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Prince and the Pauper review
Screen Shot 2015-05-12 at 10.00.33 PM
Screen Shot 2015-05-12 at 10.00.33 PM

On August 3, 1909 "The Prince and The Pauper" had it's theatrical premier. It had been released to the public complete with a brief cameo by it's author, Mark Twain. Most films at this time had a very limited run, maybe one or two days in any one theater. Twain is said to have seen the film and his brief roll in it (a walk around his home Stormfield - Redding Connecticut -  (and tea with his daughters). This may have been the worlds first trailer! It was however one of the first productions to use a published work that was adapted for the screen. This is the only known footage of Twain. Had he lived another few years we would have seen more of him on the big screen. He loved being the center of attention. He was said to have made audio recordings using Edison's wax cylinders. It was thought he experimented with dictation as a way of writing his autobiography. He loved technology. None of the wax cylinders have ever been found. 

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Albert Bigelow Paine: Dwellers in Arcady

Rough Draft Segment: Albert Bigelow Paine.

Without meeting Paine, Clemens would not have lived in Redding.

In 1919, 9 years after Twain's death, Paine published a fictional account of a families journey to the Connecticut country side to begin a new life. He called the book Dwellers in Arcady: The Story of an Abandoned Farm House. The notes that follow are based on this fictional account. From early 1906, when Twain hired him to write his biography, until Twain's death in April 1910, Albert Bigelow Paine seemed to shape the events he was part of.

In the summer of 1905 Albert Bigelow Pain and his wife Dora took a train to Redding Connecticut to look at property and in particular a farmhouse on what is now Diamond Hill Road. How did they find out about the farmhouse?  A listing in a New York Newspaper? Why Redding? What was Paine's connection?  A visit to a real-estate agent? It was a two hour journey by train from New York City so they had a good idea of what they wanted and where. They wanted a summer home, to raise there young family in the clean country air. They decided to move to the Connecticut hills after falling in love with the house and the people of the town.

"People dead or gone away, and city folks not begun to come yet".

"...he came through the trees, a youngish, capable looking person who said he was the one we had written..."

" the telephone had not then reached the country side...."

"But then all at once we were pulling up abreast of two massive maple-trees and some stone steps"  (steps are still there and I think the big maple to the right could be one of them).

Last note: It's difficult to tell fact from fiction, but the physical part of the story is based on a real farmhouse in Redding (less than a mile from Twain's estate). A place Paine bought in the summer of 1905 (five months before he meet Twain who then hired him to write his biography). The purchase of the farm, filed with the county clerk, is proof of the timeline. A photographer early in his career, Paine provided the illustrator photographs of the countryside and interior and exterior of the house.

"We agreed readily with this view; we were passing, just then, along a deep gorge that had a romantic, even dangerous, aspect; we descended to a pretty valley by a road so crooked that twice it nearly crossed itself; followed up a clear, foaming little river to a place where there was a mill and a waterfall, also an old-fashioned white house Surrounded by trees. Just there we crossed a bridge and our driver pulled up."

The crooked road is now part of the Saugatuck trail, the foaming brook, the Saugatuck River and that old-fashioned house is still their behind waterfall that flows over the stone dam (part of the mill) at the base of Diamond Hill Road.

The character William C Westbury is the real life Harry A Lounsbury, related to the Meekers, he lived the house as the bottom of the hill next to the mill dam. He would help with the construction of Stormfield and work for Twain on occasion.

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DRAFT: On an early morning in late June 1909 an Edison camera crew left their Bronx studio and headed to Grand Central to catch the 8:50 train to Redding, Connecticut. It would arrive in Redding in a little over 110 minutes. It took another 30 minutes by carriage to reach Twain's, Stormfield estate. Take a close look at the train schedule for 1909 and you'll see a lower "b" at the Redding stop. It referenced a footnotes,: "Stops to leave passengers from New York". But what it didn't say, but obviously meant, was this was the Mark Twain stop, a new a source of income for the railroad. It was easy to find the estate. Small signs with the letters MT and an arrow guided the first time visitor up to the house on Diamond Hill. There was no expectation that the busy Edison would have accompanied the film crew. A man of his stature would surely haves signed Twain's guest book. A book Twain actively updated.

