''The Senator'' was a popular 1890 comedic play by David D. Lloyd and

Sydney Rosenfeld Sydney Rosenfeld (1855–1931) was an American playwright who wrote numerous plays, and adapted many foreign plays. Close to fifty of his creations played on Broadway. Some of his better known plays (though none achieved long-lasting popularit ...

, also made into a 1915 silent film.

Play

Rosenfeld, a prolific writer and adapter of plays, completed the play after Lloyd died; it is not known for sure how much Rosenfeld did to revise the text. He himself claimed to have made major revisions (though acknowledging the unfairness of claiming such when Lloyd could not dispute it), while some critics suggested he just made minor alterations, perhaps supposing that Rosenfeld himself was not capable of producing such fine product. After initial performances outside New York (it was first performed in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

)(26 November 1889)
Mr. Crane in Boston
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' it debuted at the

Star Theatre A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth make ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

on January 13, 1890, and ran for 119 performances.Fisher, James & Felicia Hardison Londr
The A to Z of American Theater: Modernism
p. 427 (Scarecrow Press 2008) ()(11 May 1890)
The Senator's Farewell: Theodore Moss's Expensive Present To William H. Crane
''

'' The play starred actor

William H. Crane William Henry Crane (April 30, 1845March 7, 1928) was an American actor. Early years Crane was born in Leicester, Massachusetts on April 30, 1845. He grew up in Boston and graduated from Brimmer School. Career He made his first professional ap ...

and Georgie Drew Barrymore.Burt, Daniel S. (ed).
The Chronology of American Literature
', p. 277 (2004)(20 February 1891)
A Lunch for "The Senator"
''

'' After it closed on Broadway, Crane continued to perform the play for the next three seasons, and it was considered one of the highlight roles of his career, as well as Barrymore's. The plot is based on a true story of a claim for damages from the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

for the sinking of the brig ''

General Armstrong ''General Armstrong'' was an American brig built for privateering in the Atlantic Ocean theater of the War of 1812. She was named for Brigadier General John Armstrong, Sr., who fought in the American Revolutionary War. War of 1812 ''General Arm ...

'' which was not resolved for 70 years.The Letters of Henry Adams
p. 215 (1982)(27 November 1889)
Amusements; Mr. Crane's New Play
''

'' (includes plot summary)(27 April 1890)
Something About "The Senator"
'' Morning Call''(17 May 1890)
The Senator
''The Illustrated American'' (includes photographs46th Congress, 1st Session, Mis. Doc. No. 13
''The Miscellaneous Documents of the Senate of the United States ...'' (1879) The title character of Senator Hannibal Rivers was modeled on Senator

Preston B. Plumb Preston Bierce Plumb (October 12, 1837December 20, 1891) was a United States senator from Kansas, as well as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Biography Born in Delaware County, Ohio, at 9 his family removed to Marysv ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. When Plumb saw the play he was surprised to see Crane wearing a

stovepipe hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally m ...

, commenting to Crane that "I never wore a silk hat in my life, and my creditors wouldn't know me for myself in a head piece like that." Crane threw the hat down and declared he wouldn't wear it again, though he continued to do so, at least in New York.(20 January 1891)
Senator Plumb's Hat; It Disturbs the Serenity of Comedian William H. Crane
''The Anaconda Standard'' (from ''The New York Times'' According to a biography of Plumb, before one performance of the play in Washington, D.C., Senator Blackburn of Kentucky "told Crane to vigorously rub the back of his neck with a large white handkerchief when excited as that was a habit with Plumb in debate." Twenty-four U.S. Senators were in the audience for the performance, and upon seeing that move "roared with laughter" though the general audience had no idea of the cause.Connelley, William Elsey
The Life of Preston B. Plumb, 1837-1891
p. 339 (1913) The play saw frequent productions around the United States through the 1890s and early 1900s, and was revived in Washington, D.C. as late as 1914.(30 June 1895)
Columbia Theater: Debut of Miss Helen Kelleher in "The Senator"
''

San Francisco Call ''The San Francisco Call'' was a newspaper that served San Francisco, California. Because of a succession of mergers with other newspapers, the paper variously came to be called ''The San Francisco Call & Post'', the ''San Francisco Call-Bulletin ...

