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| Edmund Burroughs 1901 - 1903 |
You ever have a photo and you're sure you know right where it is but then can't find it? Well, I looked all over for this one, spent over an hour looking on my computer because I was sure I'd scanned it. Then I looked for another hour in my hard copies before I finally found it. This is my only claim to an actor for this week's theme at Sepia Saturday. Whew! I was getting a little desperate, I don't think my Mr. Edmund Burroughs seen here was a film actor but he will have to do. He sure looks mighty impressive though!
The back of this large cabinet card which measures 10 3/4 by 5 3/4 says "Edmund Burroughs as "Tim the Tamer" with Neil Burgess, County Fair Co - 1901-02-03." The photographer was J. B. Wilson, 389 State St. Chicago.
When I first read this I assumed he performed at a real county fair. My research on Edmund Burroughs has unearthed that this was actually the New York stage production of Neil Burgess. The story is about a elderly woman Auntie Abigail Prue who is in danger of losing her farm because she cannot make her mortgage payments. She enters her horse, Cold Molasses at the county fair and wins $3000.
When I first read this I assumed he performed at a real county fair. My research on Edmund Burroughs has unearthed that this was actually the New York stage production of Neil Burgess. The story is about a elderly woman Auntie Abigail Prue who is in danger of losing her farm because she cannot make her mortgage payments. She enters her horse, Cold Molasses at the county fair and wins $3000.
I found very little information on Edmund, however more information was forthcoming on Neil Burgess. Once I began researching I found a wonderful story. Born J. W. Knell, he was an well-known actor, playwright, Vaudevillian comedian and female impersonator who specialized in elderly "widders" as in Abigail Prue. According to Frankie Jaxon in "The History of Drag and the Art of Female Impersonation" "his success brought him popular adulation, critical respect, and unprecedented wealth as the highest paid actor, comic or tragic, of the time--all for cross-dressing and female impersonation."
He was also quite an inventor. He used his plays to showcase his inventions of patented advances in treadmill and panorama stage machinery according to Kimberly Poppiti in her article "Galloping Horses: Treadmills and Other Theatre Appliances in Hippodramas. "The County Fair" which was written by Charles Barnard for Burgess included a staged horserace scene that used Burgess's invention which allowed the horses to run at full speed on stage. This same device was used with great profit for Burgess and his partner Barnard when it was used in the chariot race scenes in Ben Hur. "The County Fair" first opened in the fall of 1888 probably in Philadelphia. It began a long run in New York City in 1889 being reviewed by the New York Times twice during the opening week. For more information on Neil Burgess, his plays and his patented inventions, see Poppiti's page at http://ww4.usitt.org/tdt.index/extras/41-4horses.html.
He was also quite an inventor. He used his plays to showcase his inventions of patented advances in treadmill and panorama stage machinery according to Kimberly Poppiti in her article "Galloping Horses: Treadmills and Other Theatre Appliances in Hippodramas. "The County Fair" which was written by Charles Barnard for Burgess included a staged horserace scene that used Burgess's invention which allowed the horses to run at full speed on stage. This same device was used with great profit for Burgess and his partner Barnard when it was used in the chariot race scenes in Ben Hur. "The County Fair" first opened in the fall of 1888 probably in Philadelphia. It began a long run in New York City in 1889 being reviewed by the New York Times twice during the opening week. For more information on Neil Burgess, his plays and his patented inventions, see Poppiti's page at http://ww4.usitt.org/tdt.index/extras/41-4horses.html.
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| 3 Aug 1901 The NY Dramatic Mirror |
Burgess was born from different acounts either 1846, 1849 or 1851 in Boston, Massachusetts. Around 1900 he was living in Monmouth County, New Jersey with his wife Mary Stoddard, an actress from a family of distinguished and wealthy actors, who he married in 1882, and his son Neil Jr. aged 7. Neil and Mary owned a large estate on Navesink Avenue in Highlands, NJ. According to reports Mary died in 1905 and Burgess was brokenhearted. As stated by Jaxon, "tragedy sucked the comedy out of Neil Burgess." Bad investments and poor health further demoralized Burgess. He returned to his profession for awhile, but died in 1910. He and Mary are buried at All Saints Memorial Church Cemetery in Navesink, Monmouth County, NJ. Click here to view his headstone which atop sits a wonderful bust of him (Find-A-Grave).
