Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-04-24
lCHECKERED CAREER.

rThPater on Pennsylvania avenue, near AZ
street. NOW Young's coach shop) run by Cart
Hitch & Browne will be glad TO hear something
of the surviving member OF that firm, George F.
Browne. The New York Tribune has in It's rem
iniscences OF the stage a long chapter upon
Brownies career and his theatrical fecollections
from which we take the following:
A fayOrfte resort for EngllShmen new TO this
country Is the "Hotel Browne" in Twenty
seventh street. few doors west OF Broadway.
The proprietor, George T. Browne is we'll known
among theatrical people as dialect comedian,
and Indeed he Is such master or the Yorkshire
and Lancashire dialects that many bets have
been made that he was born 10 England. Three
times he has been compelled by incredulouS
men TO go before notary public and swear
that the place or his birth was New Hampshire
and not England. His knowledge or dialects,
however, was picked up In the main from actors,
and rom one George AndreSS, In particular
Since those days Mr. Browne has made a crltlcal
study OF the dialects, so that now ne writes
them as well as he speaks them He looks ike an
EngliShman. and welcomes his customers Win
genuine English hospitality Ills cnOp mouse Is
Kept on the English plan. and Is 1rcqlented by
actors. singers theatrical anu operdtlc mana
gers and literary men. 'Ihere lSat an English
man that comes 10 this country" said he, who
doesn't come tight TO my house, and. thinking
am an Englisnman give himself right away
and find all the Tauit he wants to-
The walls OF the room are covered with val
liable pictures OF famous actors ald actresses In
costume. forming most interesting collection
For the last twenty years Mr.. Browne has acted
y.
three ears ne was member OF the COMPANY
The life OF the man who has gathered TO-
Sethered all OF these and many oiner valuable
souvenirs OF the dramatic history OF the coun-
Try has been a singular and eventful one
Browne was born In 1919. While Lad his taste
for rowing lite led him to dlvid-. his Tine he
tween the tneaters in Boston and the ''old Aaron
1urheiS CIRCUS" He was a calI-boy in the
fheater, and finally became clogn In the cir
Gus, Icing the first to Introduce the Shakes
Dearean clown Into the ''SIwduSt ring" He
nlade MS Tlrst appearance On The stage at the
fremont 1neateT In Boston. as Franco in the
opera OF Guy Mannering," which vas sung by
Mr.. and Mrs. Woods English Opera TroIIpe
His connection with the circus bet ween the
successive theateT seasons resulted in his be-
coming daring and Skilful equaSt rian and
when -'Putnaln; the Iron Son OF 40" was writ
ten. he assumed the leading part, and made a
great hit all over the country Ia this ana SINH
lar plays. There were good actors and good
horsemen enough, but he was both an excellent
hoTSen1an and an actor or experience. Conse-
qlently he made speciality of such plays as
''Dick Turpin. carrying his slgdcious mare
Gazette all over the country with him.
Il played those parts until So he said
''from Maize 10 Georgia in every city or town
where there was even hall Foe the five years
before this date had season every year OF
from THREE " eekS 10 six months at the BOWery
TEeater. Went also to Washington where /
became acquainted with Webster, Clay and
other great men, who gave NE valuable letters.
My horse fell when was In Philadelphia. and
that was how bought my mare Gazette. l
picked her out OF a lot of horses Thursday eve
ming, trained her at the riding school the next
Gay. and saturday evening, alter the perform
ance, led her on the stage and mad the orches-
ira and SupernumerarieS make all the noise
1hey could so as 10 accuStOm her to the racket
She was as docfle and tractable as could be
wished, and Oh Monday evening she carried me
through the play. For years-until In fact
stopped playing with her-She never DESTROYED
siNpence worth OF scenery. she was most
sagac1Ous animal-my god next TO my family
and the elder Booth, who by the way, was the
most wonderful man | ever knew. William A.
bushnell was my groom, and used TO ride in the
same car With the mare when were travel
ing. When had a theater In washington at
PenDSy lyania avenue and 4 i street he was my
treasurer. and lent him TO Barnum when the
latter brought Jenny Lind to Washington.
When Barnuin and Jenny Lind had falling out
Bushnell became her manager. and he after
ward brought out Catherine Hayes, the Irish
singer, whom he subsequently married. Both
died abroad Well, after 1850 got tired of hair
breadth escapes on horseback and gave up those
parts
one city after another, Philadelphia, st. Louis
and Rochester being among them. and finally
began TO act in light comedy parts. Even so
long ago as lsi2 he played with the elder Wall
lack at the National Theater at Church and
Leonard streets. He made flying trips 10 Hail.
fax and St john where he appeared In comedy
parts. From that time until within few weeks
Mr.. Browne has played all sorts OF characters In
The whole range OF farceS and comedies. He has
appeared as Ezekiel HOmespun" In the Heir at
Law DANDY Dinmont" In .'Guy Mannering,"
'.Touchstone'' in las You Like It. and the
'Clowns" in Twelfth Night and winters
Tale He was the second man that played
"Cousin 10" in the ''ROugh Diamond and
among his other farcical Characters are NAT
Steik'' i'll the swiss Cottage" Peter Spyk" In
the Loan OF Lover" Plush" in the young
Widow" and Toby Twinkle" in ''4All that Gilt
tiers is not Gold"
In 1869 Mr. Browne played the leading part in
the ''Seven Sisters" which was brought OUT at
Laura keenes Theater. now the olympic.
sought an engagement with Mr.. Wal
lack. who had just opened his new
theater. The company, however, was full,
and yet Browne as retained to fill part when
ever an actor was i'll or unable from any other
cause TO appear. He has rare gift OF ability
TO wing part, as 1t Is called; thai Is, TO take
a strange parl and by studying the lines While
he is OH in the wings TO carry it smoothly
through the evening. This requires great
presence of mind and strong memory" he
says The business aud the crosses and the
exits have TO be attended TO very carefully, so
as not TO make ones felloW-acUOr nervous Oc-
casionaliy, too, l read part In an emergency.
The last tine read anything in play was at
Door Mary GaDnon'S benent, in '63. think.
was stanuing in a BARRIERS shop and suddenly
the play OF the ''Game OF Life" by John
BrougLaI, was thrust into my hands. John
Gilbert was sick, and Young. who had been
playing the part, got stuck III the ice in coming
from HObDken. / never had Seen the play Ia
my life. AID hadn't time TO read a line or it be-
fore going on the stage. But couldn't have
Il
part was a magnificent one, and was written
Tor the great William Rufus Blake. All OF these
parts in ruluing pieces are ''understud,ed." as
ii Is called but II Is thankleSS task to Walt fOT
some one o get sick or TO break leg"
Mr.. Browne remained in Wallacls company
until few years ago, dividing his time between
the stage aid THE Green Room, his first ven-
ture In the restaurant line, In the rear OF Wal
lacks Theater. Then he had rooms lie Twenty
first street, opposite the LOtOS Club and after
ward was next TO the Fifth Avenue Theater and
on Broadway. Last year he moved into his pres
ent quarters. but still has fOndneSS for the
stage. In February he played with Lester Wal
lack In Rose dale and MY Awful Dad From
his youth he knew Charlotte Cushman, with
whose mother he boarded when the young act
reSS made her debut as the Countess In the
marriage or Figaro" .She was engaged to
sing for fye years" said Browne but her voice
gave out " hen she reached New Orleans"
A Successful Goose Stalker.