1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: back to the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. It is a weirdly cold, 4 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,239 Speaker 1: but weirdly beautiful day here in our fair metropolis of Atlanta, Georgia. 5 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: Let's give it up to our one and only super producer, 6 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: Mr Max Williams. They called me, Ben, know we're we're 7 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: hanging out. We are fans. I think all three of 8 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: us are cinophiles, and we're also fans of stage works. 9 00:00:55,720 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: I recently saw some stage plays in uh as the 10 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: COVID lifted, yeah, or as it backed off for a second. 11 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: What'd you go see? A little our town, a little 12 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: uh hms Penefall, perhaps the South Pacific? Are you musical guy? 13 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: I love musicals, man, I love a good musical. Have 14 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:16,919 Speaker 1: you have you seen those? Have you seen the Steven 15 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:19,679 Speaker 1: Spielberg West Side Story? Ben? I have I have? We 16 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: talked about this um at some point, didn't we? I 17 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: I really enjoyed it. It's his first musical he's ever done, 18 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: and he nailed it. I've just been screaming about it. 19 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: I just loved that. I watched it on a plane 20 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: and I cried into my airplane Chicken Tikka Masala. It 21 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: was like that kind of good cry where it's like, oh, 22 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: the spectacle, the lights, the footlights, the dancing and the 23 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: camera moving through the ceiling and all that. Um, we're 24 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: really talking about musicals today. We are talking about the 25 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: theatrical ops. Yes, wherever you want to put the R 26 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: and the E, there is a difference. We'll save that. 27 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: You can. You can surprise yourself with that. Yeah. So 28 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: it's weird because now when people think of theater, they 29 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: think of it as something separate from the world of film. Right, 30 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: Most of the famous actors you are likely to know 31 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: today are film or television. But back in the day, 32 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: especially when film was coming into its own right, and 33 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: and in the years and decades and well, let's be honest, 34 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:30,360 Speaker 1: centuries before that, the celebrity actors were stage actors, you know. 35 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,119 Speaker 1: And we don't have a lot of video of them, 36 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:37,519 Speaker 1: of course, and there are relatively few photographs, especially when 37 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: you go back to the time before the photograph was 38 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: a widespread technology. But you'll see woodcuts or paintings of 39 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: these people who were very much like the Morgan Freeman's 40 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: the Brad Pitts, the Angelina Jolie's of their day, that's right, 41 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: the Morgan Mindy's, you know, the la Vernon Shirley's, the 42 00:02:55,240 --> 00:03:00,679 Speaker 1: Golden Girls, a few Jared Lettos, Yeah, this few Jared Lettos. Unfortunately, 43 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 1: the Mr and Mrs Smith's of their time. Remember that movie. 44 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:06,239 Speaker 1: It was a big deal at the time, and I 45 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:08,799 Speaker 1: don't remember a thing about it. And they were spies 46 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: and they were very good looking, and that's all I remember. 47 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: But you know, it's funny that we actually did an 48 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: episode about a pair of rivals, Shakespearean actors William McCready 49 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: and Edward Edwin Forrest, who had these competing performances of Macbeth. Uh, 50 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: and there they had such like rival like super fandoms 51 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: that didn't like one of the performances in that in 52 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: like a riot in the Streets of Manhattan. Remember that one. Ben. 53 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: It's been a while, but this is sort of in 54 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: the same vein as that one, because today we're talking 55 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: about like the father of all of that kind of hubbub, 56 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 1: you know, the father of all of that, like the 57 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: actor as Mega Star is a guy named Ira Aldrich 58 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: who was born in New York in eighteen o seven, 59 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: and he made quite a little name for the big 60 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: name for himself back in the mid night teenth century. 61 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: He had many cultural awards and honors bestowed on him, 62 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: and as of today he is just one of thirty 63 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: three people who have been honor with a bronze plaque 64 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: on a chair. That's a big deal. Gets your own 65 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:17,599 Speaker 1: plaque on. It's not like a bench. This is on 66 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: a chair, not in a park, but at the Shakespeare 67 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: Memorial Theater in Stratford upon Avon. So Ben, what's the 68 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: big deal with al dress? Why was he so special 69 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: and what makes him noteworthy outside of just being a 70 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 1: cracker jack actor. Yeah, one phenomenal actor by all accounts 71 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: to He's an American who is impressing Europeans. And three, 72 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:44,160 Speaker 1: perhaps most importantly for this story, he was upending social 73 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 1: norms and taboos of the day. Because you see our 74 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: protagonist today, Ira Aldridge was black and he was living 75 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: at the time, Like we said, he's born Manhattan eighteen 76 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: o seven. He was living at the time in this 77 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 1: were of gray area between being a free person of 78 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: color and being a an enslaved person. Historians like John 79 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: Hope Franklin liked to describe him as belonging to the 80 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: world of the quasi free. And we learned about this, 81 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:18,600 Speaker 1: or at least I. I first learned this phrase through 82 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: an excellent article in The New Yorker by Alex Ross 83 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 1: called Othello's Daughter, and it's all about the legacy of 84 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 1: Ira Aldridge. So he wasn't from these uh super elite ancestrys. UH. 85 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 1: Slavery was at the time, thankfully being gradually abolished in 86 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: New York, but the population people of color in that 87 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:44,279 Speaker 1: area were still beset at all turns by Jim Crow 88 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: kind of laws. You know, voting rights were restricted. That 89 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 1: was one of the biggest deals. His father, Daniel Aldridge, 90 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: was a street vendor and was a preacher in the 91 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,840 Speaker 1: African Methodist Episcopal's Eye and Church. And we don't know 92 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:02,840 Speaker 1: much about his mom other than her name Laurna. He 93 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: did have a pretty good education. He learned at the 94 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 1: African Free School in his early years. This was a 95 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: network of schools set up by anti slavery advocates and 96 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: abolitionist movements. And Daniel Aldridge Aldred Sr. He really wanted 97 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: his kid to follow him into the ministry. He wanted 98 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: him to be a religious figure. But eventually I read 99 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: out a taste of the theater. He probably saw it 100 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: at Manhattan's now defunct Park Theater, and that's that's where 101 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:37,719 Speaker 