The Edison Manufacturing Companyp new studio manager, Horace Plimpton, had recently purchased the film rights to Twain's Prince and the Pauper. The Edison crew was at Stormfield to shoot a short film segment to promote and acknowledge Twain's approval of the project; a new silent two reeler based on the work. The worlds first trailer perhaps. Twain's daughters Clara and Jean would also make their film debut as they enjoyed tea with their father in front of the pergola. The Prince and the Pauper would star the popular actress Cecil Spooner who would play both the Prince and the Pauper rolls. It was directed and adapted from the novel by j. Searle Dawley; considered by some to be America's first film director. No copies of the finished production survive. The highly volatile nitrate negative may have been destroyed in a fire at the Edison vault in 1915. The twain trailer somehow survived.

Twain set out for Baltimore by way of New York city on June 8. Before leaving the city he had a curious pain in his chest. Was he coming down with a cold? It turned out to be angina, symptom of an underlying heart problem (coronary heart disease). He was back to Redding by June 14th. On that day his guest book notes a visit from Doctor Edward Quintard. Quintard was Twain's doctor and friend. He told Twain the problem was his heart. He advised Twain to smoke less and restrict his activity.

From the 14th of June to the end of the month there was only one other guest, Isabella Hyde from Brooklyn. Twain noted in his guest book that Isabella was the 180th official guest to visit Stormfield during that first year. This would have been a good time for the Edison crew to work with Twain. Activity at the house picked up significantly from the 1st of July giving Twain little opportunity to partcipate in the fiilm project.

I have no idea how much footage was shot, but the process was expensive. This was not art, but business. The crew would probably returned to the Bronx before the end of the day.

The film stock was manafactured by Eastman Kodak. It was blue sensitive. This meant that warm to deep red colors would appear as dark grey to black when projected and the cooler colors, blue and green would appear lighter. Notice the beads around Clara's neck and the dark tone of her skirt. The beads may have been warm colored cerelian stones, and the dress may have been red velvet. Both would have recorded as black in the finished film.

It was a beautiful summer day. It was shot around the time of the summer solstice. There was a brisk breeze coming from the southwest which probably kept the house and grounds cool.

There are three segments in the sequence. The walking sequence around the front of the house was shot in mid afternoon. The front of Stormfield faced the south west. The length of Twain's shadow would indicate it was somewhere around 2:30 in the afternoon. Stormfield was located on top of Diamond Hill, sometimes referred to as Birch Spray Hill. It was a windy day. You can see the trees swaying in the bachground. The sequence begins with Twain standing in the front entrance to Stormfield. He speaks a few words and walks out of frame to the right. He might have made reference to the film. He walks in front of the house twice. He takes a slightly different path each time. On the second take, about 7 seconds after passing the front of the door, we can see what looks to be Jean (she wore a white dress that day) come to the front door to look through the screen at her father being photographed as he walked.

Notes

Prince and the pauper from the library Drawings from the book.

Inquire about twain film from hartford

photos of vitagraph from brooklyn show? (generic shooting)

Twain note that Isabella Hyde from Brooklyn was the 180th guest to visit him during the year. She came on June 26th He would have 33 guests during the month of July.

Why did Twain agree to be filmed? to be continued!

Twain's heart issues had recently become public. He had suffered his first attack angina. The film opportnity would potray him as a vigorous 73 year old (Always the promoter he understood how powerful this could be for his image).

Twain is standing at the front door. He walks in front of his house twice and has tea with his daughters, Jean and Clara, set in front of the Pergola to take advantage of the the sun. Film sensitivity was low and needed a lot of light.

