Richard Mansfield

[cats meat man]

Hi Esther
I think they were trying to portray him as some sort of Jekyll and Hyde character.
"Yer only supposed to know the bloody whores toff"-Micheal Caine as Abberline to Inspector Bodie, or was it Doyle?
All the best
Rob

[sdreid]

Mansfield would certainly be way way down on the list but the murders did cease when he left England and then there was the Carrie Brown slaying in the States after he returned here.

[Graham]

I'm watching the Jack the Ripper Series that was made a number of years ago starring Michael Caine as Abberline. What are some of your thoughts on the Richard Mansfield storyline? I in no way even remotely think he was involved but am curious about some other opinions. Thank you.

Esther

Hi Esther,

The story goes that Mansfield's portrayal of 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' at The Lyceum Theatre was so realistic that it had audiences fainting as they watched it....

Apparently the Ripper Crimes so affected the ticket-buying classes of the day that they considered Mansfield's performances as actively encouraging murder on the streets of the East End, and stopped going. There was some silly talk that Mansfield himself actively purchased the services of East End prostitutes. At any rate, his show folded and he lost loads of £££'s.

He was an American actor and promoter of some merit. I think I read somewhere that he cut his losses and went back to the USA, the wiser and poorer.

Cheers,

Graham

[DVV]

Hello Esther,
Mansfield was Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde at the Lyceum theatre, and in several press reports, the Whitechapel murderer was called "another Hyde".
Some people wrote to newspapers to promote their "Mr Hyde" theories, and that's interesting. I don't think Mansfield himself is of interest in the case, but Armand Assante was a wonderful actor.

Amitiés,
David

[Esther Wilson]

I'm watching the Jack the Ripper Series that was made a number of years ago starring Michael Caine as Abberline. What are some of your thoughts on the Richard Mansfield storyline? I in no way even remotely think he was involved but am curious about some other opinions. Thank you.

Esther