Frank I Frayne was an actor and sharpshooter. He was the dominant figure in a unique genre of live entertainment that incorporated shooting stunts into the action of a play. His productions, which were very popular in the 1870s and 1880s, used frontier drama as the vehicle for thrilling audiences with dangerous stunts that use live ammunition. Trained animals such as his horse Kentucky Bill and his dog Jack were part of his shows,as well as a bear, a hyena and a lion. There were also roles for his wife Clara Virginia Quigg Frayne (stage name Clara Butler) and their children(Frank I Frayne Jr and Clara V Frayne). One of his most popular shows was "Si Slocum," which toured England and the United States for seven years. One of his most dangerous original stunts involved looking in a mirror to shoot an apple off his wife's head with his rifle. After his wife's death from asthma, he found another young actress, Annie Von Behren, to take Clara's role in the play. Unfortunately, while he was attempting the mirror shot during one performance, his rifle misfired, shooting Miss Von Behren (to whom he was engaged) in the head and killing her. He revamped his productions to remove the mirror shot and some of his more dangerous stunts. He later married his long time housekeeper/nanny and his first wife's niece, Margaret Reed. An actress herself, she joined her husband in his productions. The couple settled in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York. Frank was touring in Chicago, Illinois when he died of a heart ailment.
Frank I Frayne was an actor and sharpshooter. He was the dominant figure in a unique genre of live entertainment that incorporated shooting stunts into the action of a play. His productions, which were very popular in the 1870s and 1880s, used frontier drama as the vehicle for thrilling audiences with dangerous stunts that use live ammunition. Trained animals such as his horse Kentucky Bill and his dog Jack were part of his shows,as well as a bear, a hyena and a lion. There were also roles for his wife Clara Virginia Quigg Frayne (stage name Clara Butler) and their children(Frank I Frayne Jr and Clara V Frayne). One of his most popular shows was "Si Slocum," which toured England and the United States for seven years. One of his most dangerous original stunts involved looking in a mirror to shoot an apple off his wife's head with his rifle. After his wife's death from asthma, he found another young actress, Annie Von Behren, to take Clara's role in the play. Unfortunately, while he was attempting the mirror shot during one performance, his rifle misfired, shooting Miss Von Behren (to whom he was engaged) in the head and killing her. He revamped his productions to remove the mirror shot and some of his more dangerous stunts. He later married his long time housekeeper/nanny and his first wife's niece, Margaret Reed. An actress herself, she joined her husband in his productions. The couple settled in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York. Frank was touring in Chicago, Illinois when he died of a heart ailment.
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