We see Jean, Clara and Twain having tea outside the Pergola. Clara has a set of beads around her neck. They appear black. She may be wearing a set of warm colored cerulean beads. The blue sensitive film has recored them as dark almost black.

Jean seems bit nervous (more on this later). Clara, what little we can see of her behind the tea pot, looks in control.

To be continued.

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There are four structures on the downslope of Stormfield. Two of the structures are original. The other two were constructed when the house was rebuilt in 1923 or when electricity was available in this area of Redding. There is an old electric pump in one of the structures. I believe the power for sending water to the house before electricity was facilitated by a ram pump. The first building contained the catch basin (cistern). The water came from a spring in the side of the hill. As you can hear, it's still providing water to the catch basin; now for over a hundred years. The second stone and brick structure is set into the hill about 17 feet below the basin. This was most likely where the ram pump would be located. Ram pumps used gravity to force the water up hill. The source needs to be placed up sloap from the pump. A ram pump had the ability to pump water up a hill without the use of electricity. More on this later.

James

Death of Twain

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Death of Twain

Mark Twain's body being removed from his home at Redding for eventual burial in Elmira, New York
Mark Twain's body being removed from his home at Redding for eventual burial in Elmira, New York
Photo caption: The Body about to be started upon its railroad journey from Redding to New York.
Photo caption: The Body about to be started upon its railroad journey from Redding to New York.

On May 7, 1910 the Harper's Weekly published a photo spread of pictures on page 11 entitled: "Last Honors to Mark Twain". These are two photos from an original copy of the weekly. If you look closely you can see the engine steam coming from behind the top of the man's hat. The body arrived in New York that same day. He was buried in Elmira New York next to two of his daughters, a son and his wife Olivia.

Look to Thomas Nast and Albert Bigelow Paine if you want to understand why Twain moved to Redding, Connecticut

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Look to Thomas Nast and Albert Bigelow Paine if you want to understand why Twain moved to Redding, Connecticut

This was part of a talk that I gave at the Redding Library on Saturday the 18th of August, 2012. Numbers sync with the powerpoint images (will add soon). There was a bit of ad-lib to fill in some of the gaps, but it should be clear enough to follow.

*2 The story: So how did Mark Twain make Redding his home....Seems like everything I do is a work in progress....well this little piece of research yet another.

We begin with Thomas Nast.....

3. Thomas Nast 1840 -1902. He was a Caricaturist and Editorial Cartoonist. He was the inventor of the political cartoon. He also created the image we know as Santa Clause........most of his political cartoons appeared in the Harpers Weekly published in New York....

4. Nast was a staunch Republican, and he deliberately chose the elephant as a Republican symbol because of the animal's great size, intelligence, strength, and dignity. Without picking sides, I'm not sure this description depicts any people in our political parties today. Except for possibly size. So that's how the Republican's ended up with an elephant!

5. Lets not forget about the Democratic Donkey. Well it was Nast again, but the origins are a little less clear. Andrew Jackson was called a jackass for his popular beliefs and loved the idea appealing to the masses. He loved the Donkey, but I digress.

6 & 7 Here is a couple of Nast's cartoons, there's the Elephant again. They always seem to be falling….

8. Twain is the subject of this Nast cartoon. One evening Twain was staying with the Nast's in their house in Morristown New Jersey. He was kept awake by the noise of the house clocks. He tried to stop them. The amused Nast sent him this cartoon in remembrance. This has nothing to do with our story, except to say that Twain was evidently a light sleeper.

9. So what does Nast have to do with Twain's move to Redding? He was dead 6 years before Twain decided to build in Redding. And as far as I know Nast knew nothing about Redding…..But he did have a significant roll to play in our story non-the-less.

10 Enter Albert Bigelow Paine... Here's a little background: Paine was born in Massachusetts...grew up in Iowa and Illinois....left school at 15 and by the time he's 20 he's working in St. Louis as a photographer. He moves to Kansas and opens up a photographic supply business. But he liked to write and one of his stories is accepted by Harpers Weekly, so with this small success under his belt he moves to New York City in 1895 at the age of 34.

