The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-04-16
SOME VIEW BOOKS.
Olive Leasn's New Book about Actors, The
aires. and Other rhjnas Of the Kind,

aires. and Other rhjnas. Of the Hind,
Miss 0LIvB LOGAN haa written book,
and q ponderous one IL is--not In quality, but in
quantity. Biz hundred and twelve printed pages lie
between tho covers Bot fortunately IT ia not heavy
reading. Hs all about that realm Of fascination
the stage Tho title is B,Iors hs FootHohts and
Behind the Scenes.
Books nhout theatres and actors the gossip Of tho
ereenroom, and the secrets Of that little world
which is shut out completely from the great world
by the drop curtain are always entertaining, and
few persons are better quaodto LIT the veil and TO
tell these secrets than Miss Logan In the FIRST place.
she is ITO the manner born" She and hers have
been identified with the stage for very long time.
Her father, Cornelius A. Logan, was an actor held
In much repute, and Miss Logan herself went upon
the stage when she was O mere child not more than
four or ave years old. In the next place, she has
| m that profession and turned author, and there
ore at liberty to speak Of actors and actresses with
moro freedom than would otherwise DO prudent
Finally, Miss Logan IL wonderful gossip. she
loves to use her pen the six hundred pages attest
that fact And then she is bright and witty, and has
collected together mass ofanecdotes, some OF then
| old aud some Of them new, but most OF them ontor'
tanning. The scissors have played no inconsiderabie
port In preparing the work. II is sort OF ORA
matte scrap book, the clippings probably OF several
years. all bound together into narrative form by the
| bright thread Of Misc Logan's own thought. The
| book covers pretty much tho whole Geld OF amuso-
| ments. Miss Logan speaks of IL as "a book about
the show business in all lie branches, from puppet
shows to grand opera, nom mountebanks to MENACE
ries from learned pigs to lecturers, rom buresouc
| blondes to actors and actresses"
TIE WAGES oF ACTORS.
Among the topics specially dwelt upon are; Train
ing for the stage; the severity OF the work; re-
hcarsals; the memory OF actors; stage rules and
aEA mn Nhn
etiquette among actors; their salaries the property
man; scene painters; ballet girls and blondes lug
rlers andrsymnasts. Besides these and a hundred
other such subjects, Miss Logan has something to
say about menagores and wild boasts, how these
latter are caught and how they arc tanned, and tho
dangers that beset the daring tanners. AS some OF
| our readers may BIO interested to know how the
salaries Of actors compare with those Of persons In
other vocatlons, we give Miss Lcgan's estimate. She
states that is not easy to get at the precise figures
since not only is the rude question never asked in
the profession "what DO you get week :" but II Is
point Of etiquette among actors 70 remain in isno-
rance of the pay OF their fellow actors. Mise Logan
says; THE salary leading actor actress
| nom $40 to SEQ week. But know one leading
| actress In New York who gets si00 week, and two
| who get s75 each. These, however, are peculiar
cases. all three being actresses specially attractive
for youth, beauty, and talent. Walking gentleman
or lady will get nom so TO Ss5 week old man or
old woman, from to5 to $40 while other players Of
lower grade OF talent than these will get all the
way from Ss5 down to $lO a week l should say
there would DC no lower salary than $40 week In
theatre for any one who appears on the stage, even
for members OF the ballet or supes, though it is
true that sometimes extra men are engaged from the
street for special purpose, who receive no more
| than S3 or 81 week. The pay OF stars is a very
different matter. Usually these ladies and gentlemen
play for share In the receipts at the door and when
they do this OF course their pay is regulated almost
wholly by their drawing power. Sometimes, how
ever the most celebrated actors and actresses In the
land have engaged themselves for fixed salary per
| week or per night. In the case OF very popular
players this sum is sometimes almost fabulously
large. The largest salary that has been paid to
star in this country is that which was paid to Jo-
seph jefferson, at Booths Theatre, in August and
| September 1869, namely, $500 per night Even at
this price he proved an Immensely profitable star,
drawing an average OF a. 200 every night through
| out the season. ...-.
PADDING AND PAINTING.
| Concerning the delicate questions Of padding the
legs and painting the face, Miss Logan enters into
| some curious details. The woman" she says " or
the either, who cannot exhibit shapely figure
on the STAGE has certainly learned the to the
shop ofthe pad-maker. There arc quite number
OF these professors Of symmetry in this country,
but they are most numerous in Philadelphia They
advertise quite freely in the theatrical journals, and
no one need be in ignorance OF their whereabouts.
They do not boldly advertise the unpleasant word
padding Of coure-the popular term for padding
is symmetrical goods Much need not here he said
OF the aodss operdad ofthe pad-maker. The science
lies In weaving leggings OF tights In such way that
they shall increase the thickness OF the calf the thigh
SC. and woven puttng silk or cotton in the place
/ yxhare "a WA Tins cOncealing leanness
or deformity Thus tragedan with lower limbs like
| pipe.stems can pull on his tights and stand before
an admirng audience with the sturdy legs Of an
| athlete. .
ITO make up the face is one OF the subest arts OF
the actor Who that has witnessed the acting Of
Ristori in Queen Elizabeth. but will remember
how from act 10 act she ysibly grew older before
our eyes Not only by voice, and manner, and gait
was this change effected, but her face, bright and
Joyous at the beginning OF tie play, became gradu-
ally wrinkled pale, and careworn her hair grew
gayer and grayer, until at last, as abe lay on the
couch representing the dying Queen. she seemed
duced to q skeleton and livid as corpse. This was
brought about solely by her perfect knowledge OF
how TO make M the face.
~ was behind tho scenes Of the French Theatre In
New York one night when Ristori was playing
Elisabeth, and when came to look closely at her
face 1t seemed a meaningless mass OF white and
black marks with deep dashes of red under the
eyes but at one step or the eject was wonderful.
1t is easier to make up the face to look old than to
look young nevertheless a careful mngling OF pink
for the cheek, white for the forehead, black for the
brows, and carmine for the lips, viii go great way
toward making an OLD and homely woman look like
young and handsome one"
| REQUISITES FOR THEATRE.
Miss Logan quotes numerous list OF the articles
that the property man OF hrst-class theatre has IN
his curious museum ready for use. Among them
are; " Suns and moons sheetiron for thunder, and
dried peas for rain powdered rosin for lightning
and cut paper for snowsorms rattles for tho crash
Of falling buildings trumpets for the growls OF fero
clous wild beasts rose pink for the blood OF pa
trios napier ndchs banquets; tin money for spend
thrfs, and brass crowns for kings broomsticks for
witches; eaden watches; leather armor for the bodies
OF brave knights, tin spurs for their heels and dog
chains for their necks legs oaves ofbread
| and plum puddhgs, all OF canvas stuffed with sawdust
flour to make despairng lovers look pale, and YER
| million O mako the nOaea Jolly landlords look