Lincoln’s Ghost and Me

Posted by on 10 Feb 2020 | Tagged as: blog

Lincoln’s Ghost and Me

misc. photos etc 059

I started portraying Mr. Lincoln in 1972 at Dixie Junior College in St. George Utah.
I was a seated Abraham Lincoln on a float a girl’s housing apartment complex entered into the Homecoming parade.
A guy from the drama department makeup class manufactured a chin beard on my face.
The department costume lady got me a set of Lincoln clothes.
I sat on a chair like the monument in DC at the Lincoln Memorial amid guys from the associated men student leadership.
One black ball player and a white guy as modern students, one man as a Confederate soldier and one as a Union soldier of the Civil War.
The float’s point was that the past made modern schooling available to all.
I was in a play or two for the fun of it, even being the sound engineer for one play and did a weekly radio news program but nothing more about Lincoln.

Later I attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
One of my first classes was stage makeup.
The instructor thought that I and another fellow had facial structures similar to Lincoln and we should learn to use make up for old Abe.
We studied the face and on a drawing we made, we designed how we should use lines and shadowing and highlights of grease paints and makeup pencils to look more like Mr. Lincoln.
I found out that my health was adversely effected by those paints and gave it up and tried something else.
I was in several plays and in two operas but mostly not for credit but for fun having been asked to participate.
I was a voice in a radio play and then left school for work.

In the 1980s I stared doing one man appearances as Abraham Lincoln teaching the principles of integrity that can be learned from Honest Abe.
I developed a script to introduce him based on stories of the appearance of Lincoln’s Ghost in the White House and elsewhere.
By this time my facial hair was coming in full and dark and I made a good Mr. Lincoln.

But then life and work got in the way of doing more with my Lincoln’s Ghost character.
I did other one man shows and some stage and film acting.
In 2004 I dressed as Lincoln for the Republican Party County Lincoln Day Breakfast
to deliver the Gettysburg Address.

Then when 2009 came around and the 200 year anniversary of Lincoln’s birth drew near,
I thought now was the time to do Lincoln in a big way.
But my beard was getting very white even though my head hair has stayed dark for longer.
At first I thought this would be a problem.
Then I reasoned, no problem, a ghost would look ghosty.
To make the beard not stark white as I have it for some other characters I’ve played and still do, I color the beard a little with charcoal. This makes it a little darker, grayish really, and I can be Lincoln’s Ghost not a Lincoln impersonator.

I’d been working in St. George Live performances for several years
portraying Jacob Hamblin and Brigham Young
and being close to the city staff running the Pioneer Opera House,
I contracted to rent the hall and put on Lincoln’s Ghost.

I’ve done it for four years now. 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014.
One year I was in Ghost Tours in Santa Clara in October
and one year appeared at the Washington County Fair so people could get their photos taken with Mr. Lincoln.
Another year I attended the St. George City 4th of July day celebrations as Mr. Lincoln
at the political booths, photos with celebrants, road in the little train, helped judge the hot dog eating contest and was interviewed by a TV News program.

I’ve presented Lincoln’s Ghost to both Democrat and Republican Parties, to public, private and home schools, to a policeman convention.
One year, the students at Red Mountain Elementary School who were studying US History met with Lincoln’s Ghost in the gym.
2012 saw Lincoln’s Ghost at the Washington (Utah) County Fair where he recited some of his poetry at the Poetry contest, had his photo taken with the Fair princess, and people could get their photos taken with Lincoln’s Ghost.
In 2014, St. George hired me to tell stories as Mr. Lincoln on President’s Day February 22.
Whereas other years the show had been on February 12th-Lincoln’s birthday anniversary.
Lincoln’s Ghost in Pleasant Grove, UtahPoetry, 

Lincoln’s Ghost at the Utah Patriot Camp.
“Wednesday, June 7, 2017! Camp will begin at 9:30. We’ll start with the flag ceremony and the Gettysburg Address. At about 9:40, we will separate and go to the different stations. The six groups will rotate through the six stations. ages 5 to 13 and older teen leaders.” The young people asked many questions about the presentation: some funny ones are recounted at: http://jaybeacham.com/2017/06/24/lincolns-ghost-in-pleasant-grove-utah/ The presentation included Lincoln’s poetry and the “wild bear chase”. Hear a re-telling of it: https://soundcloud.com/user-528363945/lincolns-wild-bear-chase-mp3
2019 for President’s day, Lincoln’s Ghost was at the Veterans Home in Ivins, Utah. He told his advise about how the government should be and he sang some songs. One can be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8gsZQj-WII
February 12, 2020 is Lincoln’s Birthday anniversary and President’s day is February 17th. Do you need Lincoln’s Ghost at your school or event? Contact him at: http://jaybeacham.com/ there are 5 page links at the top of the page that tell about Lincoln’s Ghost. And you can find the 2009 one man show on You Tube and promos for 2010 and 2011 there too.

One man asked when I was going to do another show. Soon. It will be: The Wisdom of Lincoln.

See more at:  https://www.facebook.com/pg/abelincolnghost/about/

Let me tell you a story

Posted by on 17 Oct 2016 | Tagged as: blog

“Let me tell you a story.”
Now what is the best way to tell a story?
They can be true or make belief.
I’ve seen films, heard tales, heard story songs and poems, read stories.
Some stories are short and some are long.
And some story tellers are very animated and others very calm and humdrum.
A guy named Bo Eason says stories can be used for good or bad
and that stories of good can defeat evil because they expose the
human soul on fire. He says that leaders are good story tellers.

