Tagged: Mark Twain

Hal Holbrook is an Emmy and Tony award winning actor and is perhaps, most well-known for portraying Hannibal, Missouri native Mark Twain in “Mark Twain Tonight.”

Holbrook has performed Twain, whose real name was Samuel Clemens, since 1954 and has portrayed the role more than 2,000 times.  He has memorized volumes of Twain’s writings and is able to make observations – in Twain’s voice – on a multitude of topics including politics, current events, and business.

No laws set the names of the 79 neighborhoods crammed into the 66 square miles of the city of St. Louis. Some grew from urban legends, others from a distinctive landmark. Some date back decades and are instantly known to any St. Louis resident. Others have changed as landmarks fell, highways reshaped boundaries, or people felt the need for a fresh start.