The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-09-03
1T WAS A REAL FIGHT
APIECE Oe STAGE REALISM THE GAL
leRY DIDN'T APPRECIATE.


How Two Actors Settled a Disagreement
and Lost Their Jobs
Every day ono sees things which
forco him to believe that Barnum said
it all when he declared that the Ameri-
can people like to be humbugged."
They will applaud tho bogus, the make
believe, and allow the gcnuine-or, to
use worse bit of slang, "thc real thing"
Ito 90 off tho scene without so much
as ga hand"
Fine frenzies in the dramatic business
are u waste OF energy, SO am told by
Il couple of actors, and here is the story,
q tale OF how two am bitious ones gave
10 the eXaspcrating public perhaps the
greatest bit of stage realism every pre-
sented and received for their pains-and
bruises--an awful silence and few
pointed remarks from the gallery critics.
forget what tho play was, and who
the actors were has nothing whatever to
do with tho matter ut this time. They
are both stars today however. One did
heroic parts and the other the "Ha, ha;
I'll steal the girl. j" They had played in
several pieces together and were friends
that goes to constitute living the part,
while tho other believed that at no time
should the actor allow tho lines or stu
ations of the piece to mako him forget
himself
In tho piece which they were playing
the hero and the villain meet at crit
ical moment and fight. III case the hero
failed to settle his opponent-well, he
L.. 10 y
occur
The fight was rehearsed and was
made to look real to q startling degree
The gallery used to 60 wild aud the
whole house resounded with tho ap-
plause, but this did not suit tho villain
who believed i'll realism. 1t was his be-
lief that real fight would make a hit
believe l mentioned tho fact that they
were friends. That was true. They wero
up to tho moment where one, i'll mo-
| ment of indiscrction, attempted to crit
icise tho other. OF course everybody
knows that when that occurs all friend
| ship ceascs-betwecn actors. OF course
there wcro coarse remarks passed. and
the ono who believed in realism and be-
ing an actor off and on finally folded his
arms and said, "When and wherc?"
Right here, if you like. It's Il short
job anywhere. "
You think so. eh? Well, it shall oc-
cur in our fight scene tonight. For once
tho public shall see what they pay for
The plot of the play neccssitates that
you vanquish me. We shall see whether
it is so short job. "
The worst of tho quarrel was that
they were both athletes, good wrestlers
and boxers and willing
Tho play dragged slowly that night
until the fight scene.
The hcro's line, at is either you or
|, Reginald Marshallson, " was answered
| by-in an undcrtonc-"You bet it is,
and III mark you so you won't play for
Il month.
Instead of going to n clinch, as usual,
they both SPARED about for an opening.
They were too long i'll finding it, and
from tho gallery critic shouted,
Watts de matter wild youse? Why
don't We git togcddcr?'
Then they 10th led and landed with
"a wallop Then they clinched. The vii.
lain back hccled tho hero, and down
| they went.
Fight like man, not like a dog
Tho villain allowed him to get OIL his
feet, and they began to spar again.
| About tho time the gallery got restless
the hero landed a right OH the Villains
| eye TINT sent him recling. Had he reel
| ell tho other way all would have been
| well, as the hero would have gone on
| with the piece, but rs the hero crossed
| the stage toward him the realist rushed
| and Knocked him down with q swing
| ing left
| Now, by all the laws of melodrama
the villain at no time should get the
! better of the hero i'll personal encoun-
ter. The gallery knew that and roundly
Missed the hero for so far forgetting
himself. The stage manager knew it
and ran to one of the wings to PROMPT
him. The hero knew it, and he Went
back at the villain for keeps
They fought for five minutes all over
the stage. They knocked down papier
machc trees, stoop to house and
| fence, besides each other. Tho whole
company stood i'll tho wings Watching
| the mill, and the manager cursed and
| made awful threats i'll a stage whisper,
| but somehow tho audience was not i'm
pressed. Tho gallery yelled: Eyer
fakin. Why don't yo fight?'' The bal
cony, from which on previous nights
waves of approval had broken, sat quiet,
bored and sullen The parquet. always
willing to follow the lead from above
on previous occasions, now sat glum,
waiting until the very bad imitation of
a fight should end.
! The hero fought desperately. He must
win. The plot of tho piece worked out