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George L. Fox (clown)
Encyclopedia
George L. Fox was America’s first great white faced clown to follow in the footsteps of Britain’s Joseph Grimaldi
.
. His parents were stock players at Boston’s Tremont Street Theatre where Laff (his childhood nickname) and his five surviving siblings were often called upon to play juvenile roles. Fox made his debut there at age five, though in later years his younger brothers, Charles and James and his sister Caroline (nickname Caddie) were considered the more talented. James and Caroline became popular in the Boston area as a child act that flourished for a number of years. In time Fox’s parents decided his future would be better served if he learned a trade and enrolled him in an apprenticeship
with a local merchant.
James Augustus Fox
continued acting for several years, even while attending Harvard Law School
and would later become a successful lawyer and four-term mayor of Cambridge. Caroline married actor George C. Howard
, a union that would leave an important mark on the history of American Theater.
’s National Theatre
on Chatham Street. There he finally found his niche becoming a popular headliner over the following seven years. For the remainder of his career Fox would play at venues that catered primarily to working class audiences.
In 1853 George L. Fox directed and performed in the dramatization of Harriet Beecher Stowe
's famous anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by his cousin George Aiken
and performed the year before by his brother-in-law’s company at Peal’s Museum in Troy, New York
. The cast that performed at the National included Fox, as Phineas Fletcher; his brother Charles, as Gumption Cute; brother-in-law George C. Howard, as Augustine St. Clair; sister Caroline, as Eva St. Clair; William J. Le Moyne
, as Deacon Perry; and Greene C. Germon, as Uncle Tom.
Inspired by the famous Ravel Brothers to undertake pantomime
, he created a distinct place for that kind of entertainment in New York City, first at the National Theatre and later at the New Bowery Theatre
, of which he was for a time both lessee and manager in partnership with James R. Lingard. Fox continued to surrounded himself with increasingly competent group of comedians and acrobats that included his brother, Charles Kemble Fox, who had become popular as a comedian and pantaloon performer. Though often overlooked by the theater critics of the day, Fox’s popularity in burlesque houses could at the time be compared to that of Edwin Booth
’s playing Hamlet
, a role Fox also played except in a much lighter vein.
before mustering out in August 1861.
audiences. Fire forced him out of the New Bowery Theatre, one of many that would curse the building over the years. Poor business had caused a schism with Lingard that would later spill over into the court dockets. In 1866 Fox became stage manager at the Olympic Theatre on the Eastside of Broadway near Houston Street. There he played Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream
and his signature role as the clown in Humpty Dumpty
, the first American pantomime to be performed in two acts that some feel has never been equaled since.
George L Fox, over the last decade of his life, would encounter artistic success coupled with financial setbacks. As a manager he often ignored the bottom line when planning a new show and as a result several of his productions that were popular with the public saw little return. This problem was compounded by competition from younger artist who were performing in ever more spectacular productions as each season ticked by and an unscrupulous partner who made promises he could not honor.
, a stage actor who was a circus performer in youth.
paid tribute to George L. Fox by creating the stage show "Mr. Fox: A Rumination" which premiered in 2004 at the Signature Theatre
.
Joseph Grimaldi
Joseph Grimaldi , was an English actor and comedian who is perhaps best known for his invention of the modern day whiteface clown. He chiefly appeared at Drury Lane in pantomime where his greatest success was appearing in Harlequin and Mother Goose; or the Golden Egg and followed with a successful...
.
Early Years
George Washington Lafayette Fox was born on the 3rd of July, 1825, the first child of George Howe and Emily (née Watt) Fox of Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. His parents were stock players at Boston’s Tremont Street Theatre where Laff (his childhood nickname) and his five surviving siblings were often called upon to play juvenile roles. Fox made his debut there at age five, though in later years his younger brothers, Charles and James and his sister Caroline (nickname Caddie) were considered the more talented. James and Caroline became popular in the Boston area as a child act that flourished for a number of years. In time Fox’s parents decided his future would be better served if he learned a trade and enrolled him in an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
with a local merchant.
James Augustus Fox
James Augustus Fox
James Augustus Fox was a Massachusetts lawyer and politician who served on the Board of Aldermen and as the Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts....
continued acting for several years, even while attending Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and would later become a successful lawyer and four-term mayor of Cambridge. Caroline married actor George C. Howard
George C. Howard
George C. Howard was a Nova Scotian-born American actor and showman who is credited with staging the first theatrical production of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.-Early life:...
, a union that would leave an important mark on the history of American Theater.
Career
By the time Fox had reached age twenty his apprenticeship had failed leaving him to return to the family business. He toured for a while with Howard and his sister as L. Fox playing minor dramatic and comedic roles. He left their company in 1850 to try his hand as a low comedian at the BoweryBowery
Bowery may refer to:Streets:* The Bowery, a thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York City* Bowery Street is a street on Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y.In popular culture:* Bowery Amphitheatre, a building on the Bowery in New York City...
