Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-31

| NY cnarge is SlU Tor play whether farce,
two-act or fve-act drama. They nearly all
want something for nothing. A well-known
/ stage manager came to me one Saturday to
get out the properties from the prom pt book.
He was to stage the play Monday. He is
an expert, and gets $500 for staging play
that is, arranging the scenes, properties,
placing the people, adjusting them to their
parts, or their parasitic them, etc. Well, he
had me get stenographer and kept US at it
a full evening Not because the matter
amounted to much, but the trouble of get
ting it together.
"What do you suppose that $500 man
gave me? Fifty centsl He paid by the
folio.< was SO mad could have thrown
the money in his face. No; didn't do that
| Il gave 1t to an actor to get something to
eat. They'll keep the manuscript of q
| play lying around in the Office drawer for a
| month, or six months, until the company is
| engaged and everything ready Tor rehearsal.
Then they'll rush in on Saturday, and de-
mand the parts Tor Monday.
SOME wELL-KNowN PEOPLE.
"1 did 80 contracts for Pauline Hall.
The work ought to have been worth $50, but
l thought the bill looked little high, so I
cut it down to $50. They kicked the ROOF
of almost, and made me take S25 finally,
and had to wait month FOR the money.
Some OF these people insist on my working
night and day to get play out by certain
time, then go away and don't come back for
the matter for week or two.
Stuart Robson is the best man to work
Tor. He's just as nice as he can be. I'd
break my neck to fill acontract with such
man. Then there's Cecil Clay, Rosina
Vokes' husband. He's another nice man.
Horace Townsend, Treasurer o. the Dra-
matte Authors Society, kept two of US a
day and evening doing press work for the
Sea King / sent him a bill, but never
got cent. He came back and increased it.
was glad he didn't borrow money OF me-"
The sarcasm of this was searching.
Borrow? You laugh. Why, you don't
know these people as do. Just the other
day an actor (our building is swarming
with actors and managers every day, you
know brought in pair of cuff buttons,
worth, should say, about 30 cents, and
wanted me to let him have $25 on them.
gave him quarter and"
"Did he take it?"
DOES A FISH SWIM?
'Take It'll You bet your life he took it
He would have taken 10 cents. SwelI-look-
ing young fellow, too. He didn't leave his
cuff buttons, either. A nice looking actor
came In one day-I don't know why they
suouiu COmc u mS-pTOOdUly WOulQ 9Lrlke
anybody-I was the handiest individual
angel-and asked me for Sc. 1t was to 90
to his mother; said his mother was looking
or remittance from him. Remittances
this kind usually come the other way, be-
lieve. He had just signed for the season
and would pay me rom his first week
salary. His story about his mother was
very pretty and gave it to him. This vas
year ago. His first weeks salary hasn't
been paid yet. never heard about him o r
his mother since, anyhow, and don't sup
pose he would lie about it.
about these plays. l copied German |
play two years ago. We use English let |
ters and German spelling. The play was |
laid 7S0 years before Christ That play has |
turned up in my Office three times. Dog |
cared? Well. when play has been handed |
down couple of thousand years, you know, |
without getting on the market, it is liable |
to get mussed up
SAMPLE MANUSCRIPTS.
stalking about manuscripts OF this |
stuff is so bad can save time by rewriting
most of it before doing the typewriting. |
There is one well-known playwright who
can't read his own writing after he is |
through with it. Stuart Robson can't read |
his own writing. He wouldn't know his
own check from a washbill."
why don't you get married, Miss Par
ker?''
''Get married. can't afford to support a
husband. 1t Is as much as I can do to
make decent living for myself All the
men ! usually meet are living off of some
woman who is working hard on the stage.
don't want to go back to the stage for the
sake OF keeping man. They come too
high"
"Oh, no, not at ALL I never saw a man
worth hating. When see these miserable
specimens of manhood hanging around our
building and holding down the corners on
Broadway am perfectly satisfied to pound
away at this machine and preserve my in
dependence.
Lovers HARD TIMES
Speaking iabout this reminds me of a
am now conducting for a
man and with his sweetheart 1 am em.
ployed to write all of his letters. Isign
his name. He can scarcely write at all,
though he furnishes the material and gives
me general idea of what is to be said. L
don't use the machine, but write it all out
in bold, masculine style. He has been
luarreling with her lately. Here get in
some fine work. He can't understand
language unless it has edge on it like the
back of an ak. She does, though, bless
your heart! You can just bet they are hav-
ng great time of it.
"The other day wrote her IA pages Of
,ote trying to fix up things worked hard
,ver it. and charged him 81. He almost |
ainted. Some people expect to buy such
work on the basis of mere physical labor
ike you were digging potatoes. Funny,
sn't it? Just as il newspaper would pay
7ou only 80 cents for an article because it
ook You but an hour to write it. 1t takes
'rains, education, experience and gumpton
o do frst-class typewriting. Perhaps I |
'ught to put gumption first, Tor without COM
non, raw-boned everyday horse sense a
or typewriter isn't worth much