by Michael B. Druxman (Author)
"I never let them cough. They wouldn't dare." -- Ethel BarrymoreThe Barrymores were "The Royal Family of Broadway," and Ethel Barrymore was their queen. Along with her brothers, Lionel and John, she was a legendary presence in the theatre and in motion pictures during the first half of the twentieth century.In fact, the Barrymores and the Drews were a theatrical family that dated back many generations.Ethel had wanted to be a concert pianist, but when hard times struck their family during her teens, she and Lionel were forced to go onto the stage in order to earn their livings.She achieved her first major success in 1901 in CAPTAIN JINKS OF THE HORSE MARINES, and a few years later, starred in Ibsen's A DOLL HOUSE.Although she appeared with her two brother on screen in RASPUTIN AND THE EMPRESS (1932), her major film career did not begin for another twelve years when she won an Oscar for NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART.Michael B. Druxman's one-woman play, ETHEL of THE BARRYMORES, may focus on the actress, yet it is also a chronicle of both her and her brothers often difficult lives in the world of entertainment.