Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-02-11
OUR PLAY.WRITERS.
The Men Who Manufacture the Stage
Sensations OF the Day and
Who Have Been
Successful Mt Their HOrk-Lists Of Their
Plays and the Prices They Re-
ceived for Them.

ian who, like several OF his copgeners, wears
eyeglasses, and has the air of prosperous
stock broker or lawyer. He is q remarkably |
courteous and polite gentleman, who prefers |
to write comedy of situation and repartee, |
and whose sympathies are, IN large |
measure, with the French school. 1t ls true |
at Mr.. Howard has been accused Of ~riting |
sloyenly English, bat his style is usually |
well-bred and his form always correct. he |
charges almost a prohibitive price Tor |
"staI" pieces, detestiDg, with reason, |
the unsymmetrical work which the pot |
boiling dramatist has to turn out In
order to suit his ATTRACTION" Before begin
ming a play by command, Mr.. Howard re-
ceives a retainer of $500, and exacts
another $500 when his work is finished.
His fees usually reach $4,000 before he
transfers his rights. 1t ia interesting, en-
paTenthese, TO learn that he received Sl2,oO
frem the Madison Square Theater for Young
Mrs Winthrop. To actors, Mr.. Howard Is
proverbislly kind and gentle, treating them,
at rehearsals, almost with Difference, and sell
dom disputing with them. He is native
Of Detroit, an ex-journalist, was first brought
out by Mr.. DAILY, is married to sister OF
Mr.. Charles Wyndham, and has taken up
his residence in London, where he expects
TO end his days.
Mr.. Fred Marsien is "a small, blonde gen.
tleman, also addicted 10 the use OF eye
glasses and a redundancy OF soft yellow
beard and hair, such as Saxon students
wesr. He is, beyond question, even more
smiable than Mr.. Howard, and is cordially
liked by every body who knows him for his
simplicity of character. He began life as
an actor-so bad an actor that he took TO
writing plays to escape the fate of bad act
ors. His first important sale was that OF
Zip to Lolita, for which he received $1,000.
He then slowly assembled the ladder OF fame
until he reached his present eminence. Un-
like Mr.. Howard, he succeeds better as
writer of Especial plays" to Older, hardly
failing to provide his customer with good
ST. Kerry Gow, for Joseph Murphy;
Otto, for George S. Knight; Mu-
sets and Bob, for Lolita; lara for An
ME Pixley; Cheek, for Roland Reed, are
, and have been most enthusiastically re-
ceived BY the general public, whereby Mr..
Marsden has been enabled to build for him
self beautiful villa on Schroon Lake and
purchase brown stone house up town. He
is tireless worker, devoted to his family,
| his friends and the Lotos Club. Contrary to
| the usual theory OF Gramatists, he is not only
| incapable OF jealousy, but is ss much liked
| by his rivals as by his disinterested friends
Mr.. MaIsdeu, by the way, is almost as con-
| 6rmed votsry Of the cigar as Gen. Grant.
| Barley Campbell is probably the shrewd-
\ est business M an and the most indefatigable
worker Of the lot. He has the gift Of versa
tility in great degree. Ii is, of corrse,
foreign 10 the Purpose OF an article like this
to criticise the several subjects of it, but it is
permissible to say that Mr.. CampbslPs work
comes quick, hot and rough-cast, as il from
a foundry. He dashes off everything he
| does with such surprising heat and vigor
| that one is always hoping to see him do
something better when he has time. The
| repeated failures of Mr.. Campbell never
daunted him, and when the success OF NY
| Partner brought him TO The fore, he came up
smiling, Just as if he had not already fought
| twenty-five rounds with disaster. His Tor
tunes have been running since then like a
nill-rsce. Everything he touches seems 10
turn him ia money. His weakest plays, I'M
der his own management, net him Tia, 900 a
year, and he is on the road to become as
| rich as Boucicault. In person, Mr.. Camp
bell, who is an Irishmau, ia exceptionally
| tall and slender with a strong face and a
| mass of curly hair, on which he poses black
sombrero 10 the Western manner, wearing
usually with it suit of black brosdcloth.
He, too, is q warm-hearted, generous man
| also.
r. Mr.. Guuter comes from Jamaica, w. l., ria
San Francisco. He used TO be stock
broker in California, and was at one time
very we'll off. After patiently awaiting
managerial encouragement in San Francisco
| he came to New York aud laid his preten-
sions before Mr.. Wallsck, who rather en-.
couraged him, and at one time contracted &c
produce his TUo Nights in Rome. Meantime
his Cuba vas brought out at the Chestnut
| street Theater in Philadelphia and achieved
distinct failure. Ipo Nights in Rome, how
ever, at the Union Square Theater, re-
deemed his reputation. Since that event
Mr.. Gunter has gone on writing pieces with
mere or less success destime, but with pecun'
isry results which it would be hard to es'
innate. Fresh the American, was certainly 6
hit in the hands of John T. Raymond, but i
is not easy to see where he made mucf
money out Of after the Opera, d. a. N. (fol
Robson and Crane), or any OF his othel
lighter plays. Still, Mr.. Gunter has always
the air of very prosperous and satisfied
person. He, too, is short and stout, with al
| English aspect and information, wears eye
glasses, and talks with decided lisp. He il
very reserved, and never consorls either witt
actors or newspaper people, and is, so say
report, a confirmed bachelor.
