Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-24
FOOTLIGHT IDOLS.
ACTORS WHO HAVE TURNED THE
HEADS OF WOMEN.
Reign. Fifteen Years Ago
His Predecessors and Successors
Who will be the Next?

Montague's Reign. Fifteen Years Ago
His Predecessors and Successors
Who will be the Next?
Perhaps it is not too early to begin a
canvass for suitable theatrical poseur
for the coming season. That the me-
tropolis must have such a man is borne
out by the past; theater-going femininity
can no more do without an actor-idol than it
can do without play houses, and the man
ager who brings forth the most promising
candidate will have the largest share of
fashionable patronage, as he has always
had.
True, this worshiping at the shrine of a
popular and handsome young Juvenile does
not obtain so largely now as it did a few
years ago.
This may be ascribed to two several
| causes-either New York women have be-
come more sensible. or the objects of their
| admiration have been less largely endowed
latterly with those physical graces which
characterized the actors of decade ago.
1t is probably the latter, for even to-day
the pulchritude of the lamented Mon
tague is talked about in many drawing
room with bated breath and sparkling eye.
Henry Montague undoubtedly possessed
a stronger fascination for the fair sex than
any man who appeared upon the New
| York stage before his reign or since. Fif-
teen years ago he was in his heyday, and
| it is nearly fifteen years since he died. He
was an ideal of manly beauty, and it is not
too much to say that half the women in
New York had their heads turned about
him.
1t was lucky day for the late Lester
Wallack when he brought him over from
J London to impersonate the juvenile roles
in the plays which he was presenting at
what is now the Star Theater. In Eng
land Montague had created nothing of
stir. He was considered handsome
young fellow and satisfactory actor
nothing more But when he made his
appearance he was hailed with wild en-
thusiasm. Before the expiration of
week he was absolutely the most promi-
nent man in New York. At every per-
formance the theater was crowded to the
doors with rapturous women. Flowers
were bestowed upon him in an avalanche,
and the applause of which he was the re-
cipient was enough to turn any ordinary
mans head.
But Montague had two traits which are
unfortunately lacking in too many of the
actors over whom women raye-he was
sensible, and he was honorable. Before
many days had passed he began to receive
hundreds of tender missives from silly
young girls and susceptible older women,
which were, no doubt, more or less COM
promising. 1t is known as a certainty
that these notes were destroyed by his
valet Immediately after their receipt.
1t was not only by letter that he was
courted moreover. Before very long soci
ETY. people, almost without exception,
threw open their doors to him, and he was
feted and made much of generally. With
the possible exception of Henry Irving, he
is the only foreign actor who has been re-
ceived everywhere in New York.
During his stay in New York it was his
custom to either drive or walk upon Fifth
avenue every afternoon-excepting those
of ma.inees-and upon these outings he
was the cynosure of all eyes. When walk
ing, his pace was usually very fast, and he
was usually accompanied by big Irish
setter. 1t seems almost incredible, but |
myself have seen him followed by society
girls for blocks, eager to catch glance
from him, and happy if they did. When
he drove it was in dog-cart of English
make-at that time a rare vehicle on this
Al ipdinaffo nf
his influence, the fact might be cited that
during his residence here women seldom
wore other flowers than violets. These
were his favorite flowers. His grave, In
Lester Wellac's plot in Greenwood Gem
etery, is now covered with them.
Many OF the stories told about the silly
girls and women who were infatuated with
Montague are doubtless exaggerated, but
several of them are known to be true.
| For instance, coterie of society girls met
once week for the purpose of burning
| waxen tapers before picture OF him.
| These girls are all married now. At the
| time they made no secret of their Stiffness,
and, if current report is to be believed,
| rather gleried in it.
Before Montague there had been, as
there doubtless always will be, some
| actor whom women idolized. The most
| prominent of these were John Wilkes
| Booth. Lester Wallack, the French tenor
| Capoul, Charles r. Thorne, Jr., and Geo.
Clark. successive,y. Of course there were
others. but these were the more prominent
| But none of them attained the ascendancy
| of Montague.
Contemporary with Montague were
| Charles f. Coghlan, Maurice Barrymore,
James O'Neill and George Rignold. Rig
mold. himself an Englishman and an actor
of heroic roles, was the only man who
seemed likely to become formidable
competitor for the favor of the fair sex.
| For a time there were number of apos-
| tates-but only for time. He was not a
handsome man when he Withdrew from
the glamour of the footlights, and he was
not received by society. Either circum-
stance was fatal to his chances.
After Montagues untimely death there
| was an interval of several years before any
other man was chosen as his successor.
Indeed, up to the present time there has
| been no actor upon whom women have so
| unanimously agreed. Gerald Eyre found
a few admirers, but it seemed that the ma
| iority we're wedd ed to the memory of
Montague. Not until the arrival of Os-
mon Tearle did there seem to be anything
| like concerted action in the selection of an
idol. About the same time Herbert Kel-
sey loomed into view, and j. B. Mason
came on from Boston, so there were three
TO participate in the honors.
The successor of Teale, Kyrle Bellew,
found Kelsey enjoying considerable popu-
larity, but with characteristic assurance he
promptly supplanted him. Then Bellew
retired and Kelsey has held the field until
/ now.
What the coming season may bring forth
is problematical. There is no Lester Wal
lack now to bring over another Montague,
and the only man of whom I've heard who
is at all likely to prove promising is Ar
| thur Dacre, who is to be leading man, |
believe, with Mrs Carter. But Dacre, if |
remember rightly, appeared here ten years
ago in Through the Dark" the first ver-
sion of Steele Mackaye's Money Mad"
As he came very far from creating sensa-
tion then, it is hardly possible that he will
do so now.
Trivial as the theme may seem, the
matter of having a leading man over
whom women will rave is no unimportant
| one. Wallack understood that fact thor
oughly, and handsome leading man was