Judge, 1911-02-11 · page 22 of 24
Judge — February 11, 1911 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks aging actors reminiscing about theatrical glory days. The unnamed speaker—a retired performer—repeatedly claims only two truly great Shakespearean actors existed: himself and "the other one was Booth" (likely Edwin Booth, the renowned 19th-century American actor). The satire targets vanity and selective memory. The speaker name-drops famous performers (Irving, Mansfield, Duse, Bernhardt, Macready, Forrest) only to dismiss them, while boasting of his own provincial success (packed houses in Kalamazoo, Oshkosh, Duluth). His pretentious comparisons—claiming his Iago matched Booth's—ring hollow against his braggadocio about ushers working overtime. The repetitive refrain "the other one was Booth" emphasizes the absurdity: this mediocre actor genuinely believes he belongs in company with actual theatrical legends. The piece gently ridicules nostalgic ego and the tendency of minor performers to inflate their significance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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