The Coolidge examiner., 1933-08-18

RGrS. with such stars as Otis Skinner, Ce-
celia LOTUS, Kate Mayhem. Joanna
Roos. Fay BANTER Edward Mcnamara and Lois
Shore. revived Uncle Toms Cabin or Life
Among the Lowly" in one of the leading New
York theaters It meant that this historic drama
may be starting on new lease of life to add
to the laurels which II has already won
Chief among those laurels are these: 1t Is a
play which has had the longest continuous run In
all stage history in It have appeared at one time
or another a greater number OF stage lumnaries
than in any other play in American theatrical
history; ii has been performed before more
people and has made more money than any play
ever written In modern times and despite the
latter fact no one has received any royalties
frora 1t nor did Harriet Beecher Stowe, the au-
thor, ever receive a penny of profit from the
drGpatiZation OF her book: Ii Is the most repre-
seusetive American folk drama and 1t bears in
tip parlance OF the American stage the most
6tssihctive name-the TON show; 1t has in 1t
RE elements of tragedy, comedy, melodrama,
sarce. yes, even vaudeville, but 1t defes classif
cation under any of these heads, for 1t Is itself
alone the Tom show"
Uncle Toms Cabin" had continuous of
76 years besides which record the lasting quail
ties of the far-famed "Abie's Irish Rose" pale
into insignifcance. From 1852 to 1928 there
wasn't season when at some time day night
or in some place in these United States that
the whip of "Simon Legree" wasn't whistling
across the back of "Uncle Tom ELIZA"
wasn't fleeing across the ice. pursued by a bay
ing pack of fierce bloodhounds." Then the de
preston came on to give the final blow to those
administered by other factors in the decline Of
this classic.
In 1890 Boston newspaper reported: There
is not now on the road in any section of the
United States or Canada a single company play
ing that grand old drama Uncle Toms Cabin
. . For the same reason that the minstrel
show owners of the country took their shows
from the road Tom managers found it necessary
to shut up shop. The talking pictures and the
radio have combined to kill both the minstrel
and the Tom shows. There is not single book
ing agency in New York City which could furnish
a route for any One-nlght stand company unless
it was willing to sacrifice Saturday, the best
night of the week for the showing of Wild West
or talking pictures"
The same statement was probably true in 1881
but in 1892 it was discovered that in q small
town in the West a home talent company was
producing the play as a part of Its repertory
of stock plays And this year comes the
revival in New York to prove that "Uncle Toms
Cabin" is deathless even If there were not great
stage names in the cast to lend 1t prestige. fifth
the apparent return OF some measure of pros
perity to this country, it is not improbable that
Uncle Toms Cabin" may be off on another con-
tinuous run of 76 years!
When Uncle Toms Cabin" first printed
in book form 1t sold 10000 copies the first week
and 100000 in the first year. Half million cop
les had been distributed In the United States
alone in its first five years and it has been
translated into more than a score of foreign
languages and dialects. The entire sale of the
book in the years since ii was written have ex
ceeded 12000000, about 100000 of which never
paid any royalties to the author being sold in
foreign countries before the establishment of in
ternational copyright law The copyright, under
the then existing statute, expired few years
previous To Mrs. Stoves death in the late eight
les and the last few years of her life, when she
most II need of money she deprived
OF this souree of incCme.