11. And by 1899 he is an editor of the popular young person's magazine, St Nicholas.

12 With a number of books under his belt Paine becomes Thomas Nast's official biographer and publishes the book, Thomas Nast: His Period and his Pictures. We're not sure if it was a best seller, but he gets good reviews. I'm also assuming it was probably a somewhat lucrative endeavor. Nast was very popular. And Nast's death in 1902 probably helped book sales when the book was published in 1904. It was the coffee table book of its day, with numerous Nast Illustrations.

13 Out next character is The Players Club…. The Players was founded as a social Club in New York City by the noted 19th-century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth. This 1847 building is located at 16 Gramercy Park. But there is another connection to the players club....On April 14, 1865, Edwin's younger brother and actor John Wilkes, assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. But I digress again.

14. Paine like other authors of the day would send copies of there work to the people they though might help promote a book. He sent a copy of the Nast book to Twain in 1904. A acquaintance of Paine's had seen the Nast book in Twain's bedroom. Twain often greeted guests, in bed, proped up by pillows. I think this book siting gave Paine the confidence he needed when he finally got to speak with Twain.

15. To make a long story short Paine crossed paths with Twain at a dinner at the Players Club in early January 1906. After introducing himself to Twain he asked if he could call to see him some day. Twain answered, "Yes, come soon"… Paine, married now with three young girls, is elated.

16. On January 6th 1908 Paine arrives at Twains house at 21 fifth avenue. Built by James Renwick, the architect of St. Patricks Cathedral, the house was once the home of the writer Washington Irving of The legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Wickle fame. 17. And there Paine found Twain as usual in bed with his pillows. Paine mentioned in the ensuing conversation that he would like someday to write a book about Twain.....Twain answered, "when would you like to begin". This begins Paine's journey with Twain that ends with Paine's death in 1937. Buy the way Paine, his wife and two of there daughters are buried in Umpawaug cemetery, at the end of Diamond Hill road here in Redding.

18. Now lets rewind the clock six months before Twain says yes to Paine's biography proposal. It's now August 1905. Paine and his family make a journey to Redding. He has money burning in his pocket and only one thing on his mind: find a summer home for his family.

19. They are here to look at an abandoned farm house on what is now Diamond Hill Road. He must have read an advertisement in the New York papers placed by a Harry A Lounsberry. The same Harry lounsberry who took care of the upkeep at stormfield and eventually became one of the signatures on Twain's will. So with the royalties (I'm assuming) from his Nast book, he buys this abandoned farm house and it's 31 acres. The price, 900 dollars. That's about $20,000 in today's money. Still a Bargain even in 1905. There's no record of a mortgage I can find. so we might assume it was cash.

20. The property is located just passed today's Mark Twain lane on the left side of the road and just before Moffets creeks flows under the road. The Paine farm house burned down in the 70's and the only thing remaining is one of the two mammoth maples...You can see the trunk here.

21. And five stone steps that will elevate you into the property.

22. Paine bought the property form the Meeker family. The Meeker's acquired the land as part of a land grant form the crown. The were given one of the long lots. Not very wide but the property stretched from long Island sound to what was then fairfield county, 15 miles. What was important about a long lot was you had waterfront property. The 15 miles ended right here at Diamond Hill road (just in back of this building). That's why there are so many old meeker houses on the lower end of Diamond Hill.

23. This couple (maybe Meeker's) are sitting on the front stoop of the house posing for this picture. Look closely there's a dog setting beside them.

24. The property was a fixer upper and there was a lot of work to be done before the Paine's moved in. This is chronicled in Paine's book published 1919, titled "Dwellers in Arcady: The story of an abandoned farm house. Even though it was written as fiction, most of the illustrations (done by Thomas Fogarty, a noted member of the Art Student League in NewYork) were probably drawn  from photographs  taken by Paine,and though many of the names were changed it rings true. it's a good picture of what Redding was like in the very early part of the 20th century. I could do a talk on this book alone and may someday. The book is available to check out here at the library.

