which has been used to illustrate previous chapters, and the addition of a few which subsequent recollection made possible. A great deal that I recorded was never meant for publication, merely for my own remembrance. However, I sent the manuscript entire to Jefferson, who commended certain parts, blue-pencilled and objected to others. He felt sure that my eagerness to include all that had been said and done had made me overlook the ultimate effect that "the printed form, unaccom- panied by cheerful manner and good feeling, would have upon those concerned," and that he wanted to be as frank with me as if I were at his elbow. " My book," he writes a few days later, "gave me my first experience. I told too much. Gilder warned me. I would not hold back till I saw it in cold type, then I cried ' Peccavi ! ' and saw 196 THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS" how right he was. I will read you some of < The Rejected Addresses ' when we meet, so that you can judge." On Saturday, November yth, he writes : " I will send you the Star Trip. I am still in my original frame of mind regarding it. It puts you in the light of a hero-worshipper and me on a theatrical throne chair with an assumed air of modesty, but slyly acquiescing in the praise. Of course I have nothing more to say, and so leave it for you to decide, except as to certain allusions. Tho' I feel at liberty to chat about or criticise an actor or actress in writing or in conversation, to indorse the publication of harsh or censurable remarks would place me justly in an unenviable position." I wrote him that I cared more for his good opinion than for the publication of twenty journals, however frankly kept, and that I had no idea that many of the things set down would pass muster with him, but that I had let them all stand for his pencil's slash or neglect, and that the whole thing had been written subject to his criticism and decision. In the journal which follows no part, of course, to which Jef- ferson objected is printed. i 97 JOSEPH JEFFERSON ALL-STAR RIVALS TOUR, SPRINGFIELD, MASS., May 3, 1896. Came up from New York with Mrs. Drew, N. C. Goodwin, Edward Holland, Joseph Hol- land, Fanny Rice, and Joseph Brooks. On reaching Springfield drove to the Pullman cars lying side-tracked by the river. Mr. Jeffer- son, Julia Marlowe-Taber, and Robert Taber were assembled in the drawing-room, dining- room, morning-room Pullman car, and the greet- ings over we sat down to dinner, which was excellent as to food and service. Crane and his wife are at the Massasoit House, the former in- disposed with a dreadful cold and with strict injunctions from the physician to speak only in a whisper. This means torture to Crane, who is exceedingly nervous in the slightest illness, and imagines the day of judgment close at hand. There is a large table at which we sit thus : Julia Goodwin. Marlowe-Taber. Taber. O O Jefferson. Q Q Mrs. Drew. O O O Crane. Mrs. Crane. Wilson. J 9 8 JOSEPH JEFFERSON AND THE FANNY RICE (PURDY) BABY Taken on the rear platform of the car carrying the All-Star "Rivals" Company THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS" There are smaller tables arranged thus : Baby Grandma Rice. Rice. J. Holland. O O Q_ Mrs. H. M. Pitt Jefferson promises to be reminiscent, Mrs. Drew dignified and corroborative, Goodwin, and no doubt Crane, anecdotal, Fanny Rice maternal, while the Tabers, Hollands, and I, though ven- turing an occasional leading note, shall be gen- erally content to play the appreciative listeners who provoke the leaders to excel. To me the sweetest member of the company is Fanny Rice's baby. Standing much in need of a general rehearsal, it was decided to go through the play in the parlor of the Massasoit House. Having arrived at the hotel, we at once paid our respects to the Cranes, 1 Understudies. 199 JOSEPH JEFFERSON where William was found the picture of de- spair. We jibed him into better humor, and saw him relax into his accustomed pleasantness of expression. The doctor being there with sprays and laryn- goscopical implements, everybody, nearly, in the company became affected with pharyngitis or larynx failure, and underwent instant treat- ment. The scene was wellnigh indescribable, there being a general holiday atmosphere over the whole proceeding. There were jokes and shouts of laughter as each new patient took the chair and swallowed quantities of ether, iodoform, and cocaine. The nasal inhalator was passed around, and dexterously adjusted and manipu- lated. There were burlesque diagnoses of the cases, some of which went pretty close to the mark. Crane was declared to