A cousin of mine told me that this was a pose that Uncle Dennis used often and that it ran in the family!
On the back of this photo is written, “Dennis King starred in “The Greatest Man Alive”. This dates it to the late 1950s; to an opening night of May 8th 1957, according to the New York Times, which started a review of the play with the words:
PROBABLY Dennis King likes to act. That seems to be the only way to account for his presence in a feeble jest like “The Greatest Man Alive!" which opened at the Ethel Barrymore last evening.
There is no indication of who took this photograph but it is from a batch that appears to have come from a theatrical agent.
You sit like that too!
ReplyDeleteThis photo can be seen on page 95 of Daniel Blum's book, Great Stars of the American Stage, published in 1952 by Greenberg. He says it is a 1950 photo.
ReplyDeleteIt is also the very same photo which was used by my father, portrait artist Richard Paine, as a model for his 1950 oil portrait of the actor. Dad, who had met Mr. King at a performance of The Devil's Disciple - probably in late February, dressed the painted image in the uniform of King's character, General "Gentleman" Johnny Burgoyne. The portrait, probably finished within a few months, was presented to Mr. King.
I should very much like to know the current whereabouts of the painting. Might anyone know?