’s National Theatre
National Theatre
National Theatre may refer to: -in Africa:*Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi, Kenya*National Theatre in Accra, Ghana-in Asia:*National Theater and Concert Hall, Republic of China in Taipei, Taiwan*National Theatre of Japan in Tokyo, Japan...
on Chatham Street. There he finally found his niche becoming a popular headliner over the following seven years. For the remainder of his career Fox would play at venues that catered primarily to working class audiences.
In 1853 George L. Fox directed and performed in the dramatization of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom...
's famous anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by his cousin George Aiken
George Aiken
George David Aiken was an American politician from Vermont. A Republican, he served as the 64th Governor of Vermont from 1937 to 1941 and as a U.S. Senator from 1941 to 1975...
and performed the year before by his brother-in-law’s company at Peal’s Museum in Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
. The cast that performed at the National included Fox, as Phineas Fletcher; his brother Charles, as Gumption Cute; brother-in-law George C. Howard, as Augustine St. Clair; sister Caroline, as Eva St. Clair; William J. Le Moyne
William J. Le Moyne
William J. Le Moyne was a prominent American actor who is credited with playing Deacon Perry in the first stage adaption of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin.-Early career:William J...
, as Deacon Perry; and Greene C. Germon, as Uncle Tom.
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, he created a distinct place for that kind of entertainment in New York City, first at the National Theatre and later at the New Bowery Theatre
Bowery Theatre
The Bowery Theatre was a playhouse in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City. Although it was founded by rich families to compete with the upscale Park Theatre, the Bowery saw its most successful period under the populist, pro-American management of Thomas Hamblin in the 1830s and 1840s...
, of which he was for a time both lessee and manager in partnership with James R. Lingard. Fox continued to surrounded himself with increasingly competent group of comedians and acrobats that included his brother, Charles Kemble Fox, who had become popular as a comedian and pantaloon performer. Though often overlooked by the theater critics of the day, Fox’s popularity in burlesque houses could at the time be compared to that of Edwin Booth
Edwin Booth
Edwin Thomas Booth was a famous 19th century American actor who toured throughout America and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869 he founded Booth's Theatre in New York, a spectacular theatre that was quite modern for its time...
’s playing Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, a role Fox also played except in a much lighter vein.
Civil War
When the War Between the States broke out Fox enlisted as a lieutenant in the Eighth New York Infantry. He rose to the rank of major and saw action at the Battle of Bull RunBattle of Bull Run
Two conflicts during the American Civil War were known as Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Manassas:*First Battle of Bull Run - 1861*Second Battle of Bull Run - 1862Geographical Location of these conflicts:*Manassas National Battlefield Park...
before mustering out in August 1861.
Later Years
When Fox returned from the war he resumed playing pantomime roles to Lower East SideLower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
audiences. Fire forced him out of the New Bowery Theatre, one of many that would curse the building over the years. Poor business had caused a schism with Lingard that would later spill over into the court dockets. In 1866 Fox became stage manager at the Olympic Theatre on the Eastside of Broadway near Houston Street. There he played Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
and his signature role as the clown in Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English language nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an egg and has appeared or been referred to in a large number of works of literature and popular culture...
, the first American pantomime to be performed in two acts that some feel has never been equaled since.
George L Fox, over the last decade of his life, would encounter artistic success coupled with financial setbacks. As a manager he often ignored the bottom line when planning a new show and as a result several of his productions that were popular with the public saw little return. This problem was compounded by competition from younger artist who were performing in ever more spectacular productions as each season ticked by and an unscrupulous partner who made promises he could not honor.
Death
George L. Fox’s heath began to fail in 1875 after an unfortunate accident on stage that broke his nose and damaged an optic nerve. Erratic behavior over the next few months that caused some concern over his sanity was soon followed by a series of strokes that eventually led to his death at the age of 52 on the 24th of October, 1877. At the time of his death he was under the care of his sister and brother-in-law at their residence in Cambridge. Fox's daughter, Louisa A. Fox, later married Daniel SullyDaniel Sully
Daniel Sully , born Daniel Sullivan, was an American circus performer, stage actor and playwright, who gained popularity during the latter years of the nineteenth century.-Life and career:...
, a stage actor who was a circus performer in youth.
Tribute
Bill IrwinBill Irwin
William Mills "Bill" Irwin is an American actor and clown noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He is known for his vaudeville-style stage acts, but has made a number of appearances on film and television and won a Tony Award for a dramatic role on...
paid tribute to George L. Fox by creating the stage show "Mr. Fox: A Rumination" which premiered in 2004 at the Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre is a Greater Washington D.C. Area Tony Award–winning regional theater company based in Arlington, Virginia. Its declared mission is "to produce contemporary musicals and plays, reinvent classic musicals, develop new work, and reach its community through engaging educational and...
.