have corns on his vocal cords, and Goodwin hypertrophy of the theatrical septum. Cocaine was sprayed as hair- oil, and Taber, whose pharynx was really con- gested, was pronounced in perfect health. High hats, sofa-pillows, Jefferson, and Mrs. Drew went through a course of unusual spraying treatment. Off in a corner of the room surreptitious glances THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS" were being taken at the lines soon to be spoken in the rehearsal apartment, and one exceedingly nervous member knelt in reverence before an open book of " The Rivals " in a frantic effort to get a deeper impression of the lines he knew perfectly weeks before. Mr. Jefferson conducted the rehearsal with an occasional valuable suggestion from Mrs. Drew, who is very firm and alert at seventy-six. Re- hearsing in a small room with all one's stellar confreres huddled about one is a trying expe- rience. There were blanched cheeks and profuse perspiration, for which even the warmth of the room did not fully account. In fact, a strong case of stage fright developed all around. Mr. Jefferson confessed himself nervous, not for him- self, but for the people ! It did not occur to anybody to be nervous for Mr. Jefferson. After each one had gone through his scene, he would heave a sigh of relief and escape into the hall. I felt easier as I saw them drift out about the time Acres and David were to appear, and, for fear that they would return inopportunely, I turned the key in the door, and obliged them to knock repeatedly before gaining admittance. Mr. 201 JOSEPH JEFFERSON Jefferson, whose hearing is somewhat dull, did not for a while take in the situation. As the rehearsal progressed, it was plain that anxiety to please and the newness of the situation were having a marked effect upon the acting of the people, Jefferson and Mrs. Drew being the only ones to do themselves justice. The Tabers and Crane have been rehearsing all the week, but the Hollands, Fanny Rice, and I are just beginning. Goodwin has once played his role of Sir Lucius. Thoroughly tired, nervously so, all reached the car after rehearsal and sat down to refresh- ments. The ladies have all disappeared, and the men are swapping anecdotes and relating ex- periences. Jefferson tells some funny things of the elder Holland. What attention is paid the talker ! How he responds to it, too ! At the christening of Joe Holland, Jefferson standing as godfather, and promising to bring Joe up in the Protestant faith, a promise, he reminded Hol- land, he had forgotten until to-night, the ladies of the christening party were very much over- come with the solemnity of the occasion, and Jefferson was astonished to find that Holland 102 THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS" fere was much overcome as well. His head was in his hands, and his body swayed with apparent grief. Jefferson could not remember to have seen his old friend so moved and, placing his hand upon his shoulders, he spoke a few en- couraging words. To his amazement Holland gave him a punch with his elbow, and looked up at him with a wink so wofully ridiculous that it sent Jefferson from the church in a fit of only half-concealed laughter, while Holland assumed his attitude of emotion. It was a rare treat to hear Jefferson and Mrs. Drew talk over old times, old plays, and old friends. They were in excellent mood this morn- ing, and I confess being strongly tempted to take out a pencil and make notes on the spot. I think I never saw two people of the stage freer from pretence and affectation. Actors and actresses, particularly those of the " old school," are prone to carry into private life something of the grand manner they have been accustomed to assume on the stage. But there is nothing of this in Jefferson and Mrs. Drew. There is, on the contrary, an alert, rather jaunty air of modernity about Jefferson which I have often observed be- JOSEPH JEFFERSON fore. It would have been quite natural for Mrs. Drew to carry into private life some of the queenly airs of the grandes dames and heroines of the drama, but I find no trace of it. There is dignity a plenty ; and when she speaks, she does so with an air of assured but never presumptuous authority, as one who has been accustomed to command. She has a deliciously keen sense of the finest gradations of humor, and it is most interesting to watch the peculiar expression about the eyes and mouth, indicative of her thorough grasp and enjoyment of a jest. As these two royal representatives of the drama sat talking, and I contrasted their simple, unaffected man- ner, both of speech and action, with that of