Theatre on the American Frontier By Thomas Bogar

[Tom Bogar]

(12-08-2023 11:53 AM)Wesley Harris Wrote:  Looks interesting, Tom. If it's as good as "Backstage," then you've got another great read. I've added it to my Christmas list.

Doesn't look like it falls within your time range, but I've read everything I can find about the shooting of actors Maurice Barrymore and Ben Porter in 1879. Not long after they completed a performance in Marshall, Texas, they went into a cafe/saloon where a notorious "railroad detective" (aka hired gun) shot them when they protested his insults of an actress accompanying them. Porter died. Barrymore nearly died and later fathered Lionel, Ethel, and John Barrymore. The shooter pulled political strings and got off.

Funny you should mention the Porter killing. I keep running into it in my research, but there really isn't enough there for a book, or even a long article. But I agree it's a fascinating, tragic incident.