St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-11
The OLD BONDS BROKEN.
Robson and Crane Agree to Disagree
for the Future.
IA IA TO THE DRoMIos
Interesting Gossip as to What Led
Up to Their Part
ing.

Tile CnlcagO opera mouse the last FOUR
weeks, was in a pleasant humor last
night as he thought of the Sl25,O00
profits which the play will bring in this
season, and which the rousing Chicago
audiences had helped toward making
certainty.
"How did the rise of Robson and
Crane come about, WiIliam?" asked
gentleman who felt sufficiently familiar
with Old Nick to address him by his
first name off the stage.
"Twelve years ago." said Mr.. Crane,
'swe came together, and, barring one
little crash right at the beginning that
threatened to smash our relations, we
pleasantly and profitably. Grover, the
dramatist, had produced Our Boarding
House" in San Francisco, and in a
measure it had been success. He went
to New York and succeeded in getting
A. M. Palmer, then manager of the
Union Square theater, to make him an
advance upon it. Later Palmer learned
that T. 81. French, the pub
Usher, had made an advance on
the same play which antedated
his claim, and was arranging with
Abbey for its production at the Park
theater. The three sensibly concluded
to pool their issues. AT that time | was
in Boston playing LIE Blanc in EVAN
never appeared in a comedy role in
New York, Mr.. Abbey engaged me to
play Prof. Gillypod. Mr.. Robson, who,
after long training under Mr.. Palmer's
banner, had been starring OH his own
account, returned to New York about
the same time, and Palmer, not know
ing of Abbey'S contract with me, gave
Robson the same part. The first thing
heard about it was a telegram from
Abbey which read something like this:
think part of Elevator will
suit you better. Will give you
SIS weekly more. Answer Now, l
had read that Elevator had been
played by old men, and l didn't want to
make my FIRST appearance in New York
as an old man. | wired refusal. Then
came another dispatch: Impossible
for you to play Gillypod. Will give you
twenty-five extra for Elevator L went
to lawyer and he told me l could de-
mand Gillypod, and if it wasn't given
to me all l need do was to draw my sal
airy for as long as the piece ran in New
York. But this didn't suit me. l wanted
to act. So made an arrangement with
Abbey to receive Elevator, with the
understanding that if l didn't like it
l should give it up without preju-
dice to my claim. As l considered
Gillypod the part of the piece, you can
imagine that L didn't look at Robson
with any friendly eye. After time l
saw that l could make something out of
Elevator, and [ so informed Abbey. But
my scenes with Robson didn't go. We
didn't work together. 1t was the last
rehearsal but one when | determined to
end it. So [ went to him and said ::
Robson, do you know l was engaged
for your part?' WELL he said, i have
heard so, but as you never said
anything to me about it [ sup
posed you were satisfied We'll, Pm
not l replied. IF you had come to
me sooner, said Robson, Il would
have given up the part, but l can't in
justice to the managers do that nOw.' l
believed him then, and from what /
have known of him since l am sure he
meant it. So we shook hands and set to
work to do what we could with orr
scenes. And | am now convinced that
after all the parts were cast in the best
way. The piece made a hit, and we
have been together ever since. When
we finally determined on reviving the
Comedy of Errors on grand
scale we put nearly 900 into it before
the curtain went up. Its great success
is we'll known. Then we had Bronson
Howard write The Henrietta of which
it is unnecessary for me to speak, except
that when l was told | would have to do
little bit of pathoO in it l declared it
was an impOssibility. But yielded to
and the public has been kind to me, at
least. Mr.. Howard will probably write
a new play for us, but we expect to
cling to THE Henrietta for at least two
years longer"
After dozen years of partnership,
during which fortune has smiled upon
them to an extraordinary extent, Robson
and Crane, the comedians, have set
definite limit of one season more upon
their business association, says the Chi
cago Herald. At the end of next season
the heroes of ''Our Boarding House,"
and many other productions more or less
successful, will each go his own way.
1t is the old story over again of the in
creaSing independence that comes with
plentiful supply of this worlds goods.
While labOring under the spur of neceS-
Sity minor grievances and greater am
billions could alike be overlooked. But
both Of these men are now rich-indeed,
if the estimates of friends are correct,
each is the happy pOSSeSSOr of not less
than 100000, quite enough one would
say to keep the wolf from the door for
more than the ordinary span of human
life. With his future thus assured, Mr..
Crane has, for some time, dreamed of
starring on his own account in a class of
plays that would give him greater in
dividual opportunity, and a little I'M
pIeasantness occurring between him
and Mr.. Robson in Philadelphia few
weeks ago encouraged that design.
There is an amiable desire on the part
of all who are cOgniZant of the facts to
suppress this episode, but as it will in
evitably obtain the dignity of print,
there can be no object in ignoring it at
this time.
1t seems, according to the story, that
after a long period of most commend
able abstinence Mr.. Robson fell vic
tim once again to the seductions of the
flowing bowl, and was unable to appear
in his unique character of BERTHE Van
Alstyne, very much to the detriment of
the performance. Irritated by this
failure of his partner to answer the ex-
pectatiOn of patrons, Mr.. Crane is said
to have expressed himself in a manner
more forcible than elegant, and the
rupture occurring at that time has not
been healed. Only the most formal
business relations exist between the
two men, and now that the season is at
an end each will go his own way with
feeling of relief, no doubt, that the
daily strain of an unwelcome associa-
ton is at an end for the present.
There is little doubt that, if 1.-THE
Henrietta" were something less of a
success than it is, the partnership would
be brought to close Immediately; but,
since they are in joint possession of
play that is coming money and is easily
good for another season of enormous
profit, not even the hard philosophy of
a personal misunderstanding could lead
them TO throw away such an alluring
prospect.
Mr.. Brooks, who will act in the