some pretentious members of the players' pro- fession, I was reminded of the remark of a gifted artist who, when his attention was called to some students whose long hair and conspicuous dress obviously proclaimed their artistic ambitions, said : " Oh, if they only knew that art does not consist of that ! " Mrs. Drew declared the elder Booth an " idio- syncratic reader," that he thrust his views too much upon an audience by undue emphasis upon 204 THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS" passages that reflected the reader s personal opin- ion and bias. She gave as an example Lear's lines about Cordelia : " Her voice was ever soft and low y An excellent thing in woman/' the adjectives of which, she said, he unduly ex- aggerated. This was confirmed by Mr. Jefferson, who declared " Booth put too much individuality into his readings." We spoke of his (Jefferson's) Autobiography, and he asked me what had most impressed me in it. " What an awful question to ask the man ! " said Mrs. Drew. " Suppose he can't think of anything ? " But I thought of the descriptive power dis- played, and which I believed unusual in a man who had excelled in another field, and Mr. Jeffer- son was visibly pleased at my comment. I went on to say that possibly the two most dramatic incidents in the book were his meeting with the Australian shepherd and his dog " Schneider," as I purposely misquoted, "Jack," instantly corrected Jefferson, - and the performance of " The Ticket-of- 205 JOSEPH JEFFERSON Leave Man " before an audience composed of convicts ; but that nothing had amused me more than his visit to the Chinese theatre, when he had gazed into the fat and stolid countenance of the Mongolian tragedian and wondered if he had ever heard of Shakespeare. Jefferson smiled as I recalled the scene, and Mrs. Drew congrat- ulated him on his success as a fisher for com- pliments. Mrs. Drew thought the account of Jefferson carrying the letter from the tearful father in South America to the unfiiial daughter and her iceberg of a husband in Australia, together with the frigidity of Jefferson's reception, one of the best things in the book. Mr. Jefferson told us that the father's name was Power, and that the daughter was a niece of Lady B . Dickens was mentioned, and Jefferson spoke of William Warren's disappointment in Dickens as a reader. Mrs. Drew had heard him read and corroborated Warren's judgment. " He characterized too much," she said, " by acting all the voices, thus giving the imagination no opportunity. There was no relief, no chance for the imagination of the listener to play. The reading became monotonous." 206 GOODWIN, as Sir Lucius O'Tngger *tc THE ALL-STAR ' RIVALS" " On a trip to San Francisco," said Jefferson, " a number of favorable critiques of my per- formances in Eastern cities was, for purposes of advertisement, printed and circulated in the Oc- cidental city. On my arrival I found Harry Perry, an old-time actor, reading one of these papers, and asked what he thought of it. " Gad ! " said he, " but you must have improved since I last saw you ! " I asked Mr. Jefferson and Mrs. Drew how much of their life they supposed had been given over to written and oral advice to stage-struck men and women and to their friendly interceders. Mrs. Drew's eyes were instantly uplifted with an ex- pression of despair, while Jefferson gave vent to a prolonged whistle which was more significant than describable. Much was said about the matter, the gist of which was that such sacrificed time was the penalty exacted of all people attaining positions of prominence. Jefferson was prompt and uniformly courteous in all such affairs ; dignified and helpful to strangers, and humorously blunt to friends. I give the following letter to the famous ag- nostic, kindly loaned by Mrs. Ingersoll, as part illustration of what has been said : zo 7 JOSEPH JEFFERSON BUZZARDS BAY, June I 2th, '90. MY DEAR INGERSOLL, I regret there is no opening in our company for your young friend. If there were you may be assured that he would have it for your sake. English comedy, the only dish we have to offer, seems to lose its flavor when not cooked up by experienced actors. I might say antiquated, for we belong not to the fossil but to the carbonic era a lot of "lean and slippered pantaloons." Some day, when chance offers, I shall be glad to see Mr. Hazleton and advise him on the matter. . . . Faithfully yours, J. JEFFERSON. I asked him if he had been much bothered by people who wanted to name patent medi- cines, games, cigars, etc., after him or his plays. He answered : " I once received an appreciative letter from