The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-13
sUrERsTITIoNs OF ACTORS.
DeeP-ROoted, silly Fancies which
They Have, But Cannot Explain.


stitious. The palm for being most tho
roughly impregnated with superstition has
frequently been awarded the sailor and
the soldier; but, TO those people who have
had even passing acquaintance with men
and women Of the theatrical profession.
the assertion that any other class Of hui
man beings can be more superstitious
than actors is beyond belief. for their is
every evidence that the people of the
stage are so thoroughly saturated with
superstition that the Surrounding air is
laden with II IN every shape and fancy
Not only are the stage, the play, and
the theatrical costume saturated with SUI
perstltlOn, but every event In life has for
the actor its accompanying superstition.
30 Tar does he 90 with his superstition
that ne sometimes POUNDS a superstition
on superstition-as, for instance. in the
habit of wearing dead mems clothes, the
clothing OF ones self in such habiliments
having for ages been regarded as sure TO
result IN death to the weaTer. To an ac-
TOR the wearing of the stage costume of
some great, dead actor is sure to give in
splration and fame, according to the pet
superstition, and the old superstition is
thus wiped out of existence and loses its
force. In ordinary life the old saw saws
tnat II IS an indication that the evil eye
Is upon person who sees a pin or any
sharp instrument with the point toward
MINI but, this is reversed in the theatrical
PROFESSION, for it is bad luck to see a
pm Win the nedd toward one. 1T is the
1enSht OF all bettOrs on the race track
10 touch the hump of a hunchback and all
gamblers at Monte Carlo consider this
a act as sure to- bring good luck; but, on
me contrary, the actor dates his bad
iuck from the appearance of hunchback
IN me audience on first night" or some
other time.
There are superstitions in the profess
SION, cInglng TO supernumerary and star
dnke, which are unknown outside the
R IoIesslon. A cross-eyed man could not
in IL n
the Walis OF theater. If the rule should
De relaxed, and a cross-eyed stage car
Penler or property man should be en-
gagged, he would be discharged the very
moment the slightest i'll luck befeU the
company for IL would be his presence
mat brought misfortune. The actor or
me cast or an unsuccessful play, is given
the name of a Jonah, and ever after
Is regarded as sure to bring i'll luck
10 others 1t ID a fact that many a
promising actor has been Obliged to leave
MS profession because he was tabooed
as Jonah and made unweIcome
profession. On the other hand, there are.
actors who are regarded as mascots,
and cherished like gifted talismans Tine
star who has happened to be housed in
several hotels which have been visited
by hre, is called fire fiend," and houses
IN which they happen to put as well as
theaters in which they appear are given
a VIDE perth when possible by all men,
bers of the profession Miss Kate Clax-
ton, after the burning of the BROOKLYN
theater, acquired this name, for she was
paying an engagement there in the
Two Orphans" in the winter of 1876,
when the terrible confiagration occurred.
The individual superstitions of certain
prominent actors are often amusing and
always ridiculous. For instance, a great
actor saw a load of hay on the after
noon of the day upon which he was
TO appear in new play. He was sue
cessful and ever after insisted upon
having provided for him load of hay
upon which to wish before entering the
theater on the first night of a new play.
He happened to be successful with all
has new plays, and attributed his sue
cess not alone to his own talent, but
mostly to the fact that he had made
a wish upon load of hay. II one new
play had been a failure there is no doubt
the hay would have lost its virtue and
been discarded as an evil worker.
Edwin Booth was regarded as a man of
good common sense, yet he would never
sleep in a room in a hotel with an odd
number. His great friend, Lawrence Bar
rett had lasting prejudice against peo-
pie who had many SIS" in their names,
and always made up his company, as far
whose names the Objectionable letter did
not appear. His friends attributed this
prejudice of Barrett's, surely strong
enough to be styled superstition, to the
fact that his own name-O' Shaughnessy-
had so many SIS" in it.
The fast friend of Forrest and great ira
gedian, John Mccullough had a suDersti-
ton concerning the manner of putting on
his shirt and other apparel for he would
never permit his dresser to put any gar
ment over his head. 4 mis- was only one
of the many superstitions which governed
the life of an otherwise sane man. but this
one was very inconVenient at times, and
caused much trouble in the making of his
garments.
John T. Raymond always regarded
red-haired woman with extreme horror
To meet read-headed woman on the day
Of the production of a new play was, to
him, an omen of bad luck, and he has been
known to remain in the house all day in
order not to be exposed to the supersti-
ton.
There was one funny superstition which
held poor j. K. Emmett to the day of his
death and made him appear very ridicu-
lous at times, as he was fain to keep it
to himself, instead of explaining his ac-
ton. If he was going up or coming down
stairs, and another person attempted to
pass him on the flight he would always
go back and start over again, no matter
what his hurry might be. In a crowded
hotel one may imagine how many times he
may have turned in descending several
flights of stairs and how laborious his Jour-
ney Nat Goodwin certainly is a
one to- to- i sSGa at sense him and won no
suppose that he has a pet superstition. vet
he has, for he considers it good luck to
meet gray horse in the morning The
well known James Lewis has been known
to carry in his pocket q. small shoe for a
mascot, and will never play new part
nor indulge in game of cards without
having that mascot in his pocket, al
though the record does not say that he al
ways wins. He found this shoe many
years ago, and has ever since regarded it
as talisman. Tom Whiffen always said
that he owed his success to his knowledge
of music, and that if he had a musical
entrance in sharps he was all right hut
let the band get into flats when he en-
tered and he was sure of his effort falling
fiat on the audience, although that audi
ence never noticed the difference in the
key.
1t has been said of Clara Morris that she
never set her foot upon the stage if there
happened to be stray nail there and
always insisted upon its removal before
she would make an entrance. OF Fanny
Davenport ii is said that she will never
use a cosmetic of another make than that
of a man who served her from his own
manufacture when she was a child Once
she was obliged to make up her face for a
first appearance with a strange cosmetic
which had been recommended to her. and
the play was not a success. THE Ameri-
can Girl was its name. Ada Rehan re-
CARDS as an omen of i'll luck a pin on the
stage with the head turned toward her
The first night of Love on Clutches - 81
Days Theater, she saw pin on the sta
with the head toward her and to this orr
cumstance she has ever since Attributed
the fact that another actress in a sinh
ordinate part, made greater success than
she did in the leading role II MOI =, =.