Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Drew

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Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Drew were a comedy team on stage and screen.

[edit] Biography

Mr. and (the second) Mrs. Sidney Drew in 1917

Sidney Drew (August 28, 1863-April 9, 1919), or Mr. Sidney Drew as he was usually billed. An uncle of the Barrymore family his origins had always been speculated by Lionel, Ethel & John Barrymore. Sidney's mother Mrs Louisa Drew said she adopted him not long after the death of her husband John Drew Sr in 1862. Other researchers have speculated that Sidney was Mrs Drew's biological child either from her late husband or from an illicit love affair. It was noticed that she disappeared for some time before returning with baby Sidney. John Barrymore always said Sidney looked too much like Grandmother Louisa to be anyone else's child. Sidney had been a light hearted leading man along with his wife, Gladys Rankin (ca. 1874-January 9, 1914), better known as Mrs. Sidney Drew. When in the entertainment business, they were known as Mr. and Mrs Sidney Drew. They entered films as a team with the old Kalem Company in 1911, but claimed to fame after to switch to Vitagraph in 1913. Rankin died later that year and Sidney Drew was briefly paired with Clara Kimball Young.

He remarried to Lucile McVey (1890-1925), born in Sedalia, Missouri,[1] a Vitagraph scriptwriter who briefly went under the name Jane Morrow.

Drew added his new wife to his two or three reels, acknowledging that McVey was both a writer and co-director. As the comedy team, Mr. & Mrs Sidney Drew, the team perfected the situation comedy style that the team of John Bunny and Flora Finch started. Their style of comedy was usually gentle satire on marriage life, but can poke fun of the world of show business.

In 1916, the popular team was lured over the Louis B. Mayer's newly founded Metro company, where they continued to dominate in the field of material comedy. During World War I, Sidney Drew's son, actor S. Rankin Drew, was killed in action. Drew never recovered the loss. The team left Metro for personal appearances but was signed to V.B.K.. Sidney Drew then died suddenly. The second Mrs. Sidney Drew died less than six years later from cancer at the age of thirty-five.