Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. Richard Schwartz is a historian and the author of Eccentrics, Heroes, and Cutthroats of Old Berkeley Earthquake Exodus, 1906 Berkeley 1900 and The Circle of Stones. Curtis's story from the dusty archives of forgotten history and reexamines an actor whose creativity and cultural influence still resonate today. Curtis's life encompassed the highs of celebrity and fame as well as the lows of failure, illness, and a faltering career. Actor, producer, real estate developer, promoter, hotelier, benefactor, and murder suspect, M. Curtis's rise to the top of his profession and his resulting fall from grace is a dramatic arc that rivals anything created for the stage. Curtis, who had achieved overnight success in Sam'l of Posen, a groundbreaking play that transcended the common stereotypes of Jewish characters current at the time, was basking in public accolades at every curtain call when he came to Lady Liberty's aid. Curtis and his mind-boggling exploits in Berkeley in the 1880s and 90s and what indelible marks are left of his presence.Īs the Statue of Liberty stood unlit and unloved by American politicians in 1886, one of her saviors was creating a theatrical sensation at New York's Fourteenth Street Theatre. The opening talk and book signing by Richard Schwartz about his new book The Man Who Lit Lady Liberty, The Extraordinary Rise and Fall of Actor M.
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