The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-30
FUN In THE SHOW BUSINESS.
Amusing Stories Told by a Manager About
Himself and Other People.

FUN IN THE SHOW BUSINESS.
Amusing Stories Told by a Manager About
Himself and Other People.
Brooklyn Eagle
'Fun!' exclaimed Manager Mcconnell in his
pigeon-hole Office at the Brooklyn Theater the
other night IF you want fun, you want to
travel with a show. Perhaps you didn't know
that 1 was acto,r-r myself once. O yes,
was. John Mccullough and | used to act to-
gether [ told you about shaking hands with
John in 'Virginius,' and dropping a boiled egg
into his palm tibet he had to stand and hold for
about ten minutes as he hadn't any pockets in
his toga. He would have eaten me- if hadn't
escaped to the paint-frame
Talking about paint-frames did ever tell
you that story they relate of John Stetsonl NOT
Well, whom John was in Boston he had scene
painter named Webster. One day at rehearsal
some of the actors got into dispute over the
pronunciation of word, and proceedings were
suspended while of the number went to
Wehsters Dictionary to ascertain the true pro-
nunciation Stetson happened to be in at that
moment, and burst out with Here, here, get
to work. What are you idling aboutin this way
for? One of the actors said they were in doubt
about word but they had just settled it, as
Webster said so and So Stetson bounded on
back on your pant-fraine. If YOU ever interfere
in rehearsal in this theater again I'll discharge
youp
You remember the scene in Virglnlus
Forum. When we played that in Pittsburg we
hired a lot of men from the rd6ing- mills to play
the populace. The captain of the supers was
one OF our own men, and he commanded the
troops. Some of us resolved on a little fun,
and limited to the populace that this captain was
a terrible fellow; that he got excited when he
was playing, and that he usually hurt somebody
when ne was thrasning around with his sword.
When the Forum scene was on L hunted for
cover, and waited Developments The populace
was on hand, made up with muscles like John
L. Sullivans, and armed with rubber clubs.
The troops waltzed in, leveled their spears at
the people, and the captain menaced them with
his sword. That was thecue for the populace to
get out, but it~ wouldn't go. Mccullough
was wild, and the prompter Yves that
excited that he almost yelled: Every
the stagey but the, Roman populace
stood as if they had been glued. Finally the
captain of the supers pranced in among them
and began to lay the fiat of his sword ever their.
shns, at the same time telling them in an under
tone to back away. That was what they were
waiting for. They took the poor chap by the
arms and legs and gave him a toss that sent him
nearly up to the flies. They played battledore
and shuttlecock with him until, assure you,
there was nothing on him but half pair of
tights. He had to be hauled away for repairs,
ard was discharged as usual was discharged
regularly every Saturday night, but / always
went to work again on Monday wasn't going
to be left away out in the woods at a time when
walking was poor.
animals? Yes. I've had enough of animals
on the stage We had cook-fght here one
night In barn yard scene. The last time that
The Romany Rye was here the dog Lion should
have kept beside the actress who. played Gertie,
and when she said You would kiss me, wouldn't
you, Liong he should have put his head in her
lap and licked her hand. What does that dog do
but walk away and smell at an old radish that he
had found there
eve were playing in a Georgia town one
of was xUba lay and
We're starring together. Lawrepce was playing
Hamlet and was doing the skull, or some other
part like that | was property man at that time,
and Pansacked that Georgia town for a pick ak
to be used by the grave digger and couldn't find
one There was nothing else to do but to make
one had strong jack knife, SO whitfield
pick AK out OF two pieces of soft pine and pasted
tin foil over the blade of it, It looked like a
pick-ax, but it weighed only about pound. and
s., who was playing the grave digger that
night. gave away the whole thing When the
curtain went up S. was in the grave splitting
on his hands. He took the pick by the end of
the handle and let the blade drop on the bottom
of the grave 1t was so light that it bounced
about three feet The people in front shouted
Then he picked the thing up between his thumb
and finger and worked that way, letting it bounce
at every stroke. 1t looked about as if he was
pecking at the bottom with a piece of straw
Then he leaned against the edge Of the grave
and picked his teeth with it and scratched his
ear with the point, all the time holding it be-
tween his thumb and one finger, mind you, and
singing away as sober as you please He and
were both discharged that night.
Next night Barrett and gave Hamlet IN
hall over butchers shop. where ruffian below
stairs kept smashing up sausages all evening
The place was frightfully hot, and row of
steam pines ran under the stage. When S.
jumped into the grave to do his digging act he
was almost knocked over by the heat that played
around his legs. The hot air came through the
trap In regular gust. He shoveled out the
skull and got away from there in a hurry. Then
the funeral procession camein, bringing Ophelia
on tray, and when they put the bier over the
trap and began to lower it the hot air blew up
the corners of the pail and showed that there
was no Opbelia there. However, they went
with the show, and the queen came up as sol
emn as you please shed one or two weeps, and
then began to drop flowers into the grave 1t
happened that the flowers were made of tissue
paper, and just as the queen said Sweets to the
sweet the hot blast caught the whole lot Of
paper leaves and roses, and they went sailing
all oyer the theater. Some Of them danced
around two or three feet over our heads. some
floated out in front and were caught in the
chandeliers. and some came down among the
audience There was the biggest kind of a
laugh, and we had to ring down the curtain.
Yes, there's lots of fun in the show business