25. So Pain is living in Redding with his family and working here at 21 Fifth Avenue with Twain. He lives with Twain and commutes to Redding. The train from Grand Central takes about 100 minutes give or take each way. Same as today. A train I've taken for many years.

26. We know little of the conversation that went on between Paine and Twain about Redding, but Paine seemed to have painted a wonderful portrait of the town set in the hills of Connecticut. In Paine's biography of Twain he writes that he had bought a house in Redding and was enthusiastic over the bargain. "His interest was aroused, and when he learned that there was a place adjoining, equally reasonable and perhaps even more attractive, he suggested immediately that I buy it for him; and he wanted to write a check for the purchase price, for fear the opportunity might be lost."

27. Here's a copy of the purchase agreement that is on file in the Redding Town Hall. So from the time Paine walked into Twains life, it was a mere 77 days until Twain owned property in Redding. This was pretty quick. This was followed by more land purchases and the construction of Stormfield which Twain inhabited on June 18th 1908. One last note. Twain never visited Redding, during any phase of construction or to see the land he had purchased. He often said he didn't want to see the place until the cat was purring by the hearth. The new house was to be his summer home and like Paine after living there only a few weeks decided to make it his final residence.

28 This is the train station as it looked about 1918 Probably not much different the when Twain stepped off the train in 1908. Twain needed to get into New York when ever he pleased, but more importantly he needed a steady stream of visitors to keep him happy. I want to underline how important this train was to Twain's ultimate decision to consider Redding other than an investment.

29 So to sum it all up….I feel that without the income from the Nast biography Paine might not have had the money to buy land in Redding. And without the Nast biography he may have not become Twain's biographer. And of course Twain would not have been interested in Redding. And I would of thought of Twain as only someone I read in high school.

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About Isabel Lyon, Twain's Social Secretary and more...

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In April of 1893 Isabel filled out an application for a passport. There is a section for a "Description of Applicant". These are her particulars.Stature: 4 feet 10 ½ inches Forehead: High Eyes: Brown Nose: Medium Mouth: Medium Chin: Small Hair: Dark Brown Complexion: Dark Face: Oval

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Isabel Lyon was officially Twain's secretary. She was part of the Twain household for less than 7 years. It did not end well. She was let go in April 1909. Her close relationship with Twain and his family and the reason's for her dismissal, would define the rest of her life. I visited her mother's house and the family plot in Farmington, where Isabel is buried. Isabel lived in Greenwich village before her death. Her Connecticut relatives had little contact with her. She was, as the family described, an independent woman who spoke her mind completely. After her death the family went to clean out her apartment. It was full of what they referred to as "memorabilia". Much of the material was related to her time working for Twain, including a pipe, she often smoked, given to her as a gift by Twain. The family remembers her as very small in stature, petite. She had a great smile and a wonderful head of hair, which had turned white. She had a Siamese cat named Christopher. They had trouble catching her when they were cleaning out her apartment. The family remembers her as a bit of a recluse. She died in 1958, 9 days shy of her 96th birthday, and 48 years after Twain.

Mark Twain's Death, rough draft....

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*In early January of 1910, Mark Twain sailed to Bermuda. It was his paradise. A place he could unwind. His first visit to the island was in 1867. He marveled at the white limestone mass of terraced architecture he found in Hamilton, the capitol city. But this visit was very different. He was here to heal his broken and defective heart. The death of his 29 year old daughter Jean, only weeks before...and the pain and breathlessness brought on by his increasingly oxygen starved heart, made this journey to paradise a necessity. He stayed with his friends the Allen’s at Bay House set on the edge of Hamilton harbor. *In early April, just as the first signs of the Connecticut spring began to appear, Albert Bigelow Paine, Twain's biographer, received word of Twain's failing health. Paine quickly made plans to travel to Bermuda to bring the Twain back to Redding.