1: he got the hook, and that's where he found his 102 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,799 Speaker 1: direction in life. And it's a good thing you found 103 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,159 Speaker 1: it too, as we'll see, yeah, for sure. Um. He 104 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:50,799 Speaker 1: participated in performances of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's adaptation of Pizarro, 105 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 1: which I'm I'm not familiar with, and by most accounts 106 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,359 Speaker 1: from historians of the man his next acting performance was 107 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: in a Shakespearean play. It was at the African Grove Theater, 108 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: which was the only theater that black actors were allowed 109 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: to perform at. It was between Bleaker Street and Prince 110 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: Street there in Lower Manhattan, and it was actually one 111 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: of the very earliest attempts to create a kind of 112 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: cultural community around theater in segregated New York. It was 113 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: all black cast crew, uh and largely because of the 114 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: community kind of aspect of it. The audience was made 115 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: up of free and slave, middle class and working class alike. 116 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: According to a lovely quote from a Aldrich historian in 117 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: this excellent mental floss article by Natasha Frost, the nineteenth 118 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: century African American actor who conquered Europe. Spoiler alert, you 119 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: already kind of hinted at that. He's definitely impressing those 120 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: theater snobs in Europe, or he will be very soon. 121 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: So back to Shakespeare. He makes his Shakespearean debut in 122 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: the African Growth Theaters production of Romeo and Juliet. So 123 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: he's already starting to build a name for himself, at 124 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: least within his community there in New York and the 125 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: African American theater community, which was admittedly, you know, a 126 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: little Niche just had this one performance space, but that 127 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: was soon to change after some rocky beginnings, let's just 128 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 1: say yeah, because the discrimination still was ever president and ubiquitous. 129 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 1: Shortly after the grove opened, city officials kind of made 130 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 1: up a reason to close it. They said they were 131 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 1: getting a lot of noise complaints, so the project was 132 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: relocated to Bleaker Street. But this move took the theater 133 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: away from its core audience there in central Manhattan and 134 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 1: put it in competition just geographically with larger, a bit 135 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:54,320 Speaker 1: fancier theaters, and it was struggling to compete with those, 136 00:08:54,920 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: and these theaters primarily had white audiences, and the theater 137 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:05,439 Speaker 1: infrastructures there resented this new kid on the block. They 138 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 1: also had a smaller attendance themselves, because you know, they 139 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,079 Speaker 1: moved away from where their audiences. So the theater ran 140 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: into trouble. And these problems were exacerbated because not a 141 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: week would pass without the police or local racist residents 142 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,439 Speaker 1: or city officials coming by just to jam them up 143 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: and hassle them. We don't know exactly what happened, but 144 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: there may have been some criminal behavior on the part 145 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 1: of these these haters. Basically it least one source claims 146 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:40,720 Speaker 1: the theater mysteriously burned to the ground in eighteen twenty six. 147 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:45,160 Speaker 1: No records of it exist officially after eight And this 148 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:47,600 Speaker 1: is where Aldridge said, you know, I wonder if people 149 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: are going to take me seriously as an actor in 150 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:53,959 Speaker 1: this country, if I, as an African American, can make 151 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: a go of this in this nation. And he said no. 152 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:04,199 Speaker 1: He decided his only path forward as a serious, determined 153 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 1: and inspiring actor of color was to immigrate. And that's why, 154 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:12,560 Speaker 1: when he was only seventeen in eighteen twenty four, he 155 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:15,360 Speaker 1: took a job on a ship headed to England and 156 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: he planned to never return. Yeah, sort of self banishment 157 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 1: or you know, it's an adventure of course, and trying 158 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:25,760 Speaker 1: to make his way in a place where he thought 159 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:28,079 Speaker 1: would be a little more hospitable. But it does have 160 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 1: the the ring of exile to it in a weird way. 161 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: So he went to England. The British Empire, already abolished slavery, 162 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: was a much more welcoming situation for him, because, after all, 163 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: in the US, the slaves trade was still flourishing in 164 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 1: parts of the US. I mean, it's been abolished in 165 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,559 Speaker 1: New York, but we know, you know how it went elsewhere, 166 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 1: right right here where we currently sit in fact, unfortunately, 167 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:58,199 Speaker 1: but free African Americans and their descendants either way, we're 168 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: not eligible for citizenship. Running slaves were to be returned 169 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 1: to their owners caught. There's a whole bounty hunter kind 170 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: of situation around that. Really really nasty stuff, very inhospitable. 171 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,280 Speaker 1: But in England, you know, well sure there was plenty 172 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:15,680 Speaker 1: of racism, as there is everywhere and continues to be. 173 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: It doesn't just go away the moment you change the law. Uh, 174 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: it was more hospitable for him and his career prospects. 175 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: So to cover the cost of his travel, he um 176 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,600 Speaker 1: got a job as a steward on the very ship 177 00:11:29,679 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: that took him to Britain. That's sort of like paying 178 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 1: for your dinner by like washing the dishes restaurants. Very clever. 179 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: This guy seemed to be pretty quick on his feet 180 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:41,960 Speaker 1: and and a very like resourceful guy. So on the 181 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:45,600 Speaker 1: trip he became friends with a British actor who was 182 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:48,559 Speaker 1: also happened to be a producer of theater, a guy 183 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:52,440 Speaker 1: named James Walack. They met a few months earlier, and then, 184 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 1: as chance would have it, they ran into each other 185 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: again on this boat and Walack offered Aldredge a job 186 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 1: as well to be his like that a you know, uh, 187 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:05,400 Speaker 1: not really an acting job. It's a little condescending, but 188 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,160 Speaker 1: you know it's a job nonetheless. And so they get 189 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 1: to Liverpool. Aldridge quits the job on the ship obviously 190 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:14,439 Speaker 1: only intended to like pay amount of money to get there. 191 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 1: They're like, well, I feel the trade. I thought we thought. 192 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 1: I thought we had a grand new lifelong employee. And 193 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 1: you Ira Aldridge, you cad um. And then he decided 194 00:12:23,559 --> 00:12:28,440 Speaker 1: to join the employee of this actor producer fellow. So uh, 195 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 1: through him, he starts to meet some pretty cool context. 