My Years on the Stage

F r o m a o rtr ait b h m h l e e s p y J o s ep D e C a p i n t e c o l c ti o n of The P lay r . J OHN D R E W MY YEARS ONTHE STAGE BY JO H N D R E W WITH A FOREWORD BY BOOT H TARKINGTON NEW YORK DU 8: C A E . P . TTON OMP NY 68 1 FIFT H AVENUE C O R GHT 1 2 1 1 22 PY I , 9 , 9 , BY THE C URT I S PUBLISHING C OMPANY RI HT 1 COPY G , 922, BY E. P . D UTTON C OMPANY All Right: R eserved V” TDW R?) D M m m in the u ni ted S tates o f A merica FOREWORD since How long ago is it, old schoolmate, two “ ” middlers from Exeter rollicked down to New York for an Easter vacation, and on an imperishable evening glamoured their you n g memories permanently with ’ ’ Augustin D aly s comp an y of players at Daly s Theatre and The Tamino of the S hrew ? What a good and merry town was brown- stone New st d o f York then, when one oo at the doors the Fifth Avenue Hotel to see the pretty girls from all over the country parading by after the matinee ; when the Avenue was given over to proud horses and graceful women ; when there were n o automobiles and only a few telephones ; when Ada Rehan w as playing ’ Katherin e at Daly s and when those two Exeter school boys got the impression that the whole place belonged, ' to Petruchz o who in a general way, the tamed her, John Drew ! The earth must have swung round the sun a few i t mes since then, my schoolmate , for now comes that ’ gay young Petrac hz o before us with his Memoirs ! He vi FOREWORD feels that he has memories to entertain and to enlighten us ; he has now lived long enough to have seen some o f thing of the stage and the world, it appears . For one, I am willing to read him . I have listened to him so often since that ancient night at Daly’s and though ’ the words I ve heard him say were words su ggested by ’ some paltry fellow of a playwright, yet I ve had such entertainment of the man, so much humor and delight, I am even eager to hear him, now that he will speak o f o f in his own words himself and his life , his art and . to v to his friends As this last, though, he will ha e select with care ; he could never tell us much Of all his w M v friends , ere ethuselah from birth to gra e his diligent amanuensis . What he has played most congenially, and with the l O f e rOles man iest humor his time , have b en the Of ‘ gentlemen ; and there is a certain thing about his book of which we are already sure before we read it : therein he cannot fail to add one more to the long, fine gallery of portraits of gentlemen he has shown us ; and this o n e must necessarily be the best gentleman of them all . And it will be the one we have liked best, ever discern ing it behind the others ; for it was always there, and ’ turned many a playwright s shoddy outline into a fin e FOREWORD mo e ree fellow . John Drew would play Si n L g into a v misunderstood gentleman , I belie e . The reason is a s imple o n e : he was born with a taste for the better side of thin gs and the cleaner surfaces of life . He has found them more interesting and more congenial than mire , and if he should ever deal with mire he would deal with it cleanly . Here was the nature o f the man always present in his acting ; and I think it has been bec ause of that and because o f — his humor - his o wn distinctive humor that he has charmed the best American public throughout so many fortunate years . John Drew has been an actual feature o f A v — the best merican life e er since his youth indeed, he is one of its institutions ; and there is a long grati M tude due him . His emoirs may properly be greeted , t e in fact, as we should greet a bir hday spe ch at the ban u e d t we are to o numerous to make for him ; that is, with cheers as he rises to address us . And then as we settle down