DeWolf, Casey, Hedda, and Betty

William DeWolf Hopper (1858-1935) was a ladies' man with enormous stage presence - with a booming voice, he stood over 6 feet tall and was well over 200 pounds. He was married six times and was known as "the Husband of his Country."

He had completely bald since childhood (due to alopecia) and had a blueish tint to his skin from patent medicines. They most likely had mercury in them; this made one of Victorian novelist Wilkie Collins' heroes blue as well, in his 1872 novel Poor Miss Finch.

Hopper was a popular matinee idol, singer and producer, whose career began in the late 187os. His fifth wife was silent movie actress and future Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (nee Elda Furry). They were married from 1913 to 1924 and met when she joined his theatrical company.

He was also known for his love of reciting Ernest Thayer's famous baseball poem "Casey At The Bat." He recited it about 10,000 times and recorded it in 1906 and 1909. It's on YouTube, over here, if you want to hear him. He certainly was dramatic and resonant - and liked to roll his r's.

He was in a few silent movies too, such as Rough Knight (1916) and of course Casey At the Bat (1916) - he got to play Casey. And, one hopes, got to recite his favorite poem.

His son with Hedda, William DeWolf Hopper, Jr., was Paul Drake on the 60s TV show Perry Mason.

Then there's the story about DeWolf and Betty - not one of his mistresses, but his favorite dessert. He liked Apple Betty about as much as he liked reciting "Casey At the Bat." Apparently his favorite restaurant in New York City refused to put it on the menu unless DeWolf could guarantee that there would be a demand for it.

He went to every single table in the restaurant the first night they tried putting it on the menu. He begged everyone to order Apple Betty - no doubt in resonant and dramatic tones. And it worked - when it was time for dessert, he ordered a double portion and was told that they had run out.

He should have just learned to make it at home (I can't quite see Hedda doing it). It's really not hard. Here's how, from the 1930 opus, New Delineator Recipes:

Apple Brown Betty

1/4 cup melted butter
1 pint bread crumbs from center of loaf
1 pint sliced apples 1/2 cup fruit juice or water
1/2 cup sugar or molasses
Juice and grated rind of lemon or orange

Arrange alternate layers of buttered bread crumbs* and thinly sliced apples in a pudding-dish, sprinkle with sugar and a little cinnamon or other spices. Finish with cream and pour mixed molasses and water or fruit-juice all over. Cover and bake for one half-hour**, remove cover and bake three-quarters of an hour more.

*Good luck buttering those bread crumbs. They must have had more time back then.
**At 350 degrees, I guess.

The 1890 photograph of DeWolf (who is one the right, in a long curly wig) from Picture History. The "El Capitan" sheet music cover from NYPL Digital Gallery.