In the film “Tammy and the Bachelor”, Debbie Reynolds as

Tambrey Tyree tells the story of Great Grandmother Cratcher

to the delight of all the guests at “the Pilgrimage”.

Stories can be told that way, in films, on a neighbor’s porch

or even down at the corner cafe or store, or told in song or verse.

They can be fun, sad, happy, informative, historical.
I’ve even told some stories myself.
Here’s a few.
“Twas the Night Before Christmas” is read on film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ihrd0-2_3w

Christmas 1
“In a Fishbowl” is a story of a part of my life on audio recording.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEKcOjrUNb8

I was in a short film telling a story.
“You Have Been Warned” YHBW 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX9lkfKdDm4
I like telling stories with poetry.
“The Writer” is a story of a would be author.
http://payhip.com/b/Ti0q
Then there are lots of stories put to song.
Here are some examples :
https://share.singsnap.com/play/726591
https://share.singsnap.com/play/567491
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV937yfhCYU

Then there is just telling a story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byWi0yTktSI
And I’ve got many more of my recorded stories and
many yet untold.
So what stories do you want to tell?

Here are photos of me telling some stories:

Nuttin 1

Hamblin 2

Santa 1

Hamblin 1Rich man 1

She sweet

Four Pak DVD series Lincoln’s Ghost

Posted by on 08 Oct 2015 | Tagged as: blog

The Lincoln’s Ghost Collection

“Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We will be remembered in spite of ourselves.” So said Mr. Abraham Lincoln.

I’ve assembled a collection of my one man show of Lincoln’s Ghost and the short book “Facts about Abraham Lincoln”.
This group of 4 dvds and 1 audio cd and 1 book is for sale for $100.00 for all or individually or any combination thereof…..

Lincoln’s Ghost show 2009 dvd                                                                                  is an overview of the life of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln’s Ghost Returns the new show for 2010 dvd
This performance goes over speeches and much sage advice from the 16th president of the United States of America.

Thoughts on Life by Lincoln’s Ghost 2011 dvd
October of 2010, Ghost Tours in Santa Clara, Utah featured Lincoln’s Ghost, experiences with deaths in Lincoln’s life,
some of it in verse much of which Lincoln wrote is an expansion of the short five minutes Ghost Tours talk.

Lincoln’s Ghost Tells Stories2014 dvd                                                              February 22, 2014 live show at the Opera House in St. George, Utah of Lincoln’s Ghost tells stories.

Lincoln’s Ghost Tells Stories2014 audio cd
is about Mr. Lincoln’s propensity for storytelling

Buy separately or together:

Just $20 each ( plus $3 shipping);
$75 for all 4 ($6 Shipping) 
$85 with the book                                                                                                     $100 with the cd

Get the book
“Facts about Abraham Lincoln”
for $10

Jay Beacham
85 East Center Street
Ivins, Utah 84738
435-628-7809

pay pal : beachamj82@yahoo.com
money order or check

Get them all and watch, listen and read.
(Inquire about obtaining exclusive re-publishing rights in your country.)

Jay Beacham

Give Me A Chance At Bat

Posted by on 03 Jun 2015 | Tagged as: blog

 

 

Give Me A Chance At Bat

I just watched an instructional video.

Are You Batting Lead-Off or Clean-Up?
by Bill DeWees
607 views
https://youtu.be/qFjMb5plr3o
He’s a voice guy and compares baseball lead off/cleanup hitters to the voice over business of today.
He says it’s better to consistently get on base than to be the guy to get the home runs.
Meaning to work consistently is better than to wait for the big fancy voice jobs.

Well I’d just like to get a chance to bat.

My problem may have started when I first went to Little League tryouts with a boy who’d played before.
There was a team in the field and the prospects got a chance at bat while the coaches looked them over.
Before I could get to bat someone said that I was to go with the team made up of the left over boys.
I protested and someone said,
“Ah let the kid hit.”
I swung at the first ball and ran to second base safe.
Then we went off in the back of a pickup to look for a field to practice in.
We didn’t find one that morning.
By the next week, my family’s farm operations took precedence to ball games and my Little League career
ended before it had begun.
During the next few years, besides work and school and scouts, I practiced ball whenever the chance afforded itself.
I watched movies about baseball greats. The Deans, Jackie Robinson, etc.
I waited for High School sports.
the following poem tells about all of that.
To Pitch The Ball ©
When young, I thought it fun to throw a little baseball,
My dream to be a Dizzy or a Daffy dean, did enthrall.
All times of day, I’d throw and catch by myself.
I’d throw and catch with others to;
In school yard or down in the street
Most days with others I would meet.
Though seldom would I get to pitch that ball.
Then Little League came: “Oh let the kid bat.”
But never did I get to throw from mound to catcher’s mitt.
To high school then and gym,
Maybe I’d get to show
How good, how fast, how accurate I could throw.
I hurt my knee and to a specialist had to go.
He said that running would be put
That swim exercise and leg weight lifting would be in.
The years have so very fast gone past,
And though balls now fly to mitt-to sky
They do not on me at all rely.
(Author’s note: There is a professional baseball pitcher named Jay Beacham but it isn’t me.)
(Poetry anthology on Kindle “Under Red Cliffs” @ https://lnkd.in/e582xnM )
(Also available in paper back @ http://jaybeacham.com/products-page-2/

Well so it has been for me in the voice over world of today.
I’d just like to get a chance to get to bat or pitch. 
I won’t do immoral or illicit projects.
And it is always good to believe in something before promoting it.
That lends the aspect of truth to what the Voice Talent is saying.
But that said, I just want a chance to play.

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