Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-14
ACTORS AND HO0DOOS
WOE TO PLAY WHOSE FIRST NIGHT
SEES A YELLOW FLAeEoLer.

good plny and good company | wish
that had not seen the dress rehearsal"
"You're getting old, colonel aud you
only sec success in the past" said leading
man.
'That is where you are wrong, replied
the manager II know good thing when
see 1t, and this play is good thing, but
It began with hoodoo, aud It will surely
fail"
"Hoodoos are tommyrotl There Is no
such thing as n boodoo that can harm any
play"
Around the table were half n dozen actors
and men interested In theatrical affairs.
Few men In New York know more about
the history OF the American stage for the
past few years than the manager who apoke.
Booth, Jefferson, Barrett and Irving have
all claimed him as their friend, and his
"reminiscences OF the stnge make him the
center figure in any after I. play gather.
ing Of actors.
Now, colonel, 4" snid the leading man when
the glasses had been filed, "you were talk
ing about hoodoos on tho stage ! don't
believe in them. When play is a failure,
II is easy to explain it by saying It had a
hoodoo."
"Well," said the colonel, actors the
world over are n superstitious lot Even
Henry Irving brought his horseshoe to this
country when he first came here. didn't
believe in hoodoos and that sort of thing
when was young don't like to accept
them now, but / am forced 10 by expert
ence.
Have you ever known tho yellow flageo-
let to fail in wrecking play Now, you
laugh at that. think that, as u rule, there
IL, har To-, 90 l.t L.,
but there is peculiar fatality in the cir.
cumstances that bring it into theater or
chestra at dress rehearsal or on an open
ing night There was a yellow flageoet
in the orchestra today, and that Is why
say that the piece Is doomed. Yes, that's
right; laugh II you will, but my experience
is a long one, and / think am sane man.
Any old manager in this country will tell
YOU that yellow hRgeolet is sure to wreck
any company. Circus men won't have them
in their bands could tell you many in
cidents to Illustrate what | say. Perhaps
you remember that when The Junior Part,
ner' was put on, every one said il was 60
ing to be big success. Everything point
ed that way, but it opened with yellow
fageolet in the orchestra, aud then Mrs.
Mckee Rankin's troubles began. That is
"A fact have known stage managers, and
sensible men, too, who would refuse to ring
up the curtain until the yellow hageolet
was driven out of the orchestra"
THAT is Just as absurd, - said the light
comedy man, 'as the cheese that the Ital-
ian ballet girls in the Crystal Slipper kept
in their dressing rooms. | know the effect
Of that mascot, for was in the company.
Every time went on the stage or near the
dressing rooms thought of Hunters Poiut
and the gAshouse district Couldn't per.
suade those girls TO throw away this cheese.
They believed that as long ts they kept II
they would be sure OF M engagement, The
cheese had been given to them In Italy to
| rotect them from harm. Each girl had \
| small piece OF it-lond cheese it was, too
rolled up in paper In her trunk. To be sure
| of protection they took II to their dressing
| rooms. Eddie Foy nearly choked because
| of the smell of that cheese. Eddie never
! did like comic opera, and that cheese set
tied him 4 could only show them what
could do in Days company, lie would say
and escape from this horrible Italian
cheese. I'm too delicate for this work any
way. Just wait until get into the "legt
and wear swallow tails und smoke cigN
rettes on the stage and pull my cuffs,
Now. colonel, speaking about the hOodoos
For some reason, " said the leading man,
factors are naturally superstltious. Per
hans It is because their life is one of many
ventures, and sometimes the most insig
niicant thing may lead to failure or sue
cess. Probably good deal of the super
stition Is assumed Most people have 0
dash of that in them, whether they will adj
nit IL or not Do you remember when
Rose CoRhlan made her hit ut Wallaok's IL
'Diplomacy' - the Countess Zickni Al
YOU rcmember, the plot OF this play hang
on the perfume that the countess uses
Rose Corhlai, used certain perfume OF
that night, az she madea blghit. hav'
heard that she always uses this perfume
now, no matter what the play may be, y
course Il is only woman's fancy, aud ye
/ have heard that Miss Coghlan woul'
rather lose her wardrobe than her per
fume. Patti also has 4 similar fad. Whei
she made her first great hit, she wore
mir Of shoes of peculiar pattern. Patt
wears In her concerts now shoes made Of
this identical last and Of the same pattern
She believes they bring her luck, and Of
, parently they have done So Yes, stag
. folk are "a bit superstitious. You probabl
have all seen would be funny men throw
off the stage at rehearsal for quoting som
, of the hoodoo passages in Macbeth
"There is very little or no connection
said the colonel, between these little 10
bles and spiritualism, but the eonyersatio
suggests II. You would all probably
Z surprised TO know the number oil we
known actors who believe in spiritualiSn
Billy Florence was spiritualist, althong
few people knew it. know him as mt
mately as any one, and he has often talke
$ about his belief to me. BARLEY Camp1e
was another, and so IS McNieker OF Ch
. cago. Ada Isaacs Menken is now simply
name to you youngsters. She was cleV
2 woman, as well as very beautiful woma
The elder Dumas and many other men
letters were among her friends She wro
two volumes OF verse, which, she claim
were inspired by the spirits. These vers
y consisted of musical lines OF varying lengt
! and they attracted some attention. Imn
4. a spiritualist, but am a firm believer
hoodoos and occasionally in maseots' Lee
have nightcap. New York sun
20 A Well balanced Head.