Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-11-04
IT WASA REAL FIGHT
A PIECE OF STAGE REALISM THE GAL
LERY DIDN'T APPRECIATE.

The Hero Had Some Dimculty In Carr,
ing Out the Intentions of the Autho
How Two Actors Settled Disagreemer
and Lost Their Jobs.
Every day one sees things whic
force him to believe that Barnum sal
1t a1lwhen he declared that the Amer
can people like to be humbugged.
They will applaud the bogus, the max
believe, and allow the genuine-or, t
use worse bit Of slang, the real thing
Ito go of the scene without SO mucl
as "a hand. !"
Fine frenzies in the dramatic busines
are waste Of energy, SO I am told b,
couple Of actors, and here is history
a tale Of how two ambitious ones CAV
to the exasperating public perhaps tn
greatest bit Of stage realism every pre-
sented and received for their pains -ant
bruises-an awful silence and a few
pointed remarks from the gallery critics
] forget what the play was, and wht
the actors were has nothing whatever tt
do with the matter at this time. They
are both stars today, however. One die
heroic parts and the other the 'Ha, ha
I'll steal the girl. !" They had played il
several pieces together and were friends.
One was believer in real tears and all
that goes to constitute living the part,
while the other believed that at no time
should the actor allow the lines or stu
ations Of the piece to make him forget
himself.
In the piece which they were playing
the hero and the villain meet at crit
ical moment and fight. In case the hero
failed to settle his opponent-well, he
got his salary for doing it, SO it had to
occur.
The fight was rehearsed and was
made to look real to a startling degree.
The gallery used to 60 wild and the
whole house resounded with the ap-
plause, but this did not suit the villain,
who believed in realism. It was his be-
lief that real fight would make a hit.
I believe mentioned the fact that they
were friends. That was true. They were
up to the moment where one, in mo-
ment of indiscretion, attempted to- crit
icise the other. OF course everybody
knows that when that occurs all friend
ship ceases-between actors. Of course
there were coarse remarks passed, and
the one who believed in realism and be-
ing an actor off and on finally folded his
arms and said, "When and where?''
Fright here, if you like. It's a short
job anywhere. -
"You think SO, eh? Well, it shall oo-
cur in our fight scene tonight. For once
The public shall see what they pay for.
The plot of the play necessitates that
you vanquish me. We shall see whether
It is SO short a job"
The worst of the quarrel was that
hey were both athletes, good wrestlers
md boxers and willing.
The play dragged slowly that night
Until the fight scene.
The hero's line, "It is either you or
!, Reginald Marshallson, /" was answered
yin an undertone-"You bet it is,
md I'll mark you SO you won't play for
month
Instead of going to clinch, as usual,
hey both spared about for an opening.
they were too long in finding it, and
rom the gallery a critic shouted:
Watts de matter wild youse? Why
lon' ye git togedder?"
Then they both led and landed with
wallop. Then they clinched. The vii
ain back heeled the hero, and down
hey went.
Fight like man, not like dog"
whispered the hero in hoarse tones.
The villain allowed him to get on his |
eet, and they began to spar again.
about the time the gallery got restless |
he hero landed right on the villains |
ye tnat sent him reeling. Had he reel !
d the other way all would have been
7ell, as the hero would have gone on
nth the piece, but as the hero crossed |
be stage toward him the realist rushed
nd knocked him down with a swing
1g left
Now, by all the laws of melodrama
be villain at no time should get the
etter of the hero in a personal encoun-
sr. The gallery knew that and roundly
Used the hero for SO far forgetting
imself. The stage manager knew 1t
nd ran to one of the wings to prompt
i'm. The hero knew it, and he went
ack at the villain for keeps.
They fought for five minutes all over
ne stage They knocked down papier
lache trees, stoop to a house and
,nce, besides each other. The whole
,mpany stood in the wings Watching
le mill, and the manager cursed and
lade awful threats in stage whisper, |
ut somehow the audience was not i'm
ressed. The gallery yelled: eyer
kin. Why don't ye fightg' The bal
my, from which on previous nights
aves of approval had broken, sat quiet,
)red and sullen. The parquet, always
illing to follow the lead from above
l previous occasions, now sat glum,
aiting until the very bad imitation Of
fight should end.
The hero fought desperately. He must
in. The plot of the piece worked out
ON his victory, but the villain clinched t
I'd fought as he had never dreamed Of
shting. In spite Of warnings from the
ings he refused to be knocked senseless
nd allow the hero to go on and rescue
10 girl. Ii
At last the stage manager threatened
EN- with the curtain, and the hero
ith one mighty effort freed himself
ON the grasp Of the realist and, rush.
g toward the house in which the
'roine was supposed to be, cried with
harelip accent: beware Of me- Ii
eginald Marshallson! My just purpose II
all not be thwarted.
As he had one eye closed and his
outh swollen out of heroic proportions
9 sentence did not cause the gallery T;
make any particular fuss. The hero
Q refused to allow him to kiss her in
Q rescue scene, and the manager dis
arged them both. Chicago Times
erald. /,