New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-14
" THE AMERICAN COUSINS" FIRST APPEAR
ANCE IN LONDON.


Our American Cousin " was suggested to me
by the actual story of a young American back
wOodsman, whom my friend Sir Edward Poore en-
cOuntorcd IN "A hunting expedition III the Far West,
and finding him distant cousin, belonging to "a
branch of the Po0re family which had cmigrated to
America III Puritan DAYS. invited him, with his I'M
sophi. seated old father and mother, TO visit his
fathers seat at Cuffnells, in the New Forest where
their stranReness Ia the ways of hIgh-te clvlliza-
lion gave rise to many amusing situations.
On what slight threads success both of actors
aud managers may hang. some incidents
in the history of Our American Cousin
may serve to illustrate. IL was after the pos
itivc hasco of The Duke in Difficulties and the
comparative fasco of Babes in the Wood" that
Blackstone first told of his intention to engage
one SOthern who had made great hit in Lori
DWHdrcdry IN piece which he understood was
mine, called Our American Cousin. told him
how had written the piece at MIR. Webster's re-
quest that would supply part for Joseph Sings
bee, who had had some success as an American low
comedian a few years before; how the actor had
read the niece and liked the part of Asa lrenchard;
how 10y his death the piece had been thrown on MIR.
WehstcI's hands how had cot IT from HIM III eX-
change for another piece. Helping Hands" and
found a market for il in America where at Laura
Keenc's theatre in New-lork, II had been the great
of its time thanks originally to Jehersons
Asd ITcRchdTd. and afterward and gradually to
Sothern's Dundrodry, the development by the actor
of "A third-rate part into unloOked-for prominence.
But, | added. had always understood that
Dundreary was an extTavagant carcatuIe OF an
idiotic English nobleman. and that | should have
thought however the burlesque picture OF an mn
possible original mighttave been relished in the
the extravaganza would be likely to disgust more
than the huInor amuse. That NAV be-" said
Blackstone. " but our business has been very bad,
and we must try something, so | have engaged
SOthern. lie has played the part 500 times already
IN America. and hear he has made great thing of
il. want TO know how much you want for the
piece ~ How long do you expect to run
il r "Oh. some Six weeks or two months"
We agreed ! was TO have fl5O. SOthern
appeared, succeeded the piece ran for more
than "a year-the year of the second Great EShibi-
tion-and realized above 10000 clear profit for
the manager. made the actors professional future.
and all by fluke When it had been running some
three or four weeks with success so httle marked
that Blackstone was thinking Of taking II ont of
the billr Charles Matthews coming in 10 see II one
night and hearing of this intention, strongly ad,
ylsed Blackstone to " hold on" " IL Is wonderful
impersonation and the public Will take to it. Wait
a little and see If they don't" Blackstone took the
advice. and held on, with the result have just
summed up.
When the success of the piece was assured, the
question was raised as TO my right To any payment
for it, BY first production III America II was con-
tended that my copyright was forfeited and that
legally could claim nothing. The eases decided
on the last Copyright Act supported this view of
the law | have no doubt that if Blackstone had
stood upon his legal right he could have refused to
pay me the $50 he had promised without the
light Of legal advice; but / am bound to say he
pad me the 90 after taking care naturally per-
haps. to let me know had no right to it.. hope
the new Copyright Act will do away with the mon
strous absurdty that first production of play by
am English author in the United States. with which
we have no copyright convention, shall suffice to
destroy the English authors copyright III this