Arthur C. Sidman (August 3, 1863 – 16 August 1901) was the son of a

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US Census Records 1870, 1880 who became a popular American

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

performer and

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Early life

Sidman was born on August 3, 1863,''Appleton’s Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events'', 1902 to Peter and Elvira Sidman at the small town of

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

. Sidman began at an early age working as a

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and eventually reporter for a small newspaper in his home town before moving to the nearby town of Tully to work on the local paper there. In Tully he became involved with an amateur theater that soon found success with their production of the play ''Foiled'' which the group later performed in a number of towns across the region. At this point Sidman decided to abandon his newspaper career in favor of the theater.

Career

In 1891 Sidman entered vaudeville with his character sketch ''A Bit of True Life''. In time he would gain fame as a vaudeville comedian and character actor for his dead-on portrayals of the stereotypical

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farmer. Of the plays and skits he wrote, ''Summer Showers'' (ca. 1895) and ''York State Folks'' (ca. 1900)''The Wellsboro Agitator'', August 16, 1901 were his most successful. The latter, one of several comedies he wrote about pastoral life in upstate New York, would go on after his untimely death to be produced on Broadway and have successful runs across the country. A film version of ''York State Folks'' starring veteran actor James Lackaye was released in 1915.''The Wellsboro Agitator'', July 13, 1938

Marriage

In 1887 Sidman married Bertha Gardner, the daughter of a Tully area farmer. She died at age 19 on May 31, 1888, ten days after giving birth to their son Ralph. On April 20, 1891, he married actress Ella (Eleanor) M. Brooks at

Hornellsville, New York Hornellsville is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population, not counting the city of Hornell, was 4,039 at the 2020 census. The name is taken from a prominent pioneer family. The Town of Hornellsville is at the western ...

. After his death, both Ella and later their daughter, Marjorie, would tour for a number of years in productions of “York State Folks”.''The Wellsboro Gazette'' February 21, 1907

Death

Arthur Sidman died suddenly on August 12, 1901, at Higgins Beach, Maine, a small community 100 miles north of

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He had gone there with his family to rest and to put final touches on ''York State Folks'' before the fall touring season began.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidman, Arthur C. 19th-century American male actors American male stage actors American vaudeville performers 1863 births 1901 deaths People from Homer, New York People from Tully, New York 19th-century American dramatists and playwrights