196 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: Even if wal it didn't, you know, give him a 197 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:38,680 Speaker 1: useful gig in the industry right away by being around him. 198 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 1: He kind of you rub elbows and some of the 199 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 1: right people in the world of theater there in a 200 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: new a new city, in a new country. For him, yeah, 201 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: I al would say that was the main win for him. 202 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,160 Speaker 1: That was the primary method of payment for him. And 203 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:53,920 Speaker 1: it wasn't about the money, it was about the access. 204 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: And he also matriculated into the University of Glasgow where 205 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,680 Speaker 1: he quickly just stay englished himself. Over eighteen months he 206 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: won a lot of like recognition and even a gold 207 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:10,640 Speaker 1: medal for excellence in Latin composition, which the three of 208 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: us have not won for the record. So then after 209 00:13:14,559 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: after his time in Glasgow, he finds work an acting 210 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 1: gig at the Old Vic which was known back then 211 00:13:23,559 --> 00:13:27,120 Speaker 1: as London's Royal Kobourg Theater. He plays the role of 212 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:32,440 Speaker 1: Orinoco in The Revolt of Surinam in eight The London 213 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:36,840 Speaker 1: press hated him. They were total pills about it. They 214 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:42,000 Speaker 1: predicted he would never work as an actor again. They 215 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 1: would they predicted he would never worked as an actor 216 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:47,960 Speaker 1: at all again. And then they also said, and you 217 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 1: know what, further, we don't think a black man should 218 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:56,079 Speaker 1: be on stage at all. This started to change in 219 00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 1: May of eighteen. Later the same year when he hits 220 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: London as the first actor ever in Britain to play 221 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: Othello and also actually be black. Right, that's the troubling 222 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: history of that character. Yeah, everyone previously playing that would 223 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 1: have been in some kind of horrible, garish black face makeup. 224 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 1: So uh, it's it's a very interesting character too. I mean, 225 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 1: that is a very politically rife and controversial play from Shakespeare. 226 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 1: Does it hold up or is it sort of a 227 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 1: little bit? Does it not age well? Othello has It 228 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: is a tragedy. It's a tragic story, and there's a 229 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:52,480 Speaker 1: lot of questions. Now. There's a lot of discourse now 230 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: about whether Othello is a racist play or whether it's 231 00:14:56,920 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 1: a play about racism, if that makes sense. There's there's 232 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 1: a lot of great discourse. I'm having a hard time 233 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: recommending some of the many articles written about this, but 234 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 1: if you if you check, if you just search your 235 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: browser choice for that question, is Othello a racist play 236 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: or play about racism? You will see a lot of 237 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 1: differing opinions here. And of course Fellow ridiculous historians, We 238 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,680 Speaker 1: welcome yours as well. So it's not it's not such 239 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 1: a cut and dried answer, right like that, That's that's 240 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: sort of what it comes down to, right, It's it 241 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: can be complex because you have to think of the 242 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:32,360 Speaker 1: context at the time, the context of the modern reader. 243 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 1: What did Shakespeare think? Oh boy? You know what it 244 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 1: reminds me of is uh the way Wagner is sort 245 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,600 Speaker 1: of treated. So Wagner being like a known virulent anti Semite, 246 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 1: you know it was totally a Nazi sympathizer, if not 247 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: like the official composer of the Nazi Party more or less. 248 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: But nowadays his music is viewed as very very important 249 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:56,240 Speaker 1: and culturally important and like in terms of like the 250 00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: history instrorectory of music, and there are Jewish music and 251 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: conductors that will reform the work of Wagner knowing all 252 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,440 Speaker 1: of these things, but also knowing the impact that it had. 253 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 1: And I saw a piece where a couple of those 254 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,560 Speaker 1: folks were sort of explaining, well, what better way to 255 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: give the old f you to Wagner than have a 256 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 1: bunch of Jewish dudes playing his music? Yeah, I could 257 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 1: see that. I mean, it also goes back to the 258 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: question of to whom does a work of art belong? 259 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: The artist or the audience. But yeah, I think that's 260 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:29,520 Speaker 1: that's an interesting constructive way to look at it. The 261 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 1: people of London, the literati, the tastemakers, they were also starting. 262 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: The tide was starting to turn in Aldridge's favor. The 263 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,720 Speaker 1: critics who had lambasted him earlier weren't really sure how 264 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 1: to take this guy because he was, as they described him, 265 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 1: a gentleman of color, and he was also lately arrived 266 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: from America. But when they saw him in Othello dude, 267 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: they loved it. They said his death was certainly one 268 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:06,480 Speaker 1: of the finest physical representations of bodily anguish we ever witnessed. 269 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,399 Speaker 1: And still this is all, by the way, this is 270 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: all happening while the guy is only seventeen years old. 271 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: Shout out to Paul Anthony Jones. Uh yeah, and mental floss. 272 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:22,120 Speaker 1: He wrote Ira Aldridge, the Black Shakespearean actor who We're 273 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: gonna wait on that title for a second because I 274 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 1: don't want to spoil it too much. But his star 275 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:31,359 Speaker 1: was ascending, right He was moving into the big leagues. 276 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 1: It wasn't very long after this he was getting top 277 00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:39,199 Speaker 1: billing in different plays in different venues. He became the 278 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 1: very first African American actor to establish himself outside of 279 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: the United States. But there's some there's a lot of baggage, 280 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: as you can imagine, that comes with this. He was 281 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:56,000 Speaker 1: sometimes called the African tragedian, and uh that story as 282 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 1: a problematic etymology, we'll get to it in a second. 