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| 14 Sep 1901 The NY Dramatic Mirror |
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| Neil Burgess |
**UPDATE: After a comment from Linda at The Paper Collector about Neil's wife Mary, I went back and looked at the Find-A-Grave stone and realized her name is spelled "Stoddart" not Stoddard as is mentioned on the other sites I credited. That is not unusual in itself as people often changed the spelling of their names. I did another Google search and found this mention that Mary E. Stoddart (who was married to Neil Burgess) was the niece of J.H. Stoddart, (James Henry 1827 - 1907) who was from Yorkshire, England and made his American debut in 1854. This information is from the webpage "E J Phillips 1830 - 1904 People Family and Theatrical Colleagues." This author has created an extraordinary collection of data on people and places in the early theatre years.
Sources: Wikipedia, eNotes, Find-A-Grave, The NY Dramatic Mirror, Kimberly Poppiti, "Galloping Horses: Treadmills and Other Theatre Appliances in Hippodramas, Frankie Jaxon, "The History of Drag and the Art of Female Impersonation, Ancestry.com, Google Books
He's no Rupaul! Great Great Great story, nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteHe may not be RuPaul, Wendy, but it sounds like he was the FIRST RuPaul!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting post - Neil Burgess looks seriously scary in drag ;o)
ReplyDeleteI saw pictures of some of his other impersonations, believe me just as scary!
Delete"tragedy sucked the comedy out of Neil Burgess." love this quote. Poor Neil.
ReplyDeleteI loved this too, wish I'd said it.
DeleteWhat a fascinating story you have unearthed from this one card.
ReplyDeleteA great story. It’s always interesting to read about early actors who were almost entrepeneurial. He was rightly rewarded with great success. I wonder if his moving horse invention was a precursor for ‘Warhorse’!
ReplyDeleteIt seems that Neil Burgess was an entrepreneur who didn't overlook an opportunity to turn his many talents into money. I'm trying to think of someone in show-biz today who is involved in so many different business ventures, and I'm coming up blank. Anybody?
ReplyDeleteOne card and such a fun and exciting fact filled post to carry it through...great work! Amazing photos!
ReplyDeleteNeil looks like a villain in drag. An entertaining post.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story. I'm still laughing about him playing the part of 'widders.' I bet he was a riot. Fantastic research on your part.
ReplyDeleteExcellent research. Mary Stoddard rings a bell. Will have to check my image files. I did a simple Google search on two mystery actresses on my post, and updated the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, when you said that you made me realize I really hadn't searched much for Mary. I went back and looked at the headstone at Find-A-Grave and realized her last name says Stoddart not Stoddard as is mentioned on other sites. I then did a little more research and found a small mention oon Google which I am adding an update to my post. If you find any pictures would love to see one!
ReplyDeleteThe photo is superb and the story developing from it and your research is equally so!
ReplyDeleteTerrific story and research! An interesting character who helped develop the comic cliches we see in today's TV sitcoms and movies. I liked that website on the actress EJ Philips, I'd found it last year on similar research. A touring performer in this era had a hard life for the brief moments on stage.
ReplyDeleteLast year I did a post on a similar cross-dressing vaudeville musician/comic - The Great Weber. I wonder if Mr. Burgess ever worked the boards with him.
http://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2011/10/great-weber-de-rue-brothers-minstrels.html
He makes one ugly woman...
ReplyDeletebut I'm glad he had other talents.
Horses running at full speed on stage?
How big was the stage????????
Like the Beh-Hur connection.
Now that's a classic!!
Good show!!
:)~
HUGZ
Just a note -- that photo of Edmund Burroughs at the top shows him posed as "Tim, the Tanner" (not Tamer) in The County Fair". In the early 1890's while Neil Burgess was enjoying season-long runs of this show in New York and Boston, there were two road companies playing all around the country, and one of them was led by my great-great-Aunt, Kate Quinn, who played Aunt Abigail Prue, the role created by Burgess. While he stayed at home, they played months of one-nighters, WITH the horses and a carload of scenery and mechanical apparatus that had to be set up and struck 6 times a week, with unrelenting train travel. Marie Bates led another "County Fair" troupe for five full seasons. My Aunt Kate did it for 5 or 6 months, then moved on; Josephine Crowell took her place.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Randy for these fascinating bits of insight into the world of old-time theater!
DeleteThe horses ran on treadmills, in front of a moving cyclorama that gave the illusion of a half-mile of passing scenery.
ReplyDeleteThe photo at the top of Edmund Burroughs shows him posed as "Tim, the Tanner" (not 'Tamer'), in The County Fair.
ReplyDelete