, 1885-01-23
STAGE MIMICRY.
ACTORS WHO HIVE MADE hits" BY
INITIATING PUBLIC MEN
Comedians Who Were Famous for Thsir
Powers of caricature-soma Exceed
ingiy clevor Hits-A Few Ludi-
crous nIIstakes-The Count


mimicking public men. and the young actor
with the boulder In his scarf told how
Boswell, the ~biographer Of DR.. johnson,
when a youth, attsHded the performance OF
a dun play and enlivened the occasion by
initiating the hawling of a COW so effectively
that the audience demanded an encore. An
other actor told how Samuel Foote carica-
tured the prominent personages OF his
day and how, when he announced that
be would mimic Quinn, that ~pugnacious
comedian went to tho theatre 70 cam his
imitntor, but did not find it necessary, as
Foote refrained from giving the imitation
Thomas A. Hall told Of Foote'S famous
caricature OF Gen. Smith in "The Nabob,"
and gave numerous anecdotes about actors
who had caricatured the peculiarities OF Ell
win Forrest. Tn late Frank Chanfrau was
10 his younger days famous for a caricature
he gave Of Forrest, and Myron Leifingwell
starred for months as Beppo in a burlesque
Of Fra Diavalo,r cleveriy Initiating the
great tragedian's peculiarities Of gait, man
ner and voice. Continuing, Mr.. Hall said:
John Clapp, proprietor OF the Lamb tavern,
was a well known character years ago; he
was q short, fat man, but affected Mr..
Forrest tone and manner at all times. He
dressed his hair and wore side whiskers and
a chin tuft like the tragedinn- Clapp
courted the attention OF actors, and when re-
quested would recite a speech from The
Gladiator or Jack Cade' with great lung
power. remember driving with a couple
Of friends to the Lamb tavern, where l met
Clapp. 1 spoke Of his wonderful resem-
blance 70 Mr.. Forrest, which seemed to
please him very much, but he confdentialIy
informed me that It was a mistake to sup
pose that he mimicked Mr.. Forrest; on the
contrary, the actor had initiated him for
many years.
L r. Shewer said: al remember a very
clever hit made by George Ketchum, the
actor, several years ago at Selwyn's theatre,
Boston Ketshum was a good deal of a
buffoon, but still an actor who knew his
business A weI-known critic of The Bos-
ton Traveller, who is still living and might
be annoyed IL l used his name, had assailed
Ketchum numerically in tho columns OF
The Traveller. The critic was eccentric in
manner and dress and he was well known to
almost every theatre-goer in Boston. He
wore his fair hair down upon his shoulders
and always dressed in a h~igh-button, semi
military coat Ketchum had a long, blonde
wig made and a coat to match the critics.
Procuring a photograph of the critic,
Ketchum made up his face until he looked
like the journalists double. Ketchum was
cast for the minister in a burlesque on Foul
Play Just before the curtain went up Sell
wyn glanced into the green room and as he
supposed saw the critic cody seated there.
DIN that fellows impudence.' said Selwyn.
What business has he hanging around the
green roomf'
"A few minutes later Ketchum appeared
upon the stage. The critic occupied his usual
place next to the orchestra in the middle
aisle. At first the auditors were non-plussed.
Thcy glanced at Ketchum, then at the
dignihel critic. The imitation was perfect,
and as Ketchum began to speak he had the
journalists very tone aud manner. In an
instant the audience saw the point At first
there was a litter and then a roar OF
laughter. Finally the whole house rose to
its feet and shouted. The subject Of tho
caricaturo hastily left the theatre. Selwyn
admitted that Ketchum had taken n fair
revenge, but he couldn't afford TO antagonize
The Traveller, and the next night the actor
changed his makeup. The Traveller, how
ever. did not let up on Ketchum's butfoonery.
"Thirty years ago. continued Mr.. Shewell
@when / played at the Arch Street theatre,
We ran Thu Comedy OF Errors 2S5 consecu-
tive nights. John and Frank Drew played
the two Dromios and William Wheatley and
myself the two Antipholi, One night Mrs.
Wheatley called me aside behind the scenes,
after / had made up, and talked to me for
tan minutes about domestic affairs before
she discovered that she was not in CONVERSE
ton with her husband. On another night
Frank Drew was sick and John played both
Dromios until the last scene, when they come
together for the first time. We braced
Frank up long enough to appear in the final
scene and the audience never suspected the
doubling John had done"
Juvenile man. with celluloid and
dressed quartz trimmings, feeling that he
had been silent long enough, took up the sub
ject, saying; DO you remember what a hit
John Howson made In 'The Sorcerer,' when
he made up as Talmage two years agol 1
was
"The apoplectic man who knew Jimmy
Shaw impolitely broke in upon the speaker.
Yes. i was in Brooklyn when thoy played
'The Sorcerer' there, but the managers
wouldn't allow Howson to caricature Talmage
in that city. They were afraid OF
'5Os John ~Brougham, in the farce
Of Tom and jerry made up as Bob
Van Ripper, a wel-known ward politician.
Van Ripper had been a butcher. He had
friends and enemies. Both went TO see
B~rougham's caricaturs. Var Riperis enc
mics threw flowers on tho stage and his
friends threw brickbats. Brougham changed
his makeup"
Barney McAuley, at Woods theatre, Gin
%cinnati. in the b~urlesque of @Bluebeardr car
featured Professor Wingate, a local school
superintendent, who in a lecture had attacked
theatres Wingate instituted legal proceed
ings, but was so laughed at that he with
drew his complaint. John billions cnrica-
ture Of Wilbur F. Storey, Of The Chicago
Times, delighted the people of Chicago. Mr..
Storey saw tho imitation several times and
enjoyed it.
George Jones, better known as the aCount
~Joannes," was for years the subject for
stage caricatures. He paid no attention to
them. When told on one occasion that a
member of H~arrigan and Harris company
was initiating him Jones said:
allow does he iookl"
"very much like you" was the reply.
docs he picture me as l was when l first
played Claude Melnotte in Bostonf' inquired
~Joannes, throwing out his chest.
swell. not exactly-rnther-"
avery well, then. Idon't wantto SEQ him.
He is not doing me Justice" placidly replied
the count