''(27 November 1896)
With A Lively Senator
''Hawaiian Star'' (1896 production in Honolulu, put on by the company of T. Daniel Frawley, who was in original Broadway production)(28 May 1899)
At The Theaters
''St. Paul Globe''(6 November 1900)
The Lafayette - The Senator
''The Times (Washington, D.C.)'' (reporting on third-week of 1900 run in Washington, D.C.)(4 July 1903)
New Features for New York Roof Gardens
''Evening World'' (1903 revival at Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York)(8 August 1904)
With "The Senator" - Morosco Company Produces Love Story
''

Los Angeles Herald The ''Los Angeles Herald'' or the ''Evening Herald'' was a newspaper published in Los Angeles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1873 by Charles A. Storke, the newspaper was acquired by William Randolph Hearst in 1931. It ...

'' (1904 Los Angeles production)(13 June 1905)
Castle Square Theatre: The Senator
''

Boston Evening Transcript The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941. Beginnings ''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James Wentworth of the firm of D ...

'' (1905 Boston revival; notes last played in Boston in 1899)(4 August 1914)
Last Nights Amusements; Columbia; "The Senator"
''Washington Herald'' (August 1914 Washington, D.C. production) T. Daniel Frawley, who was in the original cast, later obtained the rights to perform the play in the Western U.S., and enjoyed success with his own company. Frawley later opined that everyone involved in the original production seemed to have met with success. In addition to the crowning performances by Crane and Barrymore, for instance, he noted that Jane Stuart later "became a star" herself before marrying General Auer, a Milwaukee millionaire—one of three of the cast's females to marry millionaires.A Theatrical Mascot
''

'', Number 345 (10 September 1899), p. 2, col. 1-2) (detailed recounting by T. Daniel Frawley of the later success of the cast)

Film

The 1915 silent film version, a five-reel production released in December of that year, was directed by Joseph A. Golden for Triumph Film Corporation.

Charles J. Ross Charles Joseph "Charlie" (sometimes spelled "Charley") Kelly (February 18, 1859 – June 15, 1918), known professionally as Charles J. Ross or Charley Ross, was a Canadian-American entertainer, composer and theatrical producer who performed in v ...

starred as Senator Rivers.Denig, Lynde (25 December 1915)
The Senator - Drama of Washington Life with Charles J. Ross in the Title Role -- Released by Equitable
''

Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. I ...

'' It is not known whether the film currently survives.The Senator
silentera.com, Retrieved 6 December 2013

Cast of 1890 play

as Senator Rivers * George F. Devere as Alexander Armstrong *

Henry Bergman Henry Bergman (February 23, 1868 – October 22, 1946) was an American actor of stage and film, known for his long association with Charlie Chaplin. Biography Born in San Francisco, California, Bergman acted in live theatre, appearing in ''Hen ...

as Count Ernest von Strahl *

Harry Braham Henry Nathaniel Braham (13 September 1850 – 21 September 1923) was a British music hall comic vocalist and actor. He toured with vaudeville impresario Tony Pastor in the 1870s and was a leading low comedian with American actor-manager William H. ...

as Baron Ling Ching * James Neill as Richard Vance * T. Daniel Frawley as Lieut. George Schuyler * W. Herbert as Isaiah Sharpless * J.C. Padgett as Silas Denman * John J. Gilmartin as Erastus * Lizzie Hudson Collier as Mabel Denman * Augusta Foster as Mrs. Schuyler (*Mrs. Augusta Foster, ''per Daniel Blum'') * Jennie Karsner as Mrs. Armstrong * Jane Stuart as Josie Armstrong * Georgie Drew Barrymore as Mrs. HilaryClapp, John Bouve & Edwin Francis Edgett
Plays of the Present
p. 245-46 (1902)(12 January 1890)
The Theatrical Week
''

'' (includes cast list)

Cast of 1915 film

as Senator Rivers * Joseph Burke as Senator Keene * Ben Graham as Silas Denman * Thomas F. Tracey as Secretary Armstrong *

Philip Hahn Philip Hahn (1884-August 4, 1976) was an American actor. He was in silent films including the lead role in '' The Price He Paid'', an adaptation of an Ella Wheeler Wilcox poem, and '' The Dancer's Peril''. According to ''Motography'' he was a paint ...

as Count Ernst von Strahl * Dixie Compton as Mrs. Hilary * Constance Mollineaux as Mabel Denman * Gene Luneska as Mrs. Armstrong * William Corbett

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Senator, The 1890 plays 1915 films American silent feature films American films based on plays American plays adapted into films Broadway plays American black-and-white films 1910s American films