a gentleman who had seen f Rip Van Winkle/ and who declared with some show of eloquence that he longed to present me with some tangible evidence of his appreciation. His name was Dunk, and he was a manufacturer, and he would take pleasure in presenting me with 208 THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS" one of his beds. All that he would request was that in the third act of c Rip Van Winkle/ after rising from the sleep of twenty years, I should say : c I 'd have had a better time if I had had one of Dunk's patent spring beds ! ' " First night " came at last, and with it as nervous a crowd of Thespians gathered to play " The Rivals " as one could well imagine. Those who had rehearsed unfalteringly in the morn- ing were the first to " dry up " in the evening. There were no great lapses, nor yet any noticeable embarrassments, the people being much too clever and experienced for that, but Mr. Jefferson had something of a task holding us all together. Sir Lucius and Falkland, Jack Absolute and David, came in for promptings that were timely and skil- ful from Acres. These promptings were not to be wondered at when it is remembered that be- sides the peculiarity of the situation, in the num- ber of years Mr. Jefferson has played the piece, much new stage business and many very worthy lines and phrases that greatly enrich the play, and especially the part of Acres, have crept in, and, so far as I could discover, exist only in the memory 209 JOSEPH JEFFERSON of the man who headed not only this company but the American theatrical profession. Speeches that one studies as an entirety are broken in upon by the clever sayings of Bob, and one is left for the instant wholly disconcerted. The cleverness and naturalness of the interpolations enlist at- tention in the direction of Acres, all of which naturally confuses until complete familiarity is established. Then, too, to one who has himself been for years the central figure of plays, it is more or less embarrassing at first to find himself, in stage slang, " feeding the situations " of another. The audience gave the performance breathless attention, and in their eagerness to hear every word forgot to applaud. Jefferson remarked it, but was scarcely at loss to account for it. As the play progressed, however, the audience became demonstrative and ultimately enthusiastic. At the end of the second act there was an especially hearty recall, and as the curtain rose and the ten " stars" stood forth, there came a wave of tremen- dous applause. Thereafter there were numerous scene recalls and Jefferson made a speech. All the players, except Mr. Jefferson and Mrs. Drew, feel the irksorneness of the new 210 THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS" situation, while to the others the roles seem very small compared to those each has been accus- tomed to play. Miss Marlowe confided to the writer that she thought Lydia Languish " such a silly lady." Goodwin was in despair over his role, which he thought was far from good. The condition of Crane's voice gave him real cause for complaint, and though Taber did not say so, he looked as if there were much too much of Jack Absolute for the little credit he possesses. Nearly every one has a word of discontent. It is, in fact, the usual period of depressive reaction. All this will have passed away with a few performances. It would be difficult to find a more lovable man than the "Governor," as Jefferson is called by his sons and others. He is courteous, kindly, considerate, able, affable, and felicitous. He has a fund of anecdotes and is original in thought and humorous in expression. His sense of right and wrong is accurate and swift, and he is prompt and fearless in the condemnation of the slightest injustice. He is never stubborn in the main- tenance of a position, and will yield gracefully to well-taken points in opposition to his views. JOSEPH JEFFERSON There is a gentleness and sweetness in all he says or does that readily endears him to people. The subject of education came up. I asked him in what degree the lack of it was any barrier to the success of an actor. He thought that it would discover the actor to the cultured portion of his public, but would not greatly hinder his success. Edmund Kean he believed to be an illiterate man, but there was never any question of his great ability after the London debut in " Shylock." cc Education has nothing to do with the expression of a passion," he said. " Do you not believe that the profession of an actor is perhaps the one most capable of utilizing information of whatever nature ? In short, the aptitude being