thanks for replying and my answer is yes i would expect an autobiography to show wedding pictures and to mention at least meeting your future spouse and a passing mention at least of someone you proposed marriage to i.e evelyn nesbit and who was subsequently the cause of one of the most notorious murders of edwardian times-whether ghost written by someone else or not-how did you hear of karl schmidt?-i have browsed through half a dozen bios and found no mention of him-however what i did find today is alma-powers book claiming the monkey was a gift from georges charpentier who was a boxer involved i think in the first ever million dollar boxing match with jack dempsey-perhaps recollections of my life might have been a more appropriate title-confesssions gives the impression-at least to me- of a more personal intimate emotional nature

Confessions was actually written by one of Jack's close friends - Karl Schmidt and would you honestly expect him to write about that sort of subject? As with 99% of autobiographies, all the juicy bits are left out! ( I know all too well about that as I have been a victim of being left out of someone's autobio myself) Anyway Michael does get a brief mention of being called "my wife" on writing a play he was in.

As for Clementine (his pet monkey) she was 'lent' to him by Gladys Cooper in London whilst he was performing HAMLET. Clementine was originally called IRIS when Gladys owned her. Anyway, Jack took her off to the States and Gladys never got to see Iris again. Jack loved animals and Clementine was always his favorite.

D.B.

i was reading confessions by john barrymore yesterday which was the 4 july and was surprised there was nothing in it about his first two wives-it ends in 1926 just as he meets dolores costello-but there are no confessions of seduction by his stemother or anything concerning evelyn nesbit the original gibson girl
why did he have a pet monkey?because he considered himself a cheeky monkey or because he didnt give a monkeys?

hi clementine, yes I would like to see/hear Barrymore in Cowboy's Lament. sorry for getting back to you so late.