*On the journey home, Twain's breathing became labored. His chest pains continued and he was unable to sleep. Pain gave him morphine injections but they had little effect. As long as I remember anything, wrote Paine, I shall remember the forty eight hours of that homeward journey.

*The Oceana arrived in New York harbor on the morning of April 14th. Twain was carried off the ship and taken to Redding by train. The same scheduled train that had taken him to his new Redding home 22 months earlier.

*A week later, on the evening of April 21st, with his daughter Clara and her husband, the pianist Ossip Gabrilowitch at his bed side, the silent Twain exhaled and slipped away. Mark Twain, Samuel langhorne Clemens was dead.

Albert Bigelow Paine?

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To All,I've managed to find a great deal of what I would describe as "circumstantial history" for the life of Albert Bigelow Pain (AB Paine). AB Paine was Mark Twain's biographer. I've read some of his work outside the "biography". Dwellars In Arcady give's a somewhat fictionalized account of his early life in Redding. But it rings true in so many way. They bought the abandoned farmhouse and its 31 acres in his wife Dora's name in the summer of 1905. Most of the illustrations in the book, were drawn, I believe, from photographs of the property taken by Paine or at his direction. I have found one of the photographs and it's a near perfect match down to the smallest detail. The illustrations were done by Thomas Fogarty, a well known, long time instructor at the Art Student League in New York. I believe, they sold the property in 1917. I know "Markland", the property given to Paine by Twain in June 1907, remained in the family for many years after the sale of the farmhouse. Markland's single original building remains at the core of this now expanded private home. The farmhouse, a traditional saltbox, burned down in the early 70's. I have visited the family grave site (Umpawaug Cemetery, Redding Ct). Paine is there along with his wife and two of his three daughters. Redding was obviously very close to Paine's heart. Before the trees obscured Redding's hillside views, you would have seen part of his farm, about 3/4 of a mile away, and the remains of Stromfield. All from the top of the cemetery, where the family plot is located. So here are the questions: Did he ever pen anything about his own life, accept in his fiction? Where did his papers find a home? Has anyone done more than a cursory look at his life? How close was his relationship to Twain. And of course the real question, how much influence did he have with Twain? 

James

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What follows are notes not in any particular order. I'll use this info (plus additional research) to write and structure the scene.

  • 1-Twain's Death

Begin the scene in color and gradually desaturate. His death will occur as the sun hangs along the horizon. The words should minimally build to the conclusion. Write it big and then take it down. Keep the scene short.

According to his biographer ABP... -Twain is brought home from Bermuda -A photo of him arriving in New York -He traveled on that right of way (we can see the train). He arrived at stormfield. -What was left of his family surrounded him at the time of his death. He died as the sun hung low upon the horizon.

Before he left Bermuda Twain had some advice for his biographer concerning how to negotiate the Pearly Gates. The place where St Peter stands guard.

-Upon arrival do not speak to St. Peter until spoken to. It's not your place to begin. -Don't try to Kodak him. Hell is full of people who have made that mistake. Don't ask him what time the 4:30 train goes; there aren't any trains in heaven, except through trains, and the less information you get about them the better for you. Leave your dog outside. Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.

This scene follows the Redding open. Fade up from black.

Since we have not introduced any of the characters a subtle reference to Paine as his biographer Albert Bigelow Paine may work.

We bring Twain home from Bermuda, sick and near death. Paine was worried enough to make the trip to Bermuda and bring him home. Maybe all this is going on as we travel on the train to Redding.

He had been staying with the Allens the friends he had meet last fall.

We get him off the boast and bring him back to Redding. He catches the same train to Redding that he traveled on that first day 22 months before. Like that day a carriage was waiting for him at the station. It was driven by H A Launsberry.

Twain looses consciousness midday and when the sun hovered on the horizon he passed. No mention of the comet.

Series of shots of early spring with touches of green.

This scene should be a little in your head. No real detail yet. Of all the scenes this should be the most ethereal. Place him in Bermuda then move him back to Connecticut to die.