Volume 12–4 (Low Res).pdf - U&lc

30
FAMILIES TO REMEMBER
HE BARRYMORES AND
Either because of our classless society, or in
spite of it, Americans have always been smitten
by royalty. So there was universal approval
when we finally found a family we could
crown "The Royal Family of the American
Theatre." The Barrymores deserved the title.
Grandfather John Drew Sr. was a famous
Irish actor. Grandmother Louisa Lane Drew
was one of the most revered actresses and
theatre managers of the 19th century. Both
their children, John Jr. and Georgina went
on stage. And after Georgina married the
English actor, Maurice Barrymore (stage
name, Herbert Blythe) they became the parents
of Lionel, Ethel and John.
Because the Barrymores were perpetually
on tour, the children grew up in their
grandmother's house. Their lives were
clouded early on by Georgina's untimely
death, and later, by Maurice's mental deterioration.
So it was almost exclusively
through their grandmother's influence that
they found stability and direction. Though
none of the Barrymore children wanted to
act, out of necessity and their grandmother's
connections they were eventually drawn
to the theatre.
Lionel (1878-1954) hoped to be an artist
and actually spent four years in Paris studying
painting. When he recognized there
was no future for him in the art world, he
returned home and to the theatre. He played
opposite his brother John in "Peter Ibbetson"
(1917), in "The Jest" (1919) and won acclaim
for his performances in "Macbeth." But
he is best remembered for his films: "Rasputin
and the Empress" (1933) which starred all
three Barrymores, "David Copperfield" (1934),
"Captains Courageous" (1937) and countless
"Dr. Kildare" pictures, in which he played
the venerable Dr. Gillespie. He also created
the quintessential Scrooge in the annual radio
broadcasts of "A Christmas Carol."
Ethel (1879-1959) fancied a career as
a concert pianist, but wound up onstage as
an actress instead. As a teen-ager she played
small roles opposite her grandmother, but
her first personal triumph came in "Captain
Jinks of the Horse Marines" (1901), and
later in "Alice-Sit-by-the-Fire" (1905), "Mid
Channel" (1910), "The Constant Wife" (1920)
and "The Corn is Green" (1942). Although
she appeared in a few films, she remained
tied to the theatre. Her devotion was rewarded
with a Broadway theatre named for her in
1928 and an honorary doctoral degree from
New York University in 1952.
John (1882-1942) with his celebrated
profile and dazzling histrionics was a magnet
at the box office. On Broadway he played
record-breaking performances in demanding
roles: "Peter Ibbetson" (1917), "Richard
III" (1920) and repeated performances of
"Hamlet ." Eventually Hollywood won him