Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-05-16
Fun not in the Play Books.

fun among themselves on the STAGE" said
veteran actor. $50 long as they don't let
the audience know what liberties they are
taking no especial wrong is done, though
guying is strongly discountenanced by good
managers. Generally the best fun is quite
impromptu, but sometimes a joke is care
fully planned beforehand. Two of the pre-
arranged kind have been played on Billy
Florence, himself an inveterate guyer. In
the picnic scene in The Mighty Dollar he is
requested to sing,-but, before beginning,
asks, Has any member got. q troche?' A
negative reply being received, he proceeds to
do his best without the throat clearer. One
night in San Francisco, when he put this
question, every member of the company rose,
walked solsmnly to the footlghts, and offered
him box of troches. Nearly everybody has
seen The Mighty Dollar" and knows that
when Florence is asked if he sings he replies:
Those who have heard me say don't.
He, however, yields to solicitation and begins
to warble, but in SO execrable fashion that
after a few notes the players cough him down.
A job was put up, and when the usual cue
for the coughs came not a sound was heard.
Florence struggled along, but didn't know
the song well, and was very uneasy. He
looked around, shook his foot, and made
signs behind his back, but no one noticed
him. He had to sing to the end of the verse,
and then we applauded him and asked for an
encore.
''AlI the Thornes are ever on the lookout
for fun, and are not very particular that audi
ences shall not see that they are not sticking
to the text. Edwin, now starring in The
Black Flag is the most incorrigible. When
his father was lessee of Niblo's business was
very bad, and the old gentleman was known
to be in financial straits. The Lady of the
Lake was the attraction, with Mr.. Thorne as
Roderick Dhu, and Edwin as Fitzjames
When Roderick gave the line, 4 am Roderick
Dhu,' Edwin responded, Yes, Mr.. Thorne,
and your rents due, too piece called
The Spy was produced, with Edwin in the
principal role. The early acts showed it was
going to be a dead failure. At a certain point
a character had to rush on and shout, Five
hundred dollars for the Spy Thorne, who
was concealed behind q rock, arose and cried,
It's yours-copyright, manuscript and
parts!' That was the end of the performance
The late Charles r. Thorne would stand and
whisper funny stories into an actors ear
when the poor fellow had the most serious
speeches to make. Owen Fawcett was eener-
ally his match They we're playing The
Tive Orphans at the Union Square, Thorne
being the Chevalier and Fawoett the valet,
Picard. In the garret scene Thorne had to
threaten that he would throw Picard out of
the window, and Picard prayed that his
master would remember how high the window
was from the ground. One night Thorne
made the usual threat, What's the matter
with the door?' replied Fawcett, quick a
fash, and the audience shouted. The next
night Thorne, determined not to be caught,
said in one breath, L will throw you out of
that window, and there is nothing the matter
with the door,
"Stage fright" continued the veteran,
tEofkap cauaaS Soma funpU effects E6Uin
Forests tremendous voice and fierce manner
used to alarm the utility people and supers
and many are the stories told of him. One
of the best Is of super who had to do a lit
tie bit of business and couldn't manage it to
the stars satisfaction. Forrest did it for
him once or twice in the desired way, and
then growled out, Why can't you do it as
do?' Because answered the super, if I
could I should be ge. ting your salary instead
of twenty-five cents q night!' Forrest was
once about to play Metamora, and at a par
ticular point desired to turn and find a utility
man standing close beside him The cue for
the utility man was to be. The tomahawk
of the red man is buried at the white mans
hearthstone' Several timas the cue was
given, but the poor man never got there in
time He gave positive assurance, however,
that it would be all right at night The mo-
ment arrived, and Forrest thundered the
speech with all his might. Then he turned,
but the man was missing. When Forrest was
in his dressing room after the act the face of
the culprit appeared through an opening just
wide enough to admit it. am very sorry,
Mr.. Forrest, but really didn't hear you give
the cue Any other excuse would have
drawn from Forrest torrent of abuse but
this astounded him. Taking out s. bill,
he gave it to the man with the words Didn't
hear me? Well, go and see an ear doctor in
the morning
"When eating has to be done on the stage
there is great temptation to play tricks with
the food. During the run of Henry " at
Booths, Bishop, Pistol had to eat a leek
every night. 1t was made from an apple.
But once Thorne. who was the Fluellen, gave
him a real onion, and he had to struggle with
it though the tears eoursed down his fat
cheeks. When Sellers has the dish of turnips
brought in there are always two peeled ap-
pies on the dish. Raymond can't bear tur-
nip. 1t is poison to him. An actor removed
the apples one night, and Raymond had to
struggle with the real thing. You can bet
there was war after the curtain fell. Matt
Snyder, now stage manager for Robson and
Crane, is an inveterste practical joker. He
was sitting one day at matinee performance
of Uncle Tom Fosberg who is exceeding
ly tall, was playing George Harris. When he
came to the speech in which he declares that
at the worst he can earn six feet of free soil,
Snyder arose and said very politely, Excuse
me, Mr.. Fosberg, seven Thank you, Mr..
Snyder, seven, returned FoSO6rg, ana went
on gravely with his lines.
ssThe bows got even with Snyder last season
when he was playing in 49' with Rankin.
Snyder acted the bibnlous general who has
to take three or four drinks of whIskey dur
ing the last act. Gold tea was the substitute
ali along but at the end of the season the
boys got some awful Jersey lightning and
handed three stiff drinks to him. Snyder
smelt them, but had to drink. The cruelest
part of the joke was that after drinking the
whiskey, water is offered to him, and he has
to refuse it with disgust That night he
would have given $5 to cool his throat, but
Rankin was Watching him, and he had to do
the regular business. When people get up
and go out during scene, it is, of course,
very annoying A variety man said to
party of young men who were moving rather
noisily from their seats recently: pray don't
get up, Ill have the drinks sent in to you
They didn't go. Pistols that have been for
gotten, or that have refused to go off, have
caused innumerabie troubles to actors. This
year, in Chicago. Boucicsult forgot the pistol
which he has to fire from behind the barrel
in the last act of the 'Shaughraun. Arte
O'Neal and Korry Kinchella engaged in their
desperate struggle, but no pistol came to the
relief of the virtuous maiden in distress.
Those spectators nearest the front heard this
whispered dialogue:
"sWhere's the pistol?'
I've forgotten it.
What shall we do?'
hit him, and he must fell.'"
carte raised her pretty little hand and
knocked out the villain with one blow. But
the actor who had to come on and feel the
wounded man was not prepared for the
change, and his reference to the supposed
bullet wound brought down the house.
The Bloody Assize.
[Aex Charles Edwald, In the Gentlenan's Magazine.l
The cruelty which characterized the SEN
tences passed by this hateful judge( Jeffreys)
upon the prisoners brought before him was
| always apparently Never did he once err on the
side of mercy. If hescondemned man to
the Rallows or to transportation, he was al
! ,uara narafnl 20 add to the severity Of the