Mr.. George Jessop's claims 10 an entry il
the list are based chiefly upon the fact tina
he wrote Samuel of Tosen. He also collabo
rated with Mr.. Gill in composing In Para
disc, for John T. Raymond. Like Mr.. Gun
ter, Mr.. Jessop comes from San Francisco
although a well.born and well.conneotet
Irishman originally. He was employe,
upon the California press some time, making
for himself quite repui ation as a neat ant
sentimental versifer. He has always dab
bled more or less in theatrical AFFAIR.", ant
nobody was surprised when he suddenly dis
closed himself in a new character as tn
| author of Samuel of P0sen Dramatic au
thorship, however, has not SO far seducet
Mr.. Jessop from his original literary pur
suits. Perhaps the results have not beef
very large yet. In any case, he stick
{ to Journalism in his quiet, UMPIRE
tending way, and jogs along withou
a Sign. 1t is doubtful whether $1,000 woult
not represent the aggregate fortune
acquired by him in his new field. PERSONAL,
he il tall and stout, with an English rathe
than Irish face (although an intense pstriot)
a black beard and psnsiye eyes. He is
very sentimental msn, much younger thai
he looks, and, like Msrsden, is much liket
by his encourage for the simplicity OF hi
character. He is pre-eminently a spot
dramstist, protesting no inspiration o
"vIews," but going st his work in a logged
mechanical way, as remarkable for its hon
esty ss it's lack of pretension.
The "pot.boilers," par excellence, however
of American dramatic literature are the in
genious gentlemen whom Mr.. Fred Maede
J and Mr.. james J. McCIoskey so cleverl
! represent. 1t is, perhaps, not too much t
} call them the "Nicols the Tsilors" of play
} making. Mr.. Mseder will guarantee Il
"suit" to order any customer, from bigi
tragedisn down to learned pig, at twenty
!, four hours notice. Performers taking TO tn
road with only a weeks warning have beef
fitted BY Mr.. Maeder with neatness an,
dispatch absolutely inimita able. 1t l., per
! haps, a consequence of his rapidity AM
volume that Mr.. Maeder's work is not cels
brsted But he is constantly employed an
constantly enjoying the sensations Of FIR,
night. II il in these respects that Mr.. Mae
= der is regarded as the residuary legatee an
successor of Mr.. John F. Poole, now of NH
| los Garden, who could, at pinch, in tn
last decade, 'reel off" four-act play be
tween two games of whist or poker.
Mr.. McCloskey is the patentee, so TO spesl
of the dime-novel drama. He works rar
! idly and vigorously, though not with III
, appalling swiftness of Mr.. Mseder. Murdel
battle and sudden death, despite the invoes
tions Of the Litany, are the principal fez
lures of Mr.. McCloskey's playr. Indian
almost,invariably, desperadoes always, 6gur
conspicuously among his drdnaatis personc
1t is confidently expected OF him by hi
friends that he will be able by and by {
5 write play in which the original charat
ters, each psrishing at the others hands, wi
. leave no survivor to conventioually and ted
ously close the play. Mr.. McCloskey bs
: | accumulated quite competence BY his "Po
, boiling" his figure being $1,000 for each e.
I ample of his art. He is a middle-sged geI
, tleman Of Indisn-red complexion, with
i, striking manner, abundance of wit an
| humor, great cd nature, and, for an aclo
an odd tenderness for politics.
. There other playwrights who have score
, on the popular target, namely: B. E. Wool
} the author of The Mighty Dollar, who is Il
header of an orchestrs in Boston, and a MI
! stefan of remarkable ability Leonard Grove
e Who had made and lost a round million
opera before he wrote Our clearinghouse Of
. OF which he prohted to the extent OF S45, 00l
4 Edgar Fawcett, whoee receipts from b
u dramatic experiments probably amounted
L $500; Wi!lism Tommy, OF Chicago, WI
Il wrote Psndroesn for lawrence Barrett, al
. perhaps made 5000 by it, and Josqu
I Miller, whose Do1ses yielded him, all toll
u | the BY no means despicsble sum of Sll 90
Il To prolong the list beyoad these would
u to invade the privacy of ne clear silitera
: gents" who write "sketches" 5sr the varie
4 stage, and whose gifts are certified by csl
{ plimentsry ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS on The part
u tbair custoriners in the cofrlm ns of ~ fy;,r,<