283 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:02,640 Speaker 1: But even always becoming that era's equivalent of a movie star, 284 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: he did not have an easy ride of it, you 285 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: know what I mean. This was the odds were still 286 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: very much stacked against him. Yeah, I mean it was, 287 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:16,879 Speaker 1: you know, despite the comparatively progressive approach to slavery, again 288 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:20,280 Speaker 1: that was like the worst, end all, be all extreme 289 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 1: of racism. Still plenty of old money types going to 290 00:18:24,359 --> 00:18:27,640 Speaker 1: the theata that we're quite racist and did not like 291 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: the look of a person of color treading the boards 292 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:35,160 Speaker 1: as it were, right on on the stages. These these 293 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:39,320 Speaker 1: like hallowed stages, hallowed halls from the Covent Garden for example, 294 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,800 Speaker 1: which is where he performed soon after his Othello debut, 295 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: and a newspaper called The Figureo was absolutely just lambasted 296 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:50,919 Speaker 1: him and basically kind of made it almost like a 297 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: personal mission of the editor to tear him down. I 298 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:59,120 Speaker 1: just have to say, he's a black guy playing Othello, 299 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 1: what is the problem? Like? What like they're they're saying, 300 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:06,240 Speaker 1: I don't know, it's a bit too far, it's scandalous. 301 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 1: It's it's so recurring to the old ways. Well what anyway, No, 302 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:15,199 Speaker 1: this all really happened, folks. Yeah, that's pretty wild. So 303 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:19,119 Speaker 1: they essentially launched a smear campaign against him, you know, 304 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: largely relying on racism and otherness and just kind of 305 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:29,440 Speaker 1: treating him like some sort of foreign invader. Uh. They 306 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: essentially wanted him to have to give up his his 307 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: theater aspirations and become uh you know, a work bit, uh, 308 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,960 Speaker 1: in a lowly position suited to his station, right, something 309 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,919 Speaker 1: like a footman or a street sweeper quote, the level 310 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:55,200 Speaker 1: for which his color appears to have rendered him peculiarly qualified. Yeah, 311 00:19:55,280 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: and uh, good news, folks, don't worry. Stories not over yet. 312 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:04,800 Speaker 1: They weren't successful, but it did kind of drive him 313 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:07,400 Speaker 1: away from the London stage. He was having a tough 314 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 1: time getting work after the establishment said this is way 315 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:15,680 Speaker 1: too far for us. And if you look at the 316 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:20,159 Speaker 1: traditional story, you will see some people later adding some 317 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:26,240 Speaker 1: nuance onto this. So the basic story, the long story, 318 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:31,200 Speaker 1: short version, is that racism, including national media in the day, 319 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:35,000 Speaker 1: wrote these really racist reviews. But then there are other 320 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:38,600 Speaker 1: historians who are arguing it may be less clear cut 321 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 1: because there was a flu outbreak that was driving people 322 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,919 Speaker 1: away from theaters at the time, and then it's possible 323 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:52,320 Speaker 1: the powerful supporters of slavery had bribed reviewers to write 324 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:57,080 Speaker 1: this opprobrious stuff. So the real answer is kind of 325 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:00,280 Speaker 1: lost to history. But we know that Aldred did not 326 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,679 Speaker 1: take this as the end of his career, and the 327 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 1: stage is lucky that he refused to accept defeat. Instead, 328 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:11,920 Speaker 1: he took Othello and another play called The Padlock on 329 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:16,200 Speaker 1: a tour of all the provincial theaters in Britain. He said, 330 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:19,200 Speaker 1: look at the theaters for the people, and if London 331 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,920 Speaker 1: is not gonna have me, there's still people who live 332 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,720 Speaker 1: somewhere else. And this was a huge hit. It was 333 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:29,360 Speaker 1: a national tour. He got all these new fans. Max 334 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:35,159 Speaker 1: if we get people cheering and speak of sound oddly 335 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 1: British perfect tell home tale, hoo, ballyhoo, baliwick, and he 336 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 1: became he actually became the manager of the Coventry Theater 337 00:21:56,200 --> 00:22:00,320 Speaker 1: in eighteen eight. So this is another first for this guy. 338 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:03,720 Speaker 1: Now he's not just the first black American actor to 339 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: break through, he's the first black manager of a British theater, right. 340 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: And he starts really making a name for himself also 341 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:13,680 Speaker 1: as an activist, UH, doing speaking engagements on the evils 342 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:18,119 Speaker 1: of slavery and all of that, and he becomes something 343 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: of a leader in the abolitionist community there in the UK, 344 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:26,640 Speaker 1: and he really starts to kind of get a lot 345 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:31,400 Speaker 1: of support swelling around him. He takes this tour to Ireland, UH, 346 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:34,480 Speaker 1: and he arrives in Dublin and shout out to our 347 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: buddy listener Andy Buck from Ireland. He could tell us 348 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 1: a lot about it. Really really cool dude um in 349 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:45,280 Speaker 1: a band called Sky Trumpets that he named after a 350 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,480 Speaker 1: phenomenon that we've discussed on stuff they don't want you 351 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 1: to know. I think he's more of a stuff that 352 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 1: I wants you to know list But anyway, thinking of Ireland, 353 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:54,440 Speaker 1: thinking of my buddy Andy, our buddy Andy from County Cork. 354 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 1: But he takes his tour to Dublin and becomes a 355 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,760 Speaker 1: smash yet surprising they think they take they take him 356 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:06,159 Speaker 1: much more easily than the Brits, which I would not 357 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 1: necessarily expect him. No shade on the Irish. It's because 358 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:11,480 Speaker 1: I think there was a social aspect to a town, 359 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:16,359 Speaker 1: because they liked when he talked to them, you know, 360 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:19,280 Speaker 1: not in character but just as himself, and it talked 361 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,360 Speaker 1: about how terribly he had been treated by the British 362 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:27,440 Speaker 1: in London. And because because of the tense nature there 363 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:33,400 Speaker 1: between Ireland and and Britain, obviously he found an acquire 364 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 1: that he could preach to. Because you have to wonder 365 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:39,679 Speaker 1: how many people who supported him in those audiences were thinking, 366 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,720 Speaker 1: I love Othello and I love the Podlock, and how 367 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:47,120 Speaker 1: many of them were thinking, yeah, screw the British. That 368 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: guy gets it. But either way, either way he was 369 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: treated really well. He made a number of lifelong friends 370 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 1: in Ireland. He's touring Britain and Ireland repeatedly. By the 371 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: eighteen thirties. He's got a one man show that he 372 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: has made on his own. It's got these great dramatic monologues. 