- HELLO.
TODAY, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT JOHN WILKES BOOTH
AND HIS BROTHER, EDWIN BOOTH--
THE BOOTH BROTHERS.
EDWIN BOOTH AND JOHN WILKES BOOTH
WERE BORN TO A BRITISH ACTOR
NAMED JU...NIUS BRUTUS BOOTH.
[laughs]
EDWIN IS A FAVORITE OF THEIR DAD.
JUNIUS WAS SO MEAN, HE WOULDN'T EVEN LET JOHN WILKES
INTO PHOTOGRAPHS WITH HIM.
JOHN WILKES, STAY BACK, MAN. STAY AWAY.
BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT COOL. STOP.
YOU'RE KINDA WEIRD. YOU'RE WEIRDING EVERYBODY OUT.
JUST BACK AWAY.
AND HE BECAME SAD.
WHICH ESTABLISHES THEIR RIVALRY.
IN 1858, JOHN WILKES AND EDWIN BOOTH
WERE THE MOST FAMOUS ACTORS IN THE WORLD.
PERFORMANCE-WISE, EVERYONE LOVED EDWIN BOOTH.
JOHN WILKES BOOTH-- HE WAS UNTRAINED.
HE WOULD KNOCK SETS DOWN. HE WAS SO VIOLENT.
SO WHEN THE CIVIL WAR BROKE OUT,
JOHN WILKES BOOTH IS LIKE,
LINCOLN? WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT?
SLAVERY. I DON'T EVEN GET IT.
THAT WAS THE MOMENT HIS POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS
OVERTOOK ARTISTIC ASPIRATION.
HOWEVER, ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WAS REQUESTING EDWIN PERFORM SHAKESPEARE
AT GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS.
AM I [bleep] IT UP, GUYS?
WHAT'S UP, GUYS?
WHAT--IS IT [bleep] IT UP?
OKAY, OKAY. [mumbling]
OKAY. RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT.
AT THE FORD'S THEATRE,
WHEN JOHN WILKES BOOTH WAS GESTICULATING,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S SISTER-IN-LAW IS LIKE,
I THINK HE'S POINTING AT YOU, ABRAHAM.
AND ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS LIKE,
IT DOES SEEM LIKE HE'S POINTING AT ME.
UHH...
THIS IS A LITTLE WEIRD.
HE SHOULD, UH, YOU KNOW,
NOT BE POINTING AT ME DURING THIS PARTICULAR LINE
BECAUSE IT'S SORT OF... AGGRESSIVE.
IN NOVEMBER 1864, EDWIN BOOTH IS LIKE,
HEY, YOU KNOW, I WANNA GET TO KNOW YOU BETTER.
WE'VE HAD SOME HARD TIMES.
LET'S DO A PLAY TOGETHER AGAIN,
FOR ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY--
JOHN WILKES' FAVORITE ROLE WAS BRUTUS,
THE MAN THAT EXECUTES A TYRANT.
AND EDWIN BOOTH IS LIKE, I GET TO PLAY BRUTUS.
[trumpets sounding]
FOR ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY,
IN THE PRODUCTION OF
EDWIN SAID,
AND EVERYONE LOVES IT.
CRITICS SAID THAT IT WAS
THE MOST IMPORTANT SHOW OF ALL TIME.
SO JOHN WILKES BOOTH STARTED GETTING INVOLVED
WITH A SECRET CONFEDERATE SOCIETY
AND HAD MASTERMINDED A PLAN TO KIDNAP LINCOLN.
UHH...
MM-MM.
SO JOHN WILKES BOOTH WENT TO THE FORD'S THEATRE
TO PICK UP HIS MAIL,
AND JOHN FORD'S BROTHER IS LIKE,
HEY, ARE YOU GONNA COME SEE
OUR AMERICAN COUSIN?
YOU GUYS ARE DOING
YEAH.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S GONNA BE HERE.
YOU SHOULD COME.
AND JOHN WILKES BOOTH IS LIKE, UH, WHAT?
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S GONNA BE AT THE THEATRE TONIGHT?
OH, MY GOD.
I'M GONNA CHANGE MY PLAN FROM KIDNAPPING HIM...
TO ASSASSINATING HIM.
[laughter]
SO ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S AT THE PLAY
WITH HIS WIFE, MARY TODD.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
EVERYTHING'S GOING PERFECTLY...
UNTIL JOHN WILKES BOOTH...
COMES INTO THEIR BOX.
- WHA-- WHERE ARE WE?
JOHN WILKES BOOTH COMES INTO THEIR BOX
AND SHOOTS LINCOLN IN THE HEAD.
AFTER HE SHOT LINCOLN, HE JUMPED FROM THE BALCONY,
BREAKING HIS ANKLE.
OW, OW, OW, OW, OW, OW.
OH, MY--I'M HURTING!
- REALLY?
[laughter]
- OW, OW, OW, OW, OW.
IN RAISING HIS KNIFE IN THE AIR,
HE SAID,
I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT--
AH, [bleep].
I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE [bleep] IT WAS.
OH, I WISH I COULD REMEMBER.
WA-- WAIT, WAIT!
SIC TERAMIS TEMPEST.
NO MORE TYRANNY...
YOU KNOW... BASICALLY.
THAT'S JOHN WILKES BOOTH.
AND HE'S SAYING A LINE FROM [bleep]
AND HE'S LIKE, THIS IS [bleep] PERFECT,
AND EVERYBODY GETS WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW.
AFTER ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S ASSASSINATION,
EDWIN BOOTH DECIDES TO WRITE A LETTER TO AMERICA,
SAYING, I'M RETIRING FROM ACTING
AS A PENANCE FOR WHAT MY BROTHER DID.
HIS HORRIFYING ACT, I'M DONE.
FIVE MONTHS AFTER ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS BURIED,
EDWIN BOOTH IS LIKE, I'M BACK!
EVERYBODY RELAX, I'M DOING
I KNOW THAT'S THE ONE
THAT MY BROTHER ASSASSINATED ABRAHAM LINCOLN DURING.
[chuckles]
BUT THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA DO.
AND EVERYONE LOVES IT.
AND HE'S BACK,
BECAUSE HE'S KIND OF EGOTISTICAL.
NO ONE EVER TALKS ABOUT EDWIN BOOTH.
- [laughing]
[speaking indistinctly]
- DO YOU GUYS WANT ME TO PUT A PIZZA IN THE OVEN?