Good Troupers All

by Gladys Malvern

Although this is primarily the story of THE Joseph Jefferson, one of the theatre's favorite sons, it is also the story, and a fascinating one, of a whole chapter of American theatrical history, for it is highlighted with the names of personalities of such stage favorites as Junius Brutus Booth, Joen Drew, Maurice Barrymore, Henry Irving, Frederick Robinson, Laura Keene, Charles Burke, Edwin Forrest, Julia Dean and others too numerous to mention, a colorful, carefully documented and historically accurate picture of the brilliant period from 1829 to 1905.\
Here we meet the light-hearted, level-headed Jeffersons soon after Joe's birth in 1829 and follow their careers from the early years of Jefferson's apprenticeship when the little Jefferson-Mackenzie Troupe made its way westward by train and steamboat, in wagons and on sleighs to fame if not to fortune, to the day of Jefferson's greatest triumph in the title role of Washington Irving's RIP VAN WINKLE, a part which he played for nearly forty years!
An inspiring, entertaining and informative story by an author whose biograpies of Anna Pavlova, Harry Lauder, and Katharine Cornell have already won a host of admiting readers.

287 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

Gladys Malvern wrote almost four dozen books in her prolific career as a writer of historical and biographical Young Adult fiction. She was born in Newark, New Jersey on July 17, 1897. Her family roots were in Virginia and her ancestors include such historic American names as Lee, Rolfe, Randolph, and Custis.

Reviews

[Jimbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing about this book is that it is a fun read, but reads almost like a YA biography of a famous person. There are interesting facts and many of the stories are stories out of the early days of being an actor in America. The book is good and I am glad that I had the opportunity to read it.