The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-01-26
ANECDOTES OF THE STAGE.
SOME FUNNY INCIDENTS RELATED
BY AND ABOUT ACTORS.
Harry Langdon and the Drunken Eie-
phant-The Friar's Trou bie-Th orne
and The Missing Witness."-The


People OF n trade will talk shop when
they get together, but the actors shop
talk is often amusing to more than his
immediate circle OF associates. II was SO
at a little dinner in an uptown restau-
rant the other night, says the New York
Sun, but, as usual, half OF the fun was in
the animated narration, for the actor
makes a business OF story telling, and
enlivens it with gesture and facial panto-
mime. Said one; "Did you ever hear
about Harry Langdon and the drunken
elephant? IL wasn't SO many years
ago. Well, he was engaged for
a spectacular piece in which there
was an elephant, a trained ele-
plant, and in one scene he had to repre-
sent a captive who had been tied to a post
in the wilderness and was discovered
~lamenting. Now he really was fastened
In some way, though the stage carpenter
freed him by a pull at a rope somewhere,
but the business OF the scene was 10 have
the elephant come on at the words, An,
II my faithful elephant were only here,
how soon 1 would be at libertyl' Then
he was to put his trunk-not Langdon,
the other actor-behind the post and
ostensibly unite the cord, and Langdon
was to clasp his hands N say, 'Savedf
the usual thing, you know. On the sec
ond or third night the scene began all
right, and Langdon was wailing for all lac
was worth. Then he came TO the line
about the faithful elephant. He looked
around at the wings. No elephant. HI,
began to fake lines; Iecited Anthony
address over the body OF Cesar and a few
little things like that. Still no elephant.
All of a sudden a tremendous racket wa
heard off at the right. The prompt
er almost shouted to Langdon &c
get on the stage-that the elephant was
drunk and was raising the devil behino
and might kill him. There ne was, mino
you, fastened TO this upright. He looked
OF and saw the elephant toss one of tn.
stage hands into the flies, or somewherI
thereabouts. Then the animal began To
trumpet and to lean up against the
scenery. Langdon pulled, but he couldn't
get away, SO he began TO hitch of side
wise, so as TO get the long uprig ht out o i
the groove overhead. Pretty soon he got
II loose and came down TO the footlight.
with this thing IN his back, sticking GU
about twenty feet, and bowed solemnly
TO the audience. Then he retired in GOOD
order. The elephant had been seized
with collie, or something of that kind
and some misguided being had brought
HIM into the theatre with a regular jag
on"
Talking o. jags," said another.
"there was a queer cd fellow in a COM
pany that / played a special engagement
with in London. He was a dignifed per-
son-one of the palmy-day men, long
hair and all that-and he was cast for the
Friar in Romeo and Juliet He got or
we'll enough until he came to one OF the
speeches that rhyme, and I'm blessed Il
he didn't &C right on rhyming througi
all the rest OF the scene. He never hest
for a word, either. When he had =
speech with me afterward, he stopped H.
the middle OF ii and began to look ovp'
the audience. i gave him his lines in 2
whisper, and he began to be trouble
with a most tremendous cough thu
didn't deceive anybody. A night or two
afterward he was in about the same state.
and made a pretty bad break in one plac,
| 'fed him his lines, though, and he got
through after a fashion. AS We went Of
he caught me by the hand, and with tear
in his eyes told me 1 was one OF the RICH
sort, and that he would never forget my
kindness. 'Ah, sir, you don't know whaj
am laboring under just at present. sale
be. Thought ii was about a pint Of gin.
but i { didn't say so. 'Ah, SIR he went
On, my poor sister died to-day toIo
him / was very sorry and advised him *
stay out OF the cast for a few nights.
"Still, he wasn't so bad as an old fell
that played the Friar when / was do |
ng Romeo once in England" took u
mother in the group. 1.-The fat stuck
n the scene in the Friar's cell, and the
hands couldn't get il Joined for
,omc seconds. Then the ruffians in the
"a llery began TO howl. One or two o.
hem Kissed. The Friar went to the foot
lights and roared at them: stop your
bloody noise up there. Haven't you ever
cen a scene get stuck before? You're a
lot Of chumps, that's what you |
re. There isn't a decent man among |
'ou. You've seen worse acting than
'ou're seeing now. Why didn't you hiss
hat, damn you? Well, the old fellow
on in the most awful way, using
wear words at a pro"igious rate. Then
lie noticed that the scene was in place,
nd he turned up the stage and called
ut, Romeo, come FORTH The change
rom that man, ripping out oaths-a
monk, toto the + Jar OF the piece, was
early enough to set me of, and / could
Iardly get through the scene.
" One OF the greatest performances I
yer heard Of" put in another,
was that of Ed Thorne. He had
cen playing On the Western cir
nit, and had not been making money
cry steadily with a piece called, / think,
The Missing Witness In one scene.
here the hero is posted on the wall OF an
an as a murderer, he has to come on,
Fad the bill, and exclaim: 9 Ten thousand
ollars for the missing witness to prove
~ innocencei' or something like that.
he piece had been going on for some
me in the old hand-to-mouth way, and
horne suddenly conceived the idea tina
e would like to see il himself. So ont
ay at n matinee he went out into the
and saw his understudy do his
art. When they came TO this scene and
inn was showed on-same inn that
pes for Macbeth's castle and Juliet's
hamber, You know-the hero for the
.ternoon came in, took his cloak down
ON his face long enough to say, Ten
dollars for the missing wit.
aGa , "a hon Theme catynlv rz.n A.. a..