Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-07-01
In PINAF0RE DAYS.
What Became Of the Juvenile 0psrodo Stars Of
Fifteen Years Ago.

1t was nv good fortune to have an
interestingly reminiscent conversation
with Col. r. Z. J. Milee, OF Cincinnati,
NOT long before he was stricken by the
Illness that resulted in his death. The
| touics we dweIt upon chiefly were the
operate enterprises wherein juvenile
talent was utilized py this astute man
ager some fifteen years ago, and we
skinned over much OF the curreat his
tory OF the precocious little principals
who so charmingly distinguished them
selves under his direction.
1 was, towards the last OF its career.
the business manager of Mr.. Miles ju-
venile organization. Prior to engaging
in his service, I had officiated for near
lv wear and half as treasurer OF Hav-
erly's juvenile "Pinaiore" company.
! The two troupes consolidated under Mr..
Miles sole management. The territory
OF the Haverly party had been confined
to the Eastern, Middle and Northwest
ern States, the Miles company to the
Western and Southwestern, while the
Ford juveniles kept along the Atlantic
coast and to the extreme Southeast.
The "Plnaiore" craze gave birth to
these three liiputian organizations.
There was fourth one in California,
but IL was short lived, and purely local
in its field. To the same "Pinafore,
too. do | attribute my formal advent 10
,heatricals, but to Ell Perkins" the
educated lecturer must the responsible
ity of that event be indirectly charged.
| "Perkins" and | were rCommates
during the early seventies In
a "swell" boarding house on
Fifth avenue, New York, where Red
| fern now holds forth. ELI" casually
introduced me one day in the street to
| Charles E. Locke, then the reignlng
San Francisco manager. Locke invited
me to dine with him at the Westminster
Hotel, the following Sunday, and it was
at this repast that j. II. Haverly put In
an unexpected appearance. de sought
Locke TO join him in what be called
"mastodonid production" OF Pima
I fore" at his Fourteenth Street Theatre.
He said ne wanted TO Out-"Pinafore"
every attempt that had been made with
the extremely successful little opera.
I "Pinafore" twice a day was, in snort,
| Haverly's "mastodonic" idea, but the
more conservative impressario, LOCKE,
combated that idea as i'm practlcaole,
unless two companies were organized,
and that, of course, was out OF the
question, in view OF the augmented ex-
pense. Lock suggested, however, a
juvenile company for matinees, aud an
| adult one for the evening performances.
| This, Haverly, after a little persua-
sion, approved OF. was then
and there commissioned TO ferret out
whatever juvenile talent there was OBJ
tainable 10 the city. / was amazed be-
! fore the first -hour of my search had
expired, to discover at the agencies that
there were clever professional children
in abundance. Within two weeks there
after the Fourteenth Street Theatre was
| in full blast with the two 'Plnafore"
companies, and great was the sensation
| they created aud the business they did
! at both performances for many consec-
utive weeks. The receipts of the adult
organization were the first to show a
| drop, while those OF the juveniles main
tanned steady figures. This influenced
| Haverley, at the close OF the run, TO
send the juvniles out on the road and
merge the adult company with his
Western organization known as the
Chicago Church Choir company.
I travelled with the Haverly ju-
veniles as their treasurer Robert FIJI.
! kins, now dead, was the business man
! ager: w. II. Bishop. the stage manager;
| Mrs. w. II. Bishop, the matroD, and
| Frank Paul, the advance agent. After
"a protracted tour OF considerably over
year of the principal cities in the dis
tricts already outlined herein, the
amalgamation OF the HsverlY and Miles
juveniles was consummated, as | have
stated.
l want to tell you, at this stage OF my
story, what has become OF the bright
Haverly youngsters Jennie Dunn, the
tiny Josephine, is now the wife OF Com
edan Ezra Kendall, and, up 20 last &C.
counts, was the mother OF four babies
In close rotation. Her brother, Arthur,
the inimitabe Deadeye, Is scarcely any
| bigger, yet is rated among the Sl50.a.
week star comedians. Frances Bishop,
| the Admiral, after two or three sea-
| sons profitable starring In roll
! licking farce comedy, married Johnny
| McKeever, one OF the. "Pinafore"
crew, and now treasurer OF Palmer's
| Theatre, New York, as well as the
proud parent Of five or six little tots.
| Poor little Daisy Murdoch, the dainty
| Hebe, died about six years ago, after
| brief but brilliant career In E. L. Rice's
| burlesoues aud Nat Goodwin's COM
pany. Zoe futile aud Eva French, the
alternating Buttercups, have both mar
ried well, and are living In retirement;
Wi
spectively OF Comedians Evans and
Howey. Emma Hanley, one Of the
SISTERS, cousins and aunts," married
Lawyer Louis Allen, Of Howe and Hum
mel, but was later divorced
from him and married to w. IL.
West OF Primrose and Vests Ministries.
after Mr.. West had been divorced
from Fay Tempeton, OF comic opera
renown. Previous TO her marriage,
Emma was James P. Powers leading
lady in "A Straight TIP" her sister,
| Josie, another "cousin, aunt, etc." is
| the widow of the late Manager John
Donnelly, of the Columbus Theatre.
New York. Grace SWeatman. still
| another ''sister, cousin and aunt" was
the shy, angular girl, with Titan hair
and polka-dot freckles, who. during the
tour of the juveniles, married Filkins,
the business manager OF the company.
Filkins died about five years later; his
widow IS now numbered among the
classical stage beauties OF the day,
and IS recognized as one OF the
| most accomplished OF metropol-
itan stock actresses. Willie
Newman, the Captain Cor
corap. has long been on the business
staff OF Gilmore g. Tompkins, OF the
New Academy OF Music; Willie is mar.
ried, thrice q father. and has q real
Yacht. Otto Ahlstron, the first Ralph
Rackstraw, is 3 prosperous wholesale
dry goods merchant In New York. His
| .,ooa.sor In tho character the slender