The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-01-20
Mr.. MOBILES REMINISCENT.
The Actor r-DTamatist Tells Bright,
Interesting Stories.
Entsfalns Friends With Amusing Anecdotes
Of Troubles Of Actors.

Milton Mobiles the actor-dramatist, Is
one of the best s.ory-tellers I'm the pro-
fessicn aud. when once nc turns the
tap OF his fund OF anecdote and bio.
graphy, the time passes all too quickly.
He is esreelally at home when narrat-
ing the experiences OF the old. time
actors IN the days when such thing
as vaudeville was unknown and long
before the present combination sys-
TEN had displaced t,.e stock companies.
Last evening he was In one or these
reminiscent moods, ard entertained
party CT congenial spirits nntii a late
hour With stories gathered In his years
of experience i'm theatrical life.
Here is a pretty good one saio
Mr.. Mobiles, told at the expense OF an
actor who, none too good a comedian
at the best, fancied that he wac Just
cut out for a tragcdian. though he was
worse at that than in comedy parts.
"He was all right in utility. but his
trouble commenced when he reachCd
the walking gents and IL eliminated
the following season when he tried the
Juveniles lie was with Garry Hough
on the Michigan circuit at the tlrle:
They used to travel IN wagons anu
show under canvas. He was as slim
as "a match, ana dion WelSh oNei q
hundred pounds.
"Hough got hold of some society
lady. who wanted TO play juliet. Like
the most of 'em, she was falr rat anu
anywhere from 80 TO 80. He had 10
play Romeo with her. and nearly got
lost in her clothes three or four times.
Every time she embraced him he dls-
4 Al a,,1f ROC
performance was not spirituelle, Dut
when she fell on him in the last act In
front of Capulet's tomb, he realized
that what she lacked in mind she MADE
up in matter.
"It seems that he had died on the
trap i'm which they had buried Ophelia
the night before, and when juliet struck
him ne doubled up and went through
Ii didn't make any difference with the
pla.y. however, as the audience couldn't
have seen him, anyway atter she
buried him.
THE next night they were doing The
Hunchback,' The star was the Julla
and he was wrestling with Sir Thomas
Clifford. They got along very nicely
until the last act, where Sir Thomas
enters az my lords secretary. she
belched out her Clifford, why don you
speak TO me?' i'm the old-time style. He
handed her the letter, saying, a letter
from my lord At that moment one OF
the mules that they used