May 29, 1942: The Death of John Barrymore

May 29, 1942: John Barrymore, perhaps the finest American actor of his generation, dies as a result of the damage that alcoholism had done to him. He was 60.

A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly attempted a career as an artist. But he appeared on stage together with his father, Maurice, in 1900, and then his sister Ethel the following year. He began his career in 1903, and first gained attention as a stage actor in light comedy, then high drama, culminating in productions of Justice in 1916, Richard III in 1920, and Hamlet in 1922. His portrayal of Hamlet, among other roles of William Shakespeare, led to him being called the "greatest living American tragedian."

After a success as Hamlet in London in 1925, Barrymore left the stage for 14 years, and instead focused entirely on films. In the silent film era, he starred in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1920, and Sherlock Holmes in 1922. During this period, he gained his nickname, the Great Profile. His stage-trained voice proved an asset when sound films were introduced, and he starred in Grand Hotel in 1932, Dinner at Eight in 1933, and Twentieth Century in 1934.

Barrymore's personal life has been the subject of much attention before and since his death. He struggled with alcohol abuse from the age of 14, was married and divorced four times, and declared bankruptcy later in life. Barrymore's biographer, Martin Norden, considers him to be "perhaps the most influential and idolized actor of his day."

His siblings Lionel (who lived until 1954) and Ethel (who lived until 1959) were also great actors. His son John Drew Barrymore (1932-2004), less so. But John Drew's daughter, Drew Barrymore, has upheld the family legacy: Though it looked for years like she might follow her grandfather's path to destruction, she's now fully recovered, and producing more than acting.

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May 29, 1942 was a Friday. This was also the day the movie Yankee Doodle Dandy premiered. I have a separate entry for that event. And hockey player Pierre Bourque and actor Kevin Conway were born.

These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 16-1 at Yankee Stadium. Lefty Gomez went the distance for the win. Joe DiMaggio, Joe Gordon and Buddy Hassett hit home runs.

* The New York Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, 3-1 at Ebbets Field. Babe Young batted in the top of the 10th inning, hitting a ground ball to shortstop Pee Wee Reese, who makes a bad throw, allowing 2 runs to score.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Braves, 2-1 at Braves Field in Boston.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 14-2 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Ted Williams went 3-for-4 with 2 home runs, a walk, and 7 RBIs.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 14-3 at Briggs Stadium (later renamed Tiger Stadium) in Detroit.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-5 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Joe Beggs walked Dom Dallesandro with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the St. Louis Browns, 12-8 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

* And the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals were not scheduled.