Marshall Pinckney Wilder
Marshall Pinckney Wilder | |
---|---|
St. Paul, Minnesota , U.S. | |
Occupation | Humorist |
Years active | 1880–1915 |
Spouse | Sophie Hanks |
Children | 2 |
Marshall Pinckney Wilder (September 19, 1859 – January 10, 1915) was an American actor, monologist, humorist and sketch artist.
Early life
Marshall Pinckney Wilder (sometimes spelled Marshal) was born along the north shore of
While still a boy, Wilder's family moved to
Career
These early performances held in the
In describing his monologues the
Wilder, who always signed his correspondence "Merrily yours", authored three books over his career: The People I've Smiled With (1899),[10] The Sunnyside of the Street (1905), and Smiling Around the World (1908); and edited a number of volumes of The Wit and Humor of America and The Ten Books of the Merrymakers. The Washington Post wrote in 1915 of his coping with physical disabilities (dwarfism and kyphosis), "Wilder coaxed the frown of adverse fortune into a smile."[11][12]
Though nearly forgotten today, Wilder was heralded in his lifetime and did not let his dwarfism be an excuse for cheap entertainment. Wilder shunned offers by showmen like
At the end of each performance Wilder was known to seek out everyone involved in the show to shake their hand always with a generous tip in his palm. Wilder was until his final curtain call a headliner earning a five-figure annual income. At one point in his career Wilder was willing to take a cut in pay in order to play a vaudeville circuit he felt catered to an audience that better appreciated his humor. This did not happen, however, because of booking issues.[15][16]
Marriage
In 1903 Marshall Wilder married Sophie Cornell Hanks, the daughter of a New Jersey dentist. Sophie was a writer and dramatist who collaborated with Wilder on his books. Their daughter Grace was born in 1905 around the time the couple returned from the world tour. Marshall Jr. followed a year or so later. On December 20, 1913, Sophie died at the age of 35 in New York City after a brief illness and failed operation.[5] She was in the city to give dramatic readings of her new book, The Golden Lotus.[17]
Death
Following the loss of his wife, Wilder's health began to decline and a little over a year later fell ill while in St. Paul, Minnesota, for an engagement. His death there on January 10, 1915, was attributed to
During the
Marshall P. Wilder Jr. (1913–1964) became a pioneer in the development of television when in 1931 he participated in the first successful transmission of a signal to a ship stationed some 50 miles offshore.
Filmography
- Marshall P. Wilder (1897)
- Actor's Fund Field Day (1910)
- Marshall P. Wilder (1912)(as himself)
- Chumps (1912)
- The Five Senses (1912)
- The Pipe (1912)
- The Greatest Thing in the World(1912)
- Professor Optimo (1912)
- Mockery (1912)
- The Godmother (1912)
- The Curio Hunters (1912)
- The Widow's Might (1913)
References
- ^ a b c The Syracuse Herald January 11, 1915, pg. 7
- ^ a b The New York Times February 17, 1933 pg. 19
- ^ History of Horticulture - Wilder, Marshall Pinckney 1798-1886 (Ohio State University)
- ^ Medical record, Volume 79 edited by George Frederick Shrady, Thomas Lathrop Stedman – 1911 pg. 309
- ^ a b c Appleton Post Crescent January 23, 1923 pg. 4
- ^ "The Lambs". the-lambs.org. The Lambs, Inc. 6 November 2015. (Member Roster). Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ^ The Bookseller, Newsdealer and Stationer, Volume 42 – 1915- pg. 77
- ^ Who's Who on the Stage edited by Walter Browne, Frederick Arnold Austin 1908 pg 455 -
- ^ Syracuse Herald February 17, 1907 pg. 17
- ^ The People I’ve Smiled With at archive.org
- ^ January 15, 1915 pg. 3 (News Notes of the Stage)
- ^ a b The Oakland Tribune February 6, 1915 pg. 11
- ^ The Moving Picture World, Volume 27 By Moving Picture Exhibitors' Association 1916 pg. 1136
- ^ Marshall P. Wilder and Disability Performance History by Susan Schweik, University of California/Berkeley c.2010
- ^ The Lyceum magazine, Volume 29 edited by Ralph Albert Parlette 1919 pg. 44
- ^ The Kings of Jesters by Elbert Hubbard - The Fra: for Philistines and Roycrofters, Volume 14 edited by Elbert Hubbard, Felix Shay 1914 pg. viii
- ^ The Hartford Courant December 22, 1913
- ^ The New York Times January 12, 1915
- ^ "When life gives you lemons… delicious aphorisms and their interesting origins". The Irish Times.
- ^ The New York Times June 21, 1934 pg. 25
- ^ The New York Times October 11, 1944 pg.18
- ^ Oakland Tribune June 19, 1949 pg. 58
- ^ The Newark Advocate January 16, 1915 pg. 10
- ^ The New York Times September 9, 1931 pg. 55 – pg. 25
- ^ The Harford Courant October 28, 1945
External links
- Works by Marshall Pinckney Wilder at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Marshall Pinckney Wilder at Internet Archive
- Works by Marshall Pinckney Wilder at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Marshall Pinckney Wilder at IMDb
- portrait gallery of Marshall P. Wilder(NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection)
- Marshall P. Wilder speaking in 1908 recording