373 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:08,280 Speaker 1: It's kind of like, um, it's almost like a mix 374 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:12,639 Speaker 1: tape or a montage Shakespearean recitals songs. But then also 375 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: in the midst of this he puts in real life 376 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 1: tales from his own biography or autobiography at this point, 377 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:25,080 Speaker 1: as well as lectures on the importance of abolitionism on 378 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:27,920 Speaker 1: both sides of the pond, right. And I mean he 379 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,160 Speaker 1: has plenty of firsthand accounts. Even though he was never 380 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 1: a slave himself, he's certainly experienced the prejudice and horrible 381 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 1: kind of remnants of slavery from the attitude towards black 382 00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 1: people in the United States and in England. Also not 383 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:45,879 Speaker 1: to mention that at the time, what he's doing is 384 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 1: almost akin to like what you think of as like 385 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:49,400 Speaker 1: a variety show. I guess, I mean, like you said, 386 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:51,680 Speaker 1: been In is a one man show, but he's doing 387 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 1: all these different things, noting all these different bits, and 388 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:57,200 Speaker 1: it really is like educational and also entertaining and much 389 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,600 Speaker 1: more of like high cultural kind of you know, fair 390 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,240 Speaker 1: with the Shakespeare and the songs and all that um. 391 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:07,119 Speaker 1: And it really serves to kind of lambast and lampoon 392 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:12,080 Speaker 1: and serve as a meaningful kind of counter to these 393 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 1: awful minstrel shows that were still super huge at the time. 394 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 1: Theater is protest and I love this because yes, uh, 395 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,919 Speaker 1: it's it's an excellent way to to just encapsulate the 396 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: power of theater, which sometimes sounds pretentious, but it is 397 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 1: a real thing. He started using white face. Black Face 398 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:35,880 Speaker 1: was very popular and normalized at this time, and so 399 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:39,000 Speaker 1: he would put on white face and he would say, hey, 400 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,960 Speaker 1: I'm I'm a good actor. I'm not just a good 401 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,639 Speaker 1: black man who was an actor. I am a good actor. 402 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:48,520 Speaker 1: So he would play Shylock Richard the third, Macbeth king Lear, 403 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:51,359 Speaker 1: all the hits from Shakespeare. And then there was this guy, 404 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:56,480 Speaker 1: a minstrel show white actor doing black face named Thomas Rice. 405 00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:00,920 Speaker 1: He came to England with his menstrel routine and Aldredge 406 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: took it up a notch. He took one of Rice's 407 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 1: own skits, minstrel show skits, and he wove it into 408 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: his own show and he parodied the parody, which meant 409 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: that he cut like he hamstrung anything Rice was trying 410 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:20,440 Speaker 1: to do, and showed himself to be an unparalleled performer. 411 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 1: It's like for an example of power theater. I still 412 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:26,440 Speaker 1: can't believe we didn't get in trouble for this. During 413 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:29,400 Speaker 1: a lot of the anti choice movements here in Georgia, 414 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 1: me and some of my colleagues started holding protests, but 415 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:38,879 Speaker 1: we just switched the word abortion for promotion. And we 416 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:42,560 Speaker 1: actually managed to interview the governor at the time and 417 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 1: had a conversation with him until he caught on and 418 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:47,680 Speaker 1: it was on tape about whether or not he thought 419 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:50,600 Speaker 1: women should have a right to a promotion or whether 420 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: it should be up to men in the government. We 421 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:58,320 Speaker 1: didn't get a reason, ladies, we didn't get arrested. But 422 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: theater can be powerful, and this is something that galvanizes 423 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 1: his crowd. But maybe we talk a little more about 424 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:08,880 Speaker 1: his role as an activist because we're pointing that out, 425 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:13,680 Speaker 1: and I think that becomes like increasingly important to him, 426 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: even more so as time goes on. Yeah, and as 427 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:19,480 Speaker 1: you can tell, he's already making knave for himself essentially 428 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:22,800 Speaker 1: as an activist, and he's becoming this kind of community 429 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:27,960 Speaker 1: leader in the abolitionist movement. He really starts to use his, 430 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:32,200 Speaker 1: you know, fame from the theater to fight against slavery, 431 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 1: even from all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. It's 432 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:40,040 Speaker 1: incredibly impressive. So shakespeare plays typically end with what is 433 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 1: known as a jig uh in a classic performance of 434 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:46,399 Speaker 1: a Shakespeare play. I think most of the ones that 435 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 1: i've seen. I don't know if you've ever been to 436 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: like Stratford upon Avon or been to like a Shakespeare 437 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 1: in the Park festival. I've usually seen more modernized version 438 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,720 Speaker 1: of us. So I am not familiar with the jig. Uh. 439 00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,680 Speaker 1: It's some little classic dance kind of thing. It's like 440 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: a day Ants song game. This is the way it's 441 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:06,520 Speaker 1: described that might poke a little fun of the story. 442 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:10,680 Speaker 1: Probably meant to deflate something super heavy that you've just experienced, 443 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:12,560 Speaker 1: right to kind of like take the air out of 444 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:14,120 Speaker 1: it a little bit and like, you know, a little 445 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:17,359 Speaker 1: bit of a palate cleanser after like spoiler alert, Romeo 446 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,200 Speaker 1: and Juliette kill themselves, or you know, Titus Andronicus uh 447 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:25,920 Speaker 1: feeds his nemesis is children to her in the form 448 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,960 Speaker 1: of meat pies. Sorry, I think it's okay to spoil Shakespeare. 449 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,160 Speaker 1: It's been like hundreds of years, sure if he wrote 450 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:38,840 Speaker 1: it kidding, but he takes this format thing that is understood, 451 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:43,320 Speaker 1: this this little jig, and he turns it on its head. Yeah. 452 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:47,960 Speaker 1: So the idea is, if you've ever seen some improv shows, 453 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 1: you've seen this happen in theater that we don't know 454 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 1: the exact dances the Shakespearean actors were doing. But we 455 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:56,000 Speaker 1: do know it was probably a way to connect them 456 00:28:56,040 --> 00:29:00,160 Speaker 1: with the audience, right, And this is something that he 457 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 1: subverts just as you described. He says, let me take 458 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 1: this moment at the end of the show, not to 459 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:09,280 Speaker 1: have a funny dance routine where everybody gets up on 460 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 1: the stage, you know, and starts cutting rug But let's 461 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:16,880 Speaker 1: let's use this moment for me to speak directly to 462 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:20,040 Speaker 1: the audience, to break the fourth wall. Let's be together 463 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,400 Speaker 1: on something serious. At first he just had a guitar 464 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:26,120 Speaker 1: that he would sing songs on, but as the years 465 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:28,800 Speaker 1: went on, he's about twenty five at this point. He 466 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:34,400 Speaker 1: starts reciting poetry he had written himself, and it's protest poetry. 