Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-08-16

$50 VAL c0Nh eN1N6 ~
~ celia Lotus, Kate Mayhem, Joanna
Roos, Fay Bainter, Edward Mcnamara and Lois
Shore. revived "Uncle Toms Cabin, or Life
Among the Lowly" In one OF the leading New
York theaters. 1t meant that this historic drama
may be starting on q new lease OF life to add
to the iaurels which 1T 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 1t have appeared at one time
or another a greater number OF stage luminaries
than In any other play In American theatrical
history 1t 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 ever received any royalties
from It nor did Harriet Beecher Stowe, the au-
thor, ever receive a penny of profit from the
decentralization Of her book 1t la the most repre-
sentative American folk drama and 1t bears In
the parlance of the American stage the most
distinctive name-the 'Tom show; 1t has In 1t
the elements of tragedy, comedy, melodrama'
farce, yes, even vaudeville, but 1t denes classih
cation under any Of these heads, for 1t Is itself
alone, the tom show"
"Uncle Toms Cabin had a continuous run of
7e 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 a season when at some time day or night
or In some place In these United States that
the whip of "Slmon Legree" wasn't whistling
across the back of "Uncle Tom" or "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 O Boston newspaper reported: "There
In 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 1t 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 a single book
Ing agency In New York City which could furnish
a route for any one-night stand company unless
II 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 1882 1t was discovered that In a small
town In the West a home talent company wal
producing the play as a part of Its repertorJ
of stock plays. And now this year comes thu
revival In New York to prove that "Uncle Toms
Cabin" ia deathless even IL there were not grea
stage names In the cast to lend 1t prestige. Witt
the apparent return Of some measure of pros
perity to this country, 1t is not improbable tina
aUncle Toms Cabin" may be off on another con
tinuous run Of 70 yearsi
When 'Uncie Toms Cabin" was first printe'
In book form 1t sold 10000 copies the first weel
and 3O0, 600 In the first year. Half a million cop
les had been distributed In the United State
alone In Its first five years and 1t has beef
translated into more than a score OF foreig
languages and dialects. The entire sale OF tn
book In the years since 1t was written have q
ceeded 100000, about 100000 Of which neve
paid any royalties to the author. being sold L
foreign countries before the establishment of In
ternatIonal copyright law, The copyright, unde
the then existing statute, expired a few year
previous to Mrs. Stoves death In the late eighI
les, and the last few years Of her life, when sh
was most In need of money. she was deprive
of this source OF income.