given, that a man will succeed who possesses the greatest educational advantages ? " To this both Mr. Jefferson and Mrs. Drew an- swered emphatically : " Yes, of course ! " Lydia Languish then remarked naively that it was no disadvantage to hold a hand full of graces. Then came a discussion of Edwin Booth. Jefferson thought him " superior in ' Hamlet/ for which he was best fitted by nature and much study." Mrs. Drew preferred him as Bertuccio y, yflUA MARLOWE TABER. ^^fc^ Lyd ' a ^MiMr s S ^^P 1 ^^^ THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS'* in " The Fool's Revenge." Goodwin gave his voice for Tarquin in " The Fall of Tarquin," in which Jefferson thought " Edwin " was very fine ; he also thought " Macbeth " the weakest per- formance in Booth's repertory. "As young men, but of vastly different types," declared Jefferson, " Edwin Booth and Edwin Forrest were very handsome men." I asked Mrs. Drew to deny or affirm an often told story about herself and Mr. " Mat" Snyder, who was in her employ at the Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia. MRS. DREW. Go on, I '11 answer. "It is said that you did not desire to retain the services of the gentleman in question for another season, and that you informed him of your de- cision by regretting that you and he were not to be together the following year, and that Mr. Snyder said : c Are you going to leave us, Louisa?'" There was some laughter at this, and when it was quite done, Mrs. Drew replied : "It is not true. If I had not desired to re-engage the gentleman, it would not have been necessary to address him at all." JOSEPH JEFFERSON " That 's it," said Jefferson ; " we never say the best things in any story " ; and here he re- counted the General Grant story previously told. As we rode down in the carriage from the theatre at Hartford, the subject of music was started, and Mr. Jefferson made a confession that will hardly bring joy to the worshippers at the throne of Wagner. He thought that quite the cleverest thing " Bill " Nye ever said was : " My friend Wagner's music is really much better than it sounds." He went on to tell that his daughter, who is very fond of music, took him to hear " Lohen- grin," and turning to him in the middle of the per- formance, her face radiant with enjoyment, asked him if he were not now glad she insisted upon coming. " My dear child," he replied, " I wish we had gone to ' Tony ' Pastor's ! " " Music, Wilson, is not intellectual, it is emo- tional. Here was a grand love story without a single love lay in it ! It was not even emotional to me ; it was simply mechanical ! " " But, my dear Mr. Jefferson," I interjected, "you will not deny that there may be some emotion, some skill in Wagnerian music, which THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS" nature has made it impossible for you to under- stand or appreciate ? " " Certainly not," he replied ; " there must be great merit in it or it could not have lived and interested as it does. Not to confess this would be very narrow indeed, and I hope I am not that. But Wagner is not for me. Its beauties to me are as a sealed book.'* We spoke of happiness. "Joy/* I said, "is the god of our household. No one is permitted to hang crape on the door of our feelings." " That 's the proper way/' he made answer. " Happiness is the religion of our family. To begin with, we take all the comic papers. No one is permitted to read aloud, and he is begged not to read even to himself, about the mangled corpse of the father and the roasted bodies of the babies, subjects with which the daily papers disgustingly teem." He spoke of once meeting Lawrence Barrett standing on a street corner waiting for a car to take him to the gymnasium. " Going to exercise when you get there, I suppose ? " said Jefferson. JOSEPH JEFFERSON " Of course," Barrett replied. "Why don't you walk?" Jefferson added. " It 's better exercise, and it '11 save you the time and trouble of going." He thought it a great outrage to run an underground railway through the graveyard of the Boston Common, and argued from that the advantages of cremation, to which he was not averse. He drew a humorous picture of the confusion that would take place about the Com- mon when the Judgment Day Bugle blew. Some bodies in collecting their limbs would be apt to discover that they had two lefts and no right leg. Another would apologize for the tardi- ness of his arrival before the Seat of Justice on the ground that he had a Subway running through his spinal column ! He thought it humorously impertinent in certain wits to call a well-known Italian actor " Macaroni," his son " Spaghetti," and his grand- son " Vermicelli." The story was suggested by somebody saying at dinner that he preferred macaroni with shellac (tomato) sauce. He also remembered, apropos of this, that the old-time actor, when salaries were in arrears or from pure 216 4 _i ROBERT TABER. as Captain Absolute ". THE ALL-STAR "RIVALS" cussedness, would guy his speeches. In the play of " The Stranger," the phrase " One last look, and then, forget her ! " was frequently read " One last look and then spaghetti ! " It is believed that the theatrical profession never contained greater quizzers or "guyers" than Charles R. and Edwin Thorne. It was related of them by our " Sir Lucius " that Charles once engaged Edwin Thorne to play the Jefferson's description of, 165; Jefferson's opinion of his appearance as a young man, 213. Fortuny, Jefferson's opinion of his painting, " The Snake Charmer," 224. Furness, Dr. Horace Howard, 3- GARRICK, David, 4, 17, 101, 102. Gilbert, John, Jefferson stock comedian under, 158. Gilder, R. W., 196, 236-237. Glessing,"Tom," Jeff erson meets, 156. Goodwin, " Nat," Jefferson's opin- ion of his imitations, 66 ; in All- Star Cast of "The Rivals," 2ii ; as "David Garrick" and " Golightly," 261. Grant, General Ulysses S., anec- dote of, 31. 35 INDEX " HAMLET/' Jefferson on the play, 309-310. Hill, Barton, 46. Holland, George, 163. Holland, J. J., Jefferson stands as his godfather, 202. Howard, Bronson, 107. Howells, W. D., 153, 236. Hutton, Laurence, 252. INGERSOLL, Robert, letter from Jefferson to, 208. Irving, Sir Henry, disapproves of Jefferson's idea of Macbeth, 69 ; Jefferson sees Irving as Mac- beth, 10 ; Jefferson discusses Macbeth with Irving, 71 ; pre- sents cane used by the first Sir Peter Teazle to Jefferson, 244; Jefferson on, 251, 259. Irving, Washington, 164, 252. Israels, Jefferson on, 12, 94-96. JARRETT, Henry C., Jefferson stage-manager for, 158; on Boucicault's income, 267. Jefferson, Charles Burke, named for "Joe," Jefferson's half- brother, 262. Jefferson, Joseph, Autobiography, 3, 6, 151 ; sense of humor, 12, 339; tablet on house he was born in, 19 ; on happiness, 25 ; first appearance, 20 ; his love of the role he made famous, 37-38 ; his recreations, 46; his grand- father, Joseph Jefferson, ist, 47 ; his father, Joseph Jeffer- son, 2d, 47 ; death of his father, 47 ; chief support of his mother at thirteen, 48 ; his pastimes, 48 ; his love of nature, 60; on art, 61, 62, 63 ; methods of painting, 62, 74-; opinion of success, 65 ; on women, 65; art collection of, So ; a connoisseur of art, 79- 8 1 ; as an artist, 82 ; first exhi- bition of his paintings in Wash- ington, 1899, 84, 85; second exhibition in Washington, 86; as a lecturer, 97 ; on acting and oratory, 100 ; on genius and art, 100 ; on the stage as a career for women, 103-104 ; on acting, 108-113, II 7> verses on Shakespeare-Bacon contro- versy, 121-125 > answers to ques- tions after Chautauqua address, 138-142 ; the author, 149 ; first appearances in " Poor Gentle- man," " Rivals," and " Heir-at- Law," 1 58 ; first appearance in a Broadway theatre, 160; loses his wife, 161 ; marries again, 162 ; lunches at Star and Garter with Browning, Kingsley, and G. A. Sala, 163 ; on " Success on the Stage," 167-175; lines on " Immortality," 178-181 ; conducts rehearsal of All-Star Cast in "The Rivals," 201 ; talks over old times with Mrs. Drew, 203; in Ail-Star Cast of "The Rivals," 211 ; opinion of the profession, 212 ; on music, 214; on happiness, 215; on acting, 221-222 ; on modern Dutch painters, 222 ; on art 223 ; on fraudulent pictures and art in America, 226, 227 ; visit to Rookwood Pottery, 231, 233; on music and drama, 238, 239 ; on the drama, 242, 243 ; as " Brudder Bones," 248 ; on the chances of his being remem- bered, 251 ; some of his remi- niscences, 256 ; on plays and literature, 257-259; list of ten plays other than Shakespeare's he considered good literature, 35 1 INDEX 257-258 ; on the All-Star Com- pany in " The Rivals," 271; on modern improvements, 27 1-272 ; quotes Sir Lucius, 275-279; burning of his home at Buzzards Bay, 281-283; on tne distinc- tion between artist and actor, 295 ; his disposition of the day, 316; letter from Jan Larue, 323 ; his acting, 326-328 ; G. W. Curtis on his "Rip," 327-328; Henry Watterson's tribute to, 330; brief extracts from Autobiography, 331-333 ; re- ligion, 338; last appearance, 344- KEAN, Mr. and Mrs. Charles, Jefferson acts with, 155; Jeffer- son's portraiture of, 161. Kean, Edmund, Jefferson's opin- ion of, 212. Keller, Helen, Jefferson on, 314- 3*5 Kemble, Jefferson's opinion of, 28. Kemble, E. W., story of hunting excursion