467 00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 1: It's stuff like I risk my all upon my power 468 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 1: life son, yes country, to to free my brethren fettered 469 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 1: slaves from sinking and inglorious graves. And this starts to 470 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: touch people. It also, you know, order reminds me of 471 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,640 Speaker 1: the It reminds me of who is it, Dylan Thomas, 472 00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 1: Do not go gentle into that good night? That that's 473 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: a subversion of like what's usually what up to that? 474 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 1: I was like a poem that was a drinking toast 475 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: that would be about happy stuff. So he's he's mixing 476 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:09,680 Speaker 1: on his head and I just think it's amazing. I 477 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,080 Speaker 1: can't be objective. I'm a fanboy of this guy. I 478 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:14,240 Speaker 1: wish I could have seen him live. He also gave 479 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: a lot of money to abolitionist charities and causes, uh, 480 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:22,720 Speaker 1: like the Negro State Conventions. Um. And this started making 481 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:25,280 Speaker 1: its way into the press as well, not necessarily in 482 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 1: a bad way, I mean, whereas it might have been 483 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,040 Speaker 1: such in the past. To your point been things were 484 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:32,719 Speaker 1: sort of turning a little bit in in Europe. So 485 00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:35,720 Speaker 1: one mentioned that made it to the press was about 486 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:40,520 Speaker 1: Aldredg's involvement in helping a family of fugitive slaves who 487 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:44,479 Speaker 1: ran from Baltimore to New York and were captured and 488 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:47,880 Speaker 1: then split apart and scattered across the U S. And 489 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 1: Aldredge read about this case, uh, and he sent a 490 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:55,200 Speaker 1: large amount of money to New York Society to give 491 00:30:55,240 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 1: them some aid. Yes, so people were basically reviewing plays 492 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 1: they do was in, but they were increasingly focusing on 493 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:07,080 Speaker 1: his real world activism in addition to the characters he 494 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:13,680 Speaker 1: played in a complimentary tone too. Which is surprising and amazing. Yes, yeah, 495 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: that's huge, and especially when you consider how Europe treated 496 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:21,560 Speaker 1: him when he first got there. So this gets the 497 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:26,080 Speaker 1: attention of the leaders of something called the New Negro movement, 498 00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: and the leaders of this movement, the leaders of the 499 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:34,800 Speaker 1: quality movements in general. Linkston used James Weldon Johnson W E. B. Dubois. 500 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: They are all over the moon that a performer of 501 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:45,440 Speaker 1: color has made a place for themselves in European culture 502 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:49,200 Speaker 1: and European stage culture. And that's when Dubois inducts him 503 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:53,600 Speaker 1: into something called the talented tent. This was a group 504 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 1: of exceptional individuals that W. E. B. Believed, we're going 505 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:03,680 Speaker 1: to lead the entire population, the entire diaspora, to salvation. 506 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: But let's also say this Aldredge wasn't like a He 507 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:17,520 Speaker 1: wasn't always a serious, somber, no fun guy. He was 508 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: a consummate showman. He would go town to town, he 509 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:24,480 Speaker 1: had really fancy carriage, he would do all this pr stuff, 510 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:27,440 Speaker 1: and he was not above a little bit of personal 511 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:31,640 Speaker 1: embellishment to get butts in the seats of the shows. 512 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:35,760 Speaker 1: He started claiming he was a descendant of an aristocratic 513 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:39,000 Speaker 1: or princely fula line, and then later he spread this 514 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:42,160 Speaker 1: story that he was born in Senegal. Neither of these 515 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:47,880 Speaker 1: were necessarily true. He definitely wasn't a radical though as 516 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 1: a matter of fact, his political bent would have been 517 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:57,080 Speaker 1: unusual to a lot of folks today, because yes, he 518 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:00,680 Speaker 1: was very much an abolitionist. He wanted slavery gone. He 519 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:04,960 Speaker 1: also said he wasn't entirely opposed to colonialism. He was 520 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:09,240 Speaker 1: down for the advancement of the colonial enterprise. So that 521 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:18,920 Speaker 1: seems kind of contradictory at times, you know, so he 522 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:23,880 Speaker 1: somehow managed to keep was saying I'm surprised because of 523 00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 1: the way he's being received because while he's not radical, 524 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:31,040 Speaker 1: what he's doing at the time and who he is 525 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:34,560 Speaker 1: and what he looks like is radical. Right. He's not 526 00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:38,920 Speaker 1: like ideologically radical or like, you know, being a super hardliner, 527 00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:42,040 Speaker 1: which is important because that is exactly the ability that 528 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:46,240 Speaker 1: allows him to kind of allows his message to resonate more, right, 529 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:49,280 Speaker 1: because he's sort of he's bringing everybody in and he's 530 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:52,360 Speaker 1: making people, oh, well, this this guys a fine actor, 531 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:54,040 Speaker 1: and he's got a good head on his shoulders. Do 532 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:57,080 Speaker 1: you know what, maybe I should stop being racist. Uh, 533 00:33:57,360 --> 00:33:59,640 Speaker 1: it's just I mean, I'm over simplifying a little bit, 534 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:04,040 Speaker 1: but it does seem that his accessibility from the acting 535 00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:05,960 Speaker 1: world is what kind of led people to maybe pay 536 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:08,880 Speaker 1: him a little more attention and not be like freaked 537 00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:11,200 Speaker 1: out by him, you know. And I'm so I'm not 538 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:15,000 Speaker 1: making excuses for needing that, but it does seem that 539 00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:17,719 Speaker 1: it was a positive force in spreading that message and 540 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:19,759 Speaker 1: allowing him to do some good. So he was so 541 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:23,759 Speaker 1: popular in those days in England, playing to sold out 542 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:26,400 Speaker 1: houses every night of the week. By the eighteen fifties, 543 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:30,440 Speaker 1: is acting chops were the talk of the world. They 544 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:34,920 Speaker 1: had spread way beyond the borders of of England. So 545 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:38,160 Speaker 1: he decided that he was going to put together a 546 00:34:38,239 --> 00:34:41,920 Speaker 1: traveling troop of actors and head out on a tour 547 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:45,600 Speaker 1: of the entire continent of Europe. So he did that thing, 548 00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:50,200 Speaker 1: and just a couple of months he was considered the 549 00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:57,360 Speaker 1: most revered, well reviewed, beloved actors in the entirety of Europe. 550 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:00,359 Speaker 1: And it's so rare for someone to be critically you know, 551 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:03,759 Speaker 1: lauded and also get good receipts, you know what I mean, 552 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:06,359 Speaker 1: and like put butts in seats and have people like 553 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:09,520 Speaker 1: the masses really love what they're doing. So this is 554 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:12,680 Speaker 1: like he's like a unicorn man. Yeah. Yeah, It's rare 555 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:16,880 Speaker 1: for someone to reach this level of accolades, and I 556 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,720 Speaker 1: would say he was probably one of the most lauded 557 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:23,000 Speaker 1: actors in the world by default at this point. One 558 00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:26,680 Speaker 1: German writer even said, you know, Ira Aldridge might be 559 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:31,120 Speaker 1: the greatest of all actors ever. And a Polish reviewer 560 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:35,400 Speaker 1: left something was really interesting. Polish reviewers said, though the 561 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:39,120 Speaker 1: majority of spectators did not speak English, they did, however, 562 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:43,360 Speaker 1: to understand the fillings portrayed on the artist face, eyes, lips, 563 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:45,720 Speaker 1: and the tones of his voice and the entire body. 564 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:49,240 Speaker 1: So his acting, they were arguing, was on a level 565 00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:53,040 Speaker 1: past language, or a level past the spoken word, which 566 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:56,359 Speaker 1: I think was amazing. Let's go back to New York, 567 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:59,800 Speaker 1: back where he's born. New York Times eighteen fifty three. 