The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-03-13
BAD BLACK CROOK.
History of the Progress, Decline and Fall
of the Greatest of Spectacular
Dramas.
Nicissitudes i'm the Experience of Some of
the First Demon Dancers
known.

nd nl,aI MI.
.r's ,,,,.' 800. - - w ''l,' vi
the Ah'erlc''h sI'ge. FOR many years IL mas
been the very acme of the naked drama and
oven now nnne Of tho oo.,r,nst ororas ,,o.,,,i,.
~ ~ 'f"" ~, 'o
oi such scaiit costuihlhg, or ralhcr such liberal
want of cOstumin9. But the Black Crook is
not aIwovs presontnd in OH ito bidoous ,t,r.o
q - g. " " ~ w
sVehess' sometimes, III difference To public
opinion, the management relieves the Crook
of some of the Objectionable features. Such
no attempt was made to rival Matt Morgan's
statuary though apparently the corps de ballet
were not fOrgctilIl of those touching lines of
May Fisk'S beginning '"rhc devil sheth best
for souls of men when his hook is bated with
Il lovely limb" But they didn't have much
chance TO do anything else than show them
selves "A pas Seul had to be limited to Il very
rev ieet space anu an entrecnats de quatre
tiy or the gas lets or something ''''' '" -" I"
rnr,r,v rrrrrr,yr
hpoAL''f hffECIi'E'
Considering the disadvantages, the dancing
was very good. The dancers were 10 in mum
Der. The other spectacular effects were some
what married also. For instance, the COMPANY
had IA transformation scenes and the stage
would allow of the presentation of but four,
and those only nall SO well as elsewhere. But
taken all in all the scenic effects were the best
ever in. San Antonio.
You ought to nave an opera house here,
said Mr.. Huntlcy, the manager of the company.
lyon can build one for S:GOU or $40OJ0 and
there hsilO uOuDt IL Woulu pay. III lhlS pace
we can't put on anything as we should. We've
got only an S-fOot stage for 2I-fOOl drop and
have three trips"
The history of the rise and fall of the great
spectacular drama is suggestive of the moral
ity of the times. The way was prepared for it
slowly. Time was when thCatrc-gOerS, though
willing for actresses to show as much of their
neckS, shoulders and bustS as they now bare
for SarOmy's admirable pictures, and not OPP
posed to seeing wei shaped women i'm tight
lifting trousers, would have Kissed off the
stage any woman who presumed to show 4
cOmcly modelled limb uncovered above the
me: but, IRON various causes, the
drama was usbered i'm. There was first a snv-
grsiiOn of II by Emily Thorne in her inner
Sonati0u of the Goddess of Liberty. Of coiIrse
She was attacked by the press and the puIpiI.
and society
,.,,,., ,r,,,r, ,,,,,,, :, ,,,,,,,,,,,,
DEL 'N""o ii"h''r S'''hED
But both press and pulpit were slenced by
Justification ON patriotic grounds and
society gradually recovered, indeed, ycarncd
for another exhibition of the same
character. 1t soon came. Lola Montez, the
Countess lAndsicldt and alleged mistress of
the King of Bavaria, appeared. Her beauty of
face and figure was her fortune. TO retain her
position she must display it; and she did to
the fullest extent permissible. Following her
came Pauline Mark khan, Liza Weber DeMassy,
Rosa, Rigl, LangalcS, Weathcrsby, MOrlacchi,
and Il host OF other women whose bustS and
understandings turned the heads of youth and
old age; along with them the Black Crook. The
tlilhB, IihNcslO oil uIdlilH WIS lnc pfOuucI-
the dialogue portion at least of Charles VI.
Barras, a stick whose line of business was char
acter acting. liIrraS intended il for
the New YORK Academy OF Music =,
and the part OF HerZOg for himself,
with his wife as Stalacta. But the Academy
burned down, and SO other ARRANGEMENTS had
10 be made. BarraS concluded them with the
hi W .Nnna1 - rol tnc MS hululcd
lStlis ms CON i'IiiHaCloIi was sliali' ot alteT
thaI he was enabled 10 MAKE ms own terms and
money m"o uPoIi INN mn ulIi MS uealm'
NC Lts,I,i VI InmMaS 1cci9chI Ill march, 1919.
HPe"hli'E VI ""'i"S '"'c'
SAID AN OLD STAGER,
'rrminls me that nearly pvprybody rnunactad
with the Crook had n GOOD many ms ami
downs and not n few or them ca,nS tn a Ind
end There was Harry Palmer II. com
menceI Iifc selling HhT,tti became a araat
fayorte with the ladies' a little too much nr a
rayOrite for his own pood-,massed a For
time by taking M the Crock and
died before he had attained even the nrin,e nr
life. But his partner, Henry ,Jarrett,"Siv dOg
Harry" they called him-how me lived and
yrew fat and Jolly Prrhaps il was ,nonavad
Success No iIntimeIy death for him lie 3,nJ
Palmer gasC WheatIGy S3j am once for thraa
weeks lease of NibIn's when fbn Crn,L 80 On
WhratIry was lucky. too Gut only fnr a short
line. lie made Sf2OUOO in n iG-mnnths' RIM
mt lost il nil ON the only real ,,nI t,niw
original American BIack Friday 'Thr1
there was lake Ii,nmrrm1n TraoSnro1. Of
the Garden. lie rrtirad with 81 rnrt,'no also
but Mile, Lconatines unset him-hrnIIe hin, iii
m mnntaiiy n',"iI'P ',,;aa ~ ohc , nli an
other waySnOt by fascinSting him INT bis
money box $4,000 in cool, crisp notes
and he went crazy and died in an asylum
And the women the gushing Aminas silken
throated Carllnes, statuesquc RosettS, scaly
Stulactas! Is it u wonder that scandal pinned