Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-02
PLAYS AND ACTORS.
Play Writers Who Can Demand Their
Own Terms.
THE PEN AND THE STAGE
The End of Scanlan's Brilliant Career-Bis
Great Earnings and How They Were DISH
pated-A Contrast with Murphy's Prosi-
dent Habits-ScanIans Fear of the Mad
House.

ing exposure Of false pretense on the part OF
actors The common impression given out by
conspicuous stage folks. and especially by
stars, is that their lives are made miserable
by the opportunities OF authors who have plays
TO sell OF course a vast quantity OF writings
by amateurs is sent to actors and managers.
Just as editors OF newspapers and publishers OF
books are overwhelmed with crude manu-
scripts, but beyond this undesirable supply the
posers Of the stage like to make it appear that
professional authors groyel at their feet with
plays proffered in their appealing, uplifted
hands. 1t is not SO. The brief time spent with
the dramatist mentioned disproved the
familiar fRllacy. This writer is by no
means illustrious. He is what we would call
in the newspaper profession hack writer.
That is TO say, he produces such matter as will
sell most surely and remlneratively. He has
never aspired to writing q drama for its own
sake-a work 20 stand alone on its merits, but
his method is TO first find customer in the
person OF a star and then fit him out with q
play suitable for his best exploitation Now
this author of medium grade and middling
prosperity might be supposed to seek pur-
ckasers OF his wares. Well, we sauntered
along through the ortion OF Broadway known
as the Rialto my companion was stopped by u
brisk small:sh young fellow, who proved to be
q brother Of Lolita, the actress. He told the
playwright that his sister. who is taking a vaca-
ZION this season. would return to the stage ne 1t
Year If she could get a new play that she liked.
Then he button holed the author and impor-
tuned him TO write q piece for her. submit a
scenario, st least" he pleaded. The
author replied that he hadn't time to
do that, but if an idea should come
TO him he might drop line to Lolita letting
her know Of it. little further along we came
across Charles Abbott, the husband Of Maggie
Mitchell, and the first thing that he said to the
playwright was: You said you'd send me the
scheme Of play for my wife. but you haven't
done it." Ny friend retorted that he had made
no such promise. and he got away by saying,
indefinitely, that he would communicate plan
il one should occur to him. Now, Lolita and
Maggie Mitchell are the richest two actresses in
the world. yet here was each of them begging q
play wright to work Tor them Before the end
Of the hour he had encountered four more man
ayers of less prosperous stars, and In every case
he was invited to write play.
business seems to be booming" remarked
''Oh. nc" was the reply. This is the or
binary sort OF thing You will recall that not
one of these men really talked business. They
simply wanted NE to submit schemes for PLAYS
for their rejection in case they didn't like them
That would put ME to week or a month Of
work, according to how soon might hit upon
a scheme, and for that time and labor / would
be assured OF no paw whatever. But suppose
that my scenario did happen to strike the
mans fancy? Then he would cooly ask me to
write the play on option. Now, my terms are
down before put pen TO paper. even to SO
much write out scenario. If the scheme
of the play is accepted demand $500 more be-
fore commencing to write the play
The contract must assure a product ton
Of the piece on or before a certain date. and
during Its use must get royalties at the rate
of SlJ for each evening performance and $40
for each matinee until the aggregate of paw
menis has reached $1,000. at which point the
play becomes the property OF the purchaser
outright All these men know nv schedule of
prices So. when they talk indie nltely L do
the same, and am not tempted for an instant to
waste any time on them. When a man comes
TO me with the money IN his hand for prelim-
mary payment set to work at once, provided
am rot already engaged"
MEN WHO MAKE THEIR OWN TERMS
There are something like dozen men Of fair
ability and much experience in play making
who WORK this same basis That is to saw
they are being constantly importuned by actors
anu actresses 10 write plays for them and thew
don't do II without certainty corresponding
nearly 20 that which NV friend explained Be.
sides these authors there four American
tramatlsts who won't write a play for "A star
a. ~! unless paid very extravagantly therefor
They are Bronson Howard. David Belasco. vii
liam Gillette and Henry C. DeIiille. The last
piece which Howard wrote for a star was lin
the Adirondack for Helen Dauyrav. and
lie got $4,000 cash down for the
Job, with royalties to follow and
the piece was a failure az that This quar-
tet Of successful pl@yvrights will not any
longer oevote their talents TO any purpose In
which risk OF small recompeEse is involved
They Will write only for stock company pro-
CuctlOns and under contracts tie terms Of
which might astoaish the general reader, who
Is inclined, perhaps. TO rate all authors as i'm
pecuaIOus authors. Each of these four ia in
weekly receipt, II not oIiener, OF solicitations
from actors 10 write plays for them So il is
GEAR that wElle actors are chased by untried
authors with manuscripts they In turn chase
those authors whose regulations are established
scASLASs FATE
II takes a good man to 60 the pace in this
fast world W. J. Seaman found the gai, too
speedy. He had been in the race nearly three
years before he quit, not to the surprise. but
surely to tie sorrow of all who knew him
This young Irish actor and swee, singer, now n
sufferer from paresis in its worst form. will
PROBABLY ole within a few days. unless q mir
acle Interyenes- he first published accounts
OF bis mental collapse have been softened. prob
ably IN consideration Of the feelings Of the
actor manager and relatives but the facts
cannot longer be disguised The best brain
specialists IN this city agree that there is no
hope for Seaman Six months ago he NAV have
had chance. He was counseled to work
steadily, but above all TO resist his old inclina
Mons; Vet he was unable to heed the warning
He had played, 1t Is upe, until the last
but there was often a mockery in his
performance, which was at times so
wretehet as to amaze his Audience while at
other times II had all the old fire and finish OF
the past Work might have helped Seaman 40
the doctors said They had not counted upou
his hours Of recreation, and that is where their
foresight Was at fault This is "a big town and
II Is sui lIveliest after theater hours ScanIan
found the old habits too strong to overcome
He keenest watchfulness could not prevent
him from breaking away. and the breaks have
brought him face TO face with the finish. Then
WY not tell the truth about him! WHY NOT
pOini moral with his sad fate! This man nj
thIrty-tve has lived all the life that Octave
feullIet pictured IN Baron Ctery'ldL At twenty
nve lie was variety singer, earning $50 a
week; al twenty-seven clever he was con-
Eiered worth three times that amount and at
thirty lie was a successful star in Irish drama.
the you lgest up 10 his time. the bes, singer of
Them all, and the one with the bright
est prospects Seven years ago he began
10 astonish old actors and managers
by the size Of his annual profits
They have never since ceased to wonder at
those earnings, which were, TO tell the truth.
amazing Joe Emmett alone surpassed Scanlau
a. q winner" and there were seasons when
even Emmett whore periods Of inebriety cost
him thousands OF dollars. figured his profits as
n consequence far below those of Billy
Scanlan- IL seems like fiction to saw il. but il
IL nevertheless - fact that for a number of
years Scan4ans tours Melted. clear above all ex-
Penses, more than Edwin Booths and Lawrence