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Spelvin, George
Spelvin, George. This name was given to a character or an actor in a play to hide his real identity. It was employed as early as 1886 by Charles A. Gardner in his Karl, the Peddler. William Collier jokingly credited Spelvin as co‐author of Hoss and Hoss (1893). Its use was most widely popularized by Winchell Smith, who first employed the name for a performer in Brewster's Millions (1906). The success of the play prompted Smith to revive the name in many of his subsequent shows. John Golden also used the name in several of his productions. At one time Theatre Arts Monthly gave the name to a critic who wrote on other critics. The name “Harry Selby” has sometimes been similarly employed. In England the false name used for similar occasions is “Walter Plinge.”
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Cite this article
Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Spelvin, George." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Spelvin, George." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-SpelvinGeorge.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Spelvin, George." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-SpelvinGeorge.html |
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Spelvin, George
Spelvin, George, fictitious stage name, the American equivalent of Walter Plinge, used to cover doubling. It is first found in New York in 1886 in the cast-list of Charles A. Gardiner's Karl the Peddler, and in a comedy entitled Hoss and Hoss (1895), by William Collier, Sr., and Charles Reed, is even given credit for supplying some of the gags. It is estimated that George Spelvin or his relatives (several variations of the Christian name have been used) have figured in more than 10,000 Broadway performances since George's début. The name has also been applied, theatrically, to dead bodies, dolls substituting for babes in arms, and animal actors.
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Cite this article
PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Spelvin, George." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Spelvin, George." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-SpelvinGeorge.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Spelvin, George." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-SpelvinGeorge.html |
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