Getting to Know "Our American Cousin"

[AndyHall]

Blogger Christian McWhirter gives the scoop on "our American Cousin," and my it was one of Lincoln's favorites.

 

[Pat Young]

Blogger Christian McWhirter gives the scoop on "our American Cousin," and my it was one of Lincoln's favorites.

I would like to note that the star of the show Laura Keene was an immigrant. Many histories of the assassination refer to her as "the English actress Laura Keene" as though she was on tour. She had only been a professional actress for one year when she immigrated to the United States in 1852 and she lived there ever after. Although she sometimes toured outside the U.S. she lived in California and New York, owned a theater in Manhattan, had her own company and owned the copyrights on some works.

Like many immigrants, Keene was a pioneer in her field. She was among the first women to play a role in the popular theater beyond performing.

She was also believed to be the lover of Edwin Booth.

 

[John Hartwell]

Thomas C. Gourlay and his daughters Jennie and Margaret were all part of the cast. Civil War News has an interesting account of their memories of that night: http://www.civilwarnews.com/archive/articles/2012/june/fordstheatre-061201.htm

 

[James N.]

Another popular star of the day that was a pioneer in women's theatrics, though not an immigrant in the literal sense, was little Lotta Crabtree, darling of the mining camps during the California Gold Rush of the 1850's. Eight-year-old Lotta and her mother were abandoned by her gold-seeking father in California, and when their mercantile business/boarding house grew steadily insolvent, young Lotta began to perform in saloons and other venues, singing and dancing a'la the later Shirley Temple for nuggets, sacks of dust, and coins thrown on their makeshift stages. Eventually, this led to ever-more-professional appearances in larger towns and cities like Sacramento and San Francisco. Sometime after the war, Lotta and her manager mother relocated to the east coast where she finally retired in New York City. When Lotta died there after the turn of the century, she left a fortune estimated at four million dollars to charity.

 

[KansasFreestater]

I would like to note that the star of the show Laura Keene was an immigrant. Many histories of the assassination refer to her as "the English actress Laura Keene" as though she was on tour. She had only been a professional actress for one year when she immigrated to the United States in 1852 and she lived there ever after. Although she sometimes toured outside the U.S. she lived in California and New York, owned a theater in Manhattan, had her own company and owned the copyrights on some works.

Like many immigrants, Keene was a pioneer in her field. She was among the first women to play a role in the popular theater beyond performing.

She was also believed to be the lover of Edwin Booth.

Thanks for the info, Pat!

As for Edwin Booth, he was a Unionist as well as a good friend of Robert Lincoln, as I recall. Too bad his good influence didn't rub off on his brother.

 

[Chattahooch33]

Why was Booth not in this production?

 

[Pat Young]

Why was Booth not in this production?

JW? He had really largely stopped performing. A combination of health problems and a preoccupation with doing really bad things to Lincoln.

 

[Chattahooch33]

JW? He had really largely stopped performing. A combination of health problems and a preoccupation with doing really bad things to Lincoln.

Makes sense.

I know nothing about him besides the obvious is why I asked.

 

[AndyHall]

Booth was still hanging around, though, and used Ford's Theater as a contact address. He stopped by the theater on the morning of April 14 to pick up his mail, when someone told him that the President and General Grant would be attending that night. (Grant later begged off.) That was when all the pieces of the assassination finally fell into place for Booth.

 

[Pat Young]

Booth was still hanging around, though, and used Ford's Theater as a contact address. He stopped by the theater on the morning of April 14 to pick up his mail, when someone told him that the President and General Grant would be attending that night. (Grant later begged off.) That was when all the pieces of the assassination finally fell into place for Booth.

I recall a guide at Ford's saying that to understand the shock we should imagine George Bush being assassinated by Brad Pitt.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

Thanks for the info, Pat!

As for Edwin Booth, he was a Unionist as well as a good friend of Robert Lincoln, as I recall. Too bad his good influence didn't rub off on his brother.

A friend of mine in my old Army Reserve unit was a direct descendant of Edwin Booth. I'd actually never heard of him before he told me that Edwin was actually the more famous of the brothers (right up till April 14, 1865, anyway).

 

[Pat Young]

A friend of mine in my old Army Reserve unit was a direct descendant of Edwin Booth. I'd actually never heard of him before he told me that Edwin was actually the more famous of the brothers (right up till April 14, 1865, anyway).

The 102 year old Booth Theater in NYC was named for Edwin Booth. It is still presenting Broadway plays.

 

[John Hartwell]

If you ever get a chance to see The Prince of Players, with a young Richard Burton (in one of his best performances, IMHO) as Edwin Both, and John Derek as John Wilkes, it is really quite good.
Edwin Booth was the first American actor to play Shakespeare in London, his Hamlet got rave reviews. John W. could never quite equal Edwin's accomplishments.

 

[ErnieMac]

JW? He had really largely stopped performing. A combination of health problems and a preoccupation with doing really bad things to Lincoln.

Actually he never did completely stop his acting career. His last performance was in a play titled The Apostate at Ford's Theater on March 18, 1865. In January of the year he had played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and played Mark Antony in Julius Caesar in November 1864. In Julius Caesar he appeared alongside brothers Edwin and Junius.

 

[Pat Young]

Actually he never did completely stop his acting career. His last performance was in a play titled The Apostate at Ford's Theater on March 18, 1865. In January of the year he had played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and played Mark Antony in Julius Caesar in November 1864. In Julius Caesar he appeared alongside brothers Edwin and Junius.

My understanding that by then he was mostly confining himself to "benefits."

 

[James N.]

Actually he never did completely stop his acting career. His last performance was in a play titled The Apostate at Ford's Theater on March 18, 1865. In January of the year he had played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and played Mark Antony in Julius Caesar in November 1864. In Julius Caesar he appeared alongside brothers Edwin and Junius.

L - R: John, Edwin, and Junius, Jr.

 

[ErnieMac]

My understanding that by then he was mostly confining himself to "benefits."

You may very well be right. I do not know enough about the subject to distinguish between his acting as a career vs the occasional performance in benefits.

 

[Blessmag]

So, it cost 2 bits for you to take your family to see your cousin?

 

[Pat Young]

You may very well be right. I do not know enough about the subject to distinguish between his acting as a career vs the occasional performance in benefits.

The "benefits", as far as I know, were performances where an actor got a share of the house.

 

[Mike Serpa]

Laura Keene. LOC photo.