Prototype of the ‘matinee idol’ of the American theater in the early twentieth century
Autograph Letter, Signed, to author and journalist Alfred Henry Lewis, acknowledging receipt of a copy of Andrew Jackson by Lewis.
N.p. [New York]: Thursday 12 December 1907.
Price: $350.00
About the item
2 pp., pen and ink on a single folded sheet. 12mo. Prototype of the ‘matinee idol’ of the American theater in the early twentieth century. Fine.
Item #247149
“If it possesses a tithe of the interest and charm of your other works, I know I shall peruse it with delight.”
John Drew (1853-1927), born in Philadelphia to a long line of actors, “became so popular as a Frohman star that his first appearance after Labor Day in one of the producer’s presentations at the Empire Theatre signaled the beginning of each new season on Broadway. Unfortunately, many of the plays in which he appeared had no afterlife and have been forgotten. … In real life he became the prototype of the roles he played, which came to be described as "John Drew parts." A strong-featured man of medium height and military bearing, he was always handsomely attired on stage and off and achieved a special celebrity as the best-dressed man in America. He was articulate, charming, and popular with his peers. … With the fortune he made as a star, he bought an estate in Easthampton, on Long Island, New York, where he spent his summers and hosted his many friends from the theater and other professions. He even had the dubious honor of having a five-cent cigar named for him” — ANB.
