The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-08
SO SUPERS TITIOU S
Queer Beliefs of Leading
Players.
ACTORS HAVE ODD FANCIES.
Nearly All Who Tread the Boards
Cherish Some Respect for
the Supernatural.
New York Sun.

sttious ideas than persons in any other
walk of life Almost without exception
each actor has some little private supersti-
ton to which he has erected an altar in his
heart. While individual players will admit
the truth OF the general rule, and will even
speak OF the peculiarities OF fellow Thes-
plans at length. almost every man Of them
will stOutly deny that he, personally, has
any failings of the sort.
The common superstition regarding the
number IS and unlucky Friday. findslalmost
unanimous belief among the actors. No
matter how intelligent and unbeleving a
man he may be before he goes on the stage,
the atmosphere of superstition speedily has
its effect upon him. and he eultiyates his be-
lief in luck and Mascots and ,onahs until
he becomes as superStitious as the rest A
general superstition among stage folks is
that the final scenarOf a play, or tag. as il is
technically termed. must not be gone over
till the very last rehearsal prior TO the public
production of the piece. A violation of this
rule is said TO inevitably insure disaster.
Cases are on record where an entire company
has fatty refused TO rehearse the tag until
the last moment.
Playwrights and managers are, as rule,
similarly superstiiious in this particular.
Sidney Rosenfeld, the playwright, In writ
ing the comedy imagination" did not put
the final scene on paper until the day of the
very last rehearsal OF the play. None OF
the actors in the cast knew just how the
last act ended until the final rehearsal.
fancy among playwrights of these degener-
ate days which almost amounts 10 super
stiton seems to be the introduction of
screens into stage settings. Not comedy
has been introduced of late years which has
not had an ornamental screen of some sort
incorporated within ii.
Tony Paste. s superstition has chiefly to
do with his salary list. He believes that i'll
luck would certainly follow if his salary list
for a week were more or less than certain
sum. he makes present of money TO his
players at times TO bring the list up to his
standard. At other times he cuts their sal
aries when the list exceeds the amount.
Usually he makes contracts which just
equal the sum- When he pays an eXcep-
tiOnally high price to any one artist he Sc
cures some cheap performers to Offset the
larger salary.
Edward Harrigan was at one time firm
believer in spiFituaiism. ana IL is said that
he is not entirely out OF the woods yet lie
considered the letter NJ to be lucky, and for
several seasons al! his plays were given
names beginning with that letter. as 'Mnl-
ligan Guards Balr' and Muddy Day." At
the opening OF Harrigan's new theater a
stray black cat walked into the stage en-
trance. Since that time he has never al
lowed the cat 10 leave the theater. He says
that cat brought him luck, and il il ever
left him he thinks disaster would follow. 1t
is fed with all sorts Of dainties, and the
manager says 1t Will remain there the rest
of its natural life.
Joseph Jefferson Is said to be a spirit
ualist and something Of believer in astrol-
ogy. 1t is the report among actors that he
always arrangeS for his seasons To begin
when certain lucky stars are in conjunction.
1t is also said that he has thrown up engage
ments because the star, according TO obser-
vatiODs, ged ill-luck.
dtufr bod Nor "a foh
stranger should approach him at the theater
before a performance. His dressing-ronm
was always closed TO all save his most inti
mate friends. Ii is said that he used to de-
clare that some stroke OF misfortune always
followed his meeting stranger at the
theater.
The late Fred Leslie, the English come
dian, had firm belief that his luck was due
TO the presence OF his parrots, one Of which
he always kept in his dressIng-room. He
invariably carried two or three with him
upon his tours
Pauline Hall has a superstitous fear Of
the naee Madeline. She never allows any
actress or singer or chorus.girl Of that name
to be engaged for her company. 1t is
said that wnen she first proposed starring
in comic opera her manager and husband,
George b. Mcclellan. hired literary man
| Of small reputation to write a novel, with
the agreement that Miss Halls name should
! appear upon the title page as author.
ut mover WIS uUlsUSu III uue tltUt dttQ
| delivered. As luck would have IL, the
| heroine of the story had been given the
| name of Madeline" which was taken as
| the title for the book. Miss Hall. It is re-
I ported, refused to even look at the manu-
script and returned it 10 the writer without
| thanks.
| Billy Jerome. the comic singer and writer
| of popular songs, cannot sing unless he has
| a common quill toOthpiek in his right hand,
! which he snaps with his thumb as he sings.
| He firmly believes that this toothpick helps
| him to sing. and that he would break down
| 4 he were deprived of it,
Denman Thompson says that fine Dress
| iBg-rOoms always queer him. He pro-
tests that this isn't a superstition, however,
and says that managers who wait until
/ their theaters are built before considering
the accommodations for The players, and
! who then throw together a few boards for
! dressing-rooms, generally conduct a sue
cessful business.
On the other hand, those managers who
| have provided elegant and spacious dress
| lng-Toom5 rarely succeed. In support of his
| statement he cites several wel-known thea
| teTs which come under the latter category.
Clara QualitZ, the premiere danseuse OF
| The Isle OF Champagne" carries a rusty
horseshoe with her upon all her travels.
/ This she hangs upon nail in her dressing
room. She says il always insures good luck
| to her. AS proof Of this she declares that
| the only mishap which has occurred to mar
| any OF her performances in this country
was on the occasion when the rusty horse
| shoe was not hung up in her dressin room.
! She carries 1t in a small satchel with some
| necessary toilet articles One night at
| Ierre Haute, Ind, the satchel was not de-
Hvered at the theater in time for the per-
formance. In the very midst OF her most
| artistic effort she slipped and sat down
upon tile stage, running the entire effect of
| her dancing. She chaTacterizes the mishap
| at Terre Haute as very rotting."
Francis Wilson's superstition is unique in
| the extreme. 1t Is said that he regards an
adverse or severe criticism of his perform
| ance as a very lucky omen. This feeling
originated with the 'castgation he received
from the critics Of this city on the morning
after his first appearance here as star in
1.-The Oelah."
Lolita is another firm believer in spiritual
| ism. She has said that on the nights when
her older plays are produced she can see de-
ceased members of her company in the parts
| which they formerly played. She thinks
| herself medium.
Mrs. Yesmans firmly believes that Friday
| is her lucky day. She always signs her con-
tracts on a Friday. She has made all her
hits Oh this day. too. A peculiar superst-
ton Of Mrs. Yeamans is that IL BODIES i'll
luck unless the first person she meets after
midnight on New Years day be colored
person. Each year she arranges so that
some negress comes TO her Immediately
after the clock strikes II O'Clock. Ii a comb
be dropped in Mrs. Yeamans' presence she
will always step upon it before allowing it
TO be picked up. Otherwise she believes
bad luck would attend all persons present.
Jennie Yeamans also has a peculiar super
s,itioD. She believes Ii to be her lucky
number. She says this may be so because
there are thirteen letters in her name. She
always likes to have the ening night OF a
new play on a Friday, and also invariably
signs her contracts on that day.
She has a superstitious fancy for moon
stone setting when upon the stage. The