568 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:03,400 Speaker 1: They're thinking about this guy, their long lost son, and 569 00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:08,000 Speaker 1: they quote a review of his Betrayal of Othello in 570 00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:13,040 Speaker 1: Austria from a Viennese paper, and they say that he's 571 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:17,040 Speaker 1: an eminent artist, partially because of the simpleness and truthfulness 572 00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:19,840 Speaker 1: of his performance, but also by the power with which 573 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:24,000 Speaker 1: he marks the most violent eruptions of passion. He gets 574 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:27,759 Speaker 1: cozied up to by royalty. They love him. He eventually 575 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:32,600 Speaker 1: marries a member of the of the aristocracy, Amanda van Brandt. 576 00:36:32,719 --> 00:36:38,320 Speaker 1: She's a Swedish countess. She was his second wife. You 577 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:40,920 Speaker 1: don't get a name like that without some kind of royalty. 578 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:47,080 Speaker 1: So so he keeps going and he's touring all the time. 579 00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:50,759 Speaker 1: For another ten years. He is, like you said, he's 580 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:54,560 Speaker 1: making receipts, he's breaking the Bacon home. He buys a 581 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:58,719 Speaker 1: couple of properties in London, one, funnily enough, on Hamlet Road. 582 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:03,840 Speaker 1: And now at this point, the Civil War across the 583 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:07,560 Speaker 1: Atlantic is over. He's in his late fifties, and he says, 584 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 1: I'm gonna try to go back to the United States. 585 00:37:10,719 --> 00:37:12,279 Speaker 1: I know, I said I was never going to, but 586 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:14,760 Speaker 1: I'm gonna try to go back. I want to see 587 00:37:14,800 --> 00:37:19,240 Speaker 1: what my home country is like now that people have been, 588 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: at least on paper emancipated. I'm gonna do a hundred 589 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:29,600 Speaker 1: date tour. And uh, people listened. The buzz started building. Yes, 590 00:37:29,920 --> 00:37:33,080 Speaker 1: this was gearing up to be like the Monsters of 591 00:37:33,239 --> 00:37:36,760 Speaker 1: Rock of of the era. You know, a theatrical version. 592 00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:39,440 Speaker 1: You know, this is absolutely going to be a massive 593 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:45,440 Speaker 1: You know hit Blockbuster tour, but unfortunately it never happened. 594 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:48,440 Speaker 1: Why didn't it happen? While just a few weeks before 595 00:37:48,920 --> 00:37:52,680 Speaker 1: uh they were to take off, Aldredge got ill. He 596 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:56,520 Speaker 1: had a lung condition that he developed while he was 597 00:37:56,600 --> 00:38:01,680 Speaker 1: on tour in Poland, and unfortunately he passed away in 598 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:06,000 Speaker 1: Poland and Lauds on August seven, eighteen sixty seven. That's 599 00:38:06,040 --> 00:38:08,640 Speaker 1: just a day before my birthday, at the age of 600 00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:12,520 Speaker 1: sixty and he was buried in the evangelical cemetery of 601 00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:14,759 Speaker 1: the site I'm not gonna lie ben this. That makes 602 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:17,200 Speaker 1: me sad. We talk a lot about people on this 603 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:19,960 Speaker 1: history podcast, and he usually ends with them dying. And 604 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:23,400 Speaker 1: I don't always care. That sounds harsh. I care, but 605 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:25,799 Speaker 1: like I don't always feel like kinship or like a 606 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:28,920 Speaker 1: little emo twist, you know when when I say the 607 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:31,560 Speaker 1: part where they die. But I feel this guy man, 608 00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:34,400 Speaker 1: he seemed like a lovely man and really like changed 609 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 1: the game in so many ways. Uh. He died two 610 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:43,080 Speaker 1: years after slavery was abolished through the Thirteenth Amendment UM 611 00:38:43,160 --> 00:38:48,200 Speaker 1: and Alice Obscura points to a his obituary in the 612 00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:52,960 Speaker 1: journal Opportunity that was published in nineteen and it started 613 00:38:53,239 --> 00:38:59,480 Speaker 1: with a particular observation, um editorial kind of observation, Ben, 614 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:02,600 Speaker 1: you want to this quote is so good, so good. Yeah, 615 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:05,600 Speaker 1: it says he is the only actor of color that 616 00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:08,680 Speaker 1: was ever known and probably the only instance that may 617 00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:15,080 Speaker 1: ever again occur. Record scratch, Thanks Max. Thank god they 618 00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:17,600 Speaker 1: were wrong about that, man. Yeah, they were wrong. And 619 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:21,760 Speaker 1: that's what I mean. It's like such a weird t leef. 620 00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:25,880 Speaker 1: Reading that at the time probably just felt absolutely prophetic. 621 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:29,279 Speaker 1: But thank god because probably because of the groundwork this 622 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:33,440 Speaker 1: guy laid proved to be true. Yeah, it's I mean 623 00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:38,399 Speaker 1: so dehumanizing as well when you consider how many actors, 624 00:39:39,200 --> 00:39:42,560 Speaker 1: how many fantastic actors have lived and died since and 625 00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:46,360 Speaker 1: you're working today. But there's still, make no mistake about it, 626 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:50,480 Speaker 1: a ton of discrimination in the world of acting. I remember, 627 00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:54,960 Speaker 1: I remember reading that since the Academy Awards began in 628 00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:59,920 Speaker 1: nine only something like six point four percent of acting 629 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:04,440 Speaker 1: nominations haven't gone to non white actors at all. Only 630 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:09,040 Speaker 1: really before Will Smith won the most recently, and only 631 00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:12,000 Speaker 1: four black men and one black woman ever won the 632 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:15,719 Speaker 1: Best Actor or Actress award. Yeah, unless I mean, Ben, 633 00:40:15,880 --> 00:40:19,080 Speaker 1: you and I both recently saw everything everywhere all at once. 634 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:23,600 Speaker 1: That's both liked it very very much. Um but yeah, absolutely, 635 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:25,360 Speaker 1: I can't wait to see it again in theaters. Anyone 636 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:28,240 Speaker 1: out there who hasn't seen it highly recommended. It's every 637 00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:30,239 Speaker 1: bit of what they say it is, uh and and 638 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,440 Speaker 1: then some I think it's it's gonna be something different 639 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:35,680 Speaker 1: for everybody. But Michelle Yo is a great example of 640 00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:38,640 Speaker 1: She's obviously not black, she's Asian American, but a great 641 00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:41,800 Speaker 1: example of the way Hollywood even still today treats Asian 642 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:44,960 Speaker 1: Americans either get cast as some sort of like stoic 643 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:49,160 Speaker 1: kung Fu you know, lady, or she's like I think 644 00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:52,480 Speaker 1: she was in Crazy Rich Asians, which is obviously a 645 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:54,800 Speaker 1: great movie. People really loved it, an important movie that 646 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:57,760 Speaker 1: highlighted some of these problems. But it's still a pretty 647 00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:02,720 Speaker 1: widespread problem in Hollywood and enacting unless you start going 648 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:06,279 Speaker 1: more into these like community theater situations where it's sort 649 00:41:06,280 --> 00:41:08,480 Speaker 1: of the model of the black theater that we talked 650 00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:11,600 Speaker 1: about back in New York that Aldridge was a part of. 651 00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:14,759 Speaker 1: So it is still a problem because you know, you know, 652 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:19,680 Speaker 1: she's in this movie giving a very incredibly heartfelt, nuanced performance. 