with Jefferson, 54. Kemble, Fanny, as a reader, 116. LAMB, Charles, 229; on Munden's acting, 326. Lewes, George Henry, Jeffer- son's opinion of, 28, 119. Longfellow, anecdote of, 163. Lounsbury, Prof. Thomas R., on Jefferson's first public lecture at the Yale Art School, 128-131. MACBETH, Jefferson's idea of, 69. McCullough, John, 167. Macready, Jefferson's opinion of, 28 ; anecdote of, 253. Marlowe, Julia, in All-Star Cast of " The Rivals," 211, 239. Mauve, Jefferson on, 12, 301. Millet, Jefferson on, 12; Jeffer- son's opinion of his painting, "The Sheepfold," 225; of his work, 225. Mitchell, Maggie, 167. Modjeska, 167. Mo watt, Anna Cora, Jefferson acts with, 155. Murdoch, James E., as a reader, 116; in "School for Scandal," 158 ; Jefferson's opinion of, 260. NEUHUYS, Jefferson on, 12. " OCTOROON, THE," Jefferson as Salem Scudder in, 41, 160 ; Bou- cicault's play, 268 ; Boucicault's performance in, 269. Ole Bull, Jefferson on, 301. " Our American Cousin," Jeffer- son as Asa Trenchard in, 160. Owens, John E., Jefferson sees, 156, 297. PAGANINI, Jefferson on, 301. Payne, John Howard, 164. Peale, Rembrandt, 297-298. Pepys, his dislike of " Midsummer Night's Dream," 120. Power, Tyrone, 160. READE, Charles, advises Jeffer- son, 162. Rembrandt, Jefferson's opinion of, 12, 149. Rice, Fanny, her baby's birthday, 246. Rice, T. D., as " Jim Crow," 77, 248. "Rip Van Winkle," Jefferson's opinion of, 30 ; first suggestion of, 33; various versions, 34; pop- ular version by Dion Boucicault performed first in England, 34 ; 35* INDEX Jefferson's revision of Bouci- cault's version, 36; Jefferson's love of the role, 37, 38; com- pany at first sceptical of its success, 39 ; Jefferson in wak- ing up scene, 104, 105; James K. Hackett as, 155; Jefferson produces, in Australia, 161 ; dramatic element, 161 ; text of play published, 175 ; Jeffer- son on his presentation of the character, 224 ; hold on the public, 251 ; Jefferson on the absurdities in, 263; Jefferson on, 265-267 ; Jefferson on Burke as, 266; Jefferson on Bouci- cault's version of, 266. "Rivals, The" (All-Star Cast), 1896, 19 ; last appearance to- gether of Jefferson and Florence in, 99-100 ; Jefferson defends his alteration of, 107; Jefferson's first appearance in, 1 58 ; Jeffer- son reappears in, 164 ; All-Star performance, 182 ; Sheridan's opinion of, 182; history of the play, 182-186; William Win- ter's opinion of Jefferson as Acres, 186; first performance of Jefferson's revised version, 188 ; tour of Ail-Star Company in, 189; letters of Jefferson re- garding All-Star Cast, 190-197 ; All-Star rehearsal, 199 ; first appearance of All-Star Cast in, 209; flashlight photograph of All-Star Company, 247-248; Jefferson on the All-Star Com- pany, in, 271 ; Wilson on the All-Star Company in, 273-279. Robertson, Agnes, Jefferson meets, 159; in "Caleb Plum- mer," 160. Robertson, " Tom," Jefferson meets, 162. Robson, Stuart, anecdote of Jef- ferson, 334. " Romeo and Juliet," Jefferson on balcony scene, 269. Rousseau, Jefferson's opinion of, 12, 223, 230. Russell, Irwin, Jefferson's opin- ion of his poems, 273. " SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL," Jeffer- son appears in, 158. Sefton, John, 46. Shakespeare, Jefferson on, 69-73, 101-103, 258, 294 ; John Fiske on the Bacon-Shakespeare con- troversy, 313. Sherman, General Wm. T., anec- dote, 33. Siddons, Mrs., Jefferson's opinion of, 27 ; on unhappiness of her old age, 242. Sothern, E. A., 53. Stevens, Sara, 160. Stoddart, J. H., Jefferson's tribute to, 232. TABER, Robert, Jefferson's opin- ion of his Jack Absolute, 236. Talma, on acting, 329. Thackeray, W. M., Jefferson on, 138- Theatrical Trust, Jefferson's atti- tude toward, 336. Thome, Charles R. and Edwin, anecdote of, 217, 218. Trollope, Anthony, 162. Troypn, Jefferson's opinion of his painting, " Cattle," 223 ; of his work, 225-226, 291-293. WARD, Artemus, 53, 162. Warren, William, 163 ; Jefferson's enjoyment of his adverse com- ment, 164 ; Jefferson's tribute 353 INDEX to, 164; on "Success on the Stage," 167. Watterson, Henry, 330, 337. Weir, Professor, reception to All- Star Cast, 219. Weston, Lizzie, 159. Winter, William, opinion of Jef- ferson as Acres, 186. Wood, Mrs. John, 160. Wyndham, Charles, 162. YOUNG, John Russell, 310, 311, 312, 318. ZANGWILL, I., his attack on the stage, 38. 354 RETURN TO ^ MAIN CIRCULATION ALL BOOKS ARE SUBJECT TO RECALL RENEW BOOKS BY CALLING 642-3405 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW LIBRARY USE ONL MAY 26 1994 CIRCULATION DEP '. FORM NO. DD6 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY BERKELEY, CA 94720 U.C.BERKELEY LIBRARIES CDM77fl7fl73