to listen we may be sure we shall hear o f o ld - i many an time familiar figure bes des himself, for John Drew has known “pretty much everybody” Of his generation . His generation still continues , it is pleasant and reassuring to know ; f o r he admits us to the intimac y of this autographical mood of his long FOREWORD An d e before the fireside years claim him . he may sp ak to us freely, with as good assurance as he has always “ al It IS a had, that whenever he speaks at l mong ” friends . BO O T H TAR KI N GT ON K ennebunkport , 1 2 1 July, 9 . I LLUS T RAT IONS E Fro n tis iece 6 JOHN DR W p ’ E F T AP P EARAN C E Pa e PLAYBILL , JOHN DR W S IRS g 3 T H E MOTH ER AN D FATH ER OF JOHN DREW Facing page 6 T H E EARLI E ST PICT URE OF JOHN DRE W 6 F . E SE As A DAGU ERREOT YP E O MRS JOHN DR W , NIOR, OPH ELIA Facing page “ c c u T H E H ERO O F GETTYSBURG H E O ST EET E T E E Pa e T LD ARCH R TH A R , PHILAD LPHIA g r T H E ST EET E T E E PLAYBILL , ARCH R TH A R , PHILAD LPHIA Page: 24—2 5 TH E ST EET E T E E PLAYBILL , ARCH R TH A R , PHILAD LPHIA Page: 30— 3 1 I JOHN DREW BEFORE H E W EN T ON TH E STAGE Facing page 34 JOHN DREW AT TH E TIM E O F HIS FIRST APP EARANC E Fac ing page 34 ' ADA REHAN W H EN S H E APPEARED AT TH E ARCH STREET TH EATRE Facing page 34 ‘G ‘C E E E E JOS PHIN BAK R (MRS . JOHN DR W) 38 ’ JAM ES LEWIS AND JOHN DREW IN AUGUST IN DALY S “ ” PLAY PIQU E Facing page 42 ’ PLAYBILL O F JOHN DR EW s FIRST APP EARANC E IN NEW Y O R K Page 44 . G E T E T J E FFR Y S LE MRS ILB R , MISS DAV NPOR , MISS WIS , E LE T E JAM S WIS , AUGUS IN DALY , AND JOHN DR W, AT TH E EN TRA NCE To T H E CONSOLIDATED VIRGINIA MIN E Facing page 48 FANNY DAVENPORT 48 ” PLAYBILL O F BOOTH IN HAMLET Page 55 ix x ILLUSTRATIONS AN EARLY PICT URE OF MAURICE BARRYMORE Facing page “ ” ADA REHAN AND JOHN DREW IN DO LLARS AND SENS E Facing page JOHN DREW AND W ILLIAM GILB ERT IN R ED LETT ER ” NIGHTS Facing page ’ ” E T E NEE E PLAYBILL, DALY S TH A R , DL S AND PINS Page OT S E E E LE . G . H . IS KINN R, ADA R HAN , JAM S WIS , MRS “ G E T E T H E O F ILB R , AND JOHN DR W, IN RAILROAD ” LOVE Fac i n g page a CC ADA REH AN AS KATHERIN E E E As O N ADA R HAN AS ROSALIND, JOHN DR W RLA DO , IN “ ” As Y O U LIKE IT Facing page “ ’ JOHN DREW As TH E KING O F NAVARRE IN LOVE S LA ’ ” BOUR S LOST Faci ng page OT S E T K E IS KINN R, EDI H INGDON , AND JOHN DR W, IN “ ” NANCY AND COMPANY Faci ng page ” JOHN DREW AND ADA REHAN IN T H E SQ UIRE Facing page ’ “ ADA REHAN AND JOHN DREW IN FARQUH AR S T H E RE C RU ITING OFF IC ER Facing page “ JOHN DRE W As PETRUCHIO IN TH E TAMING OF TH E ” SHREW Facing page ” PLAYBILL O F TH E TAMING O F TH E SHREW AT STRAT FORM N-AVON E . G E T E LE JOHN DR W, MRS ILB R , AND JAM S WIS IN “ ” 7 -20-8 Facing page “ A N T O FF GE M P e PLAYBILL , IGH , IN R ANY ag EDITH KINGDON GOULD As S H E APPEARED WITH TH E DALY COMPANY Facing page ’ JOHN DREW As ROBIN HOOD IN TENNYSON S PLAY “ ’ ” T H E FOR ESTER S Facing page JOHN DREW AND VIRGINIA DREH ER IN TH E COUNTRY GIRL CARTOON FROM PUNCH ILLUSTRATIONS E E LE E E JOHN DR W , JAM S WIS , ADA R HAN , CHARL S G H . E T F E V E E . G ISH R, IRGINIA DR H R, MRS ILB R , “ OT S E I A N T IS KINN R AND MAY RWIN , IN IGH ” O FF GE E E E T E L E ORGI DR W BARRYMOR WI H ETH L , ION L AND JACK BARRYMORE Facing page ” MAUDE ADAMS AND JOHN DREW IN BUTT ERF LI ES Facing page ELSI E D E W OLF E AND JOHN DREW IN A MARRIAGE ” OF CONVENI ENC E Facing page ART HUR BYRON AND JOHN DREWIN T H E TYRANNY ” OF T EARS Facing page “ ” MAUDE ADAMS AND JOHN DREW IN ROS EMARY Fac ing page E T E MAUD ADAMS , AR HUR BYRON AND JOHN DR W IN “ ROS E MARY Fac ing page E EW T E MAUD ADAMS AND JOHN DR IN CHRIS OPH R , “ JR .

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