653 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:23,120 Speaker 1: Movies about family, Yeah, It has some amazing psychedelic you know, 654 00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,360 Speaker 1: time hopping and multiverse shenanigans, but at the end of 655 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:28,480 Speaker 1: the day, the best part of it is grounded by 656 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:35,520 Speaker 1: her beautiful heartfelt just very real performance. So good on 657 00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:39,440 Speaker 1: the the Daniels for kind of pointing out this issue 658 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:43,120 Speaker 1: and showing what's possible, and hopefully Hollywood will follow suit 659 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:45,120 Speaker 1: because the movies seems to be making some money. It's 660 00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:47,560 Speaker 1: usually what talks in Hollywood. I love it. It It was 661 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:50,000 Speaker 1: we're talking about this off air. It's it's pretty much. 662 00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:53,400 Speaker 1: It reminds me of McSweeney's if McSweeney's a walf and 663 00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:57,600 Speaker 1: made a feature length film. The creativity is amazing. It's 664 00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:01,360 Speaker 1: a brainstorming session. It all winds up together and shout 665 00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:04,279 Speaker 1: out to Wolfen by the way, if you want to 666 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:09,360 Speaker 1: see more immensely creative stuff. Guy, I love those guys. 667 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:14,960 Speaker 1: But it's true that Aldridge's career as an actor was 668 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:22,480 Speaker 1: beyond extraordinary. It was extra extraordinary. His career eclipsed pretty 669 00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:25,319 Speaker 1: much every actor. He was an amazing actor, and not 670 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:29,560 Speaker 1: just an amazing quote black actor. He went further. He 671 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:32,319 Speaker 1: was seen by more people in more countries, He won 672 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:36,680 Speaker 1: more awards, more decorations than any other actor in his 673 00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:41,480 Speaker 1: entire century. So why does he slip under the radar 674 00:42:41,760 --> 00:42:46,640 Speaker 1: so often today? It's partially because he appeared almost exclusively 675 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:49,680 Speaker 1: in Europe during his career, so he doesn't appear in 676 00:42:49,719 --> 00:42:53,840 Speaker 1: a lot of American theatrical histories. He traveled from place 677 00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,520 Speaker 1: to place, so he didn't get a big reputation in 678 00:42:56,600 --> 00:42:59,359 Speaker 1: any one spot. It was kind of an agglomerate thing. 679 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:04,120 Speaker 1: That's why people like Burnt Lynfers, who wrote the introduction 680 00:43:04,160 --> 00:43:08,000 Speaker 1: to Ira Aldridge the African Rucius says quote, he was 681 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:11,680 Speaker 1: more common than a fixed star, here today, gone tomorrow, 682 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:15,879 Speaker 1: and as a consequence, he shines less brightly. Now kind 683 00:43:15,880 --> 00:43:21,640 Speaker 1: of sad It is sad um, but again we're talking 684 00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:24,080 Speaker 1: about it. But it's true. I didn't know about it 685 00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:26,400 Speaker 1: until now. It certainly seems like something that should be 686 00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:29,680 Speaker 1: much more in the public consciousness because clearly a very 687 00:43:29,719 --> 00:43:33,080 Speaker 1: important dude, even if he doesn't get props like he should. 688 00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:35,840 Speaker 1: But hopefully we at least gave you folks something to 689 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:38,120 Speaker 1: read up a little bit more about, because this guy's 690 00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:42,440 Speaker 1: got a very nuanced life. And man, I'm sorry, so 691 00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:46,640 Speaker 1: eight this is like, do you think there's any recordings 692 00:43:46,719 --> 00:43:49,719 Speaker 1: of him doing any monologues or anything. You know. I 693 00:43:49,760 --> 00:43:53,480 Speaker 1: was looking. I didn't find any at this time. It 694 00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:57,400 Speaker 1: doesn't mean they're not just on the cusps silent film 695 00:43:57,480 --> 00:44:00,360 Speaker 1: era at best, and they didn't really know, but like 696 00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:02,720 Speaker 1: there would have been I don't know when was wax 697 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:06,480 Speaker 1: cylinder technology a thing that was probably like the early 698 00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:11,520 Speaker 1: nine So he would have died just ten years before 699 00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:17,560 Speaker 1: the invention of the phonograph. So again, very very very close. 700 00:44:19,120 --> 00:44:22,480 Speaker 1: But at least at least we can say we are 701 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:26,640 Speaker 1: spreading the story now. It remains important in the modern day. 702 00:44:26,880 --> 00:44:28,840 Speaker 1: And folks, we know we went a little long on 703 00:44:28,920 --> 00:44:31,720 Speaker 1: this one, but we hope you enjoyed it as much 704 00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:36,120 Speaker 1: as we did. And if you know any actors, if 705 00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:38,640 Speaker 1: your loved wins or actors, or if you yourself for 706 00:44:38,719 --> 00:44:42,920 Speaker 1: an actor, you know it is an unforgiving and difficult profession. 707 00:44:43,440 --> 00:44:45,800 Speaker 1: So be kind to him, take him out for a 708 00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:48,520 Speaker 1: drink or something, you know what I mean, and go 709 00:44:48,719 --> 00:44:51,880 Speaker 1: see their shows, speaking shows. Thank you so much for 710 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:55,200 Speaker 1: tuning into Hours. Thank you to Mr Max Williams, our 711 00:44:55,239 --> 00:44:59,919 Speaker 1: super producer. Thanks to Casey Pegram, Eve's Jeff Cote, who else, 712 00:45:00,480 --> 00:45:05,680 Speaker 1: oh oh, Christopher obviously who is gonna be here corporeally 713 00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:09,759 Speaker 1: before before too long if I'm not mistaken. Yes, And 714 00:45:09,880 --> 00:45:12,719 Speaker 1: I'm almost a bit sad noll that we didn't we 715 00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:17,840 Speaker 1: didn't have the quister a k a. Jonathan Strickland on 716 00:45:17,960 --> 00:45:20,800 Speaker 1: today's show. But I'm not sad enough to wait around 717 00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:24,200 Speaker 1: to see to tread the podcast. Yeah, just so, But 718 00:45:24,239 --> 00:45:26,360 Speaker 1: I'm not sad enough to wait around until he shows up. 719 00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:28,640 Speaker 1: What do you think? Yeah, I think it's about It's 720 00:45:28,680 --> 00:45:32,520 Speaker 1: about that time. Besides, the the giant clock is is 721 00:45:32,560 --> 00:45:34,920 Speaker 1: being repaired, and so it wouldn't it wouldn't even work out, 722 00:45:34,920 --> 00:45:37,600 Speaker 1: wouldn't be appropriate at all. Huge thanks to Alex Williams, 723 00:45:37,600 --> 00:45:42,680 Speaker 1: who composed this begging Bob, Max Williams younger brother, curling 724 00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:47,280 Speaker 1: enthusiasts and historian. I believe we have a double episode 725 00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:51,360 Speaker 1: coming up that Max is a very graciously contributed research 726 00:45:51,400 --> 00:45:54,560 Speaker 1: to about the history of the sport. I'm going to 727 00:45:54,600 --> 00:45:58,359 Speaker 1: try my best to stay awake um the whole time. 728 00:45:58,719 --> 00:46:00,000 Speaker 1: You know, it's this thing I'm doing that, or I'm 729 00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:02,879 Speaker 1: antagonizing you about curling. It's the thing I'm trying out. 730 00:46:02,920 --> 00:46:06,000 Speaker 1: It's it's just like I'm playing into our nemesis situation. 731 00:46:06,080 --> 00:46:09,080 Speaker 1: It's not. I don't really believe it. Curling is pretty cool. 732 00:46:09,120 --> 00:46:10,600 Speaker 1: It really helps me out every time you call me 733 00:46:10,680 --> 00:46:14,120 Speaker 1: Matt too. Yeah, Max, I know your name. We have 734 00:46:14,120 --> 00:46:16,200 Speaker 1: another show where there's a Matt, so I have a 735 00:46:16,280 --> 00:46:18,640 Speaker 1: little punchy right, I mean, I mean, how often do 736 00:46:18,680 --> 00:46:22,160 Speaker 1: you call Matt Max? I'm just saying it, mad Max. 737 00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:25,640 Speaker 1: I call sometimes. Yeah. I thought the name of the 738 00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:28,839 Speaker 1: film series was Matt Max just because I don't read 739 00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:32,000 Speaker 1: headlines or titles, but Matt Max is a is a 740 00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:36,480 Speaker 1: popular Germans children's television program or a candy bar. I 741 00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:42,200 Speaker 1: would try the uh anyhow two did? For our upcoming episodes, 742 00:46:42,440 --> 00:46:45,920 Speaker 1: will the uh? Will the tension continue to build to 743 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:49,440 Speaker 1: a breaking point over curling? Only you can tell it 744 00:46:49,480 --> 00:46:51,920 Speaker 1: will be a very special week for all of us, folks. 745 00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:55,600 Speaker 1: We can't wait to hear from you. You can find 746 00:46:55,680 --> 00:46:59,040 Speaker 1: us wherever you get your podcast, and we'll join you 747 00:46:59,680 --> 00:47:02,680 Speaker 1: very too. If it's more ridiculous history, boy, will we 748 00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:12,520 Speaker 1: ever see you next time? Folks. For more podcasts from 749 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:15,240 Speaker 1: my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, 750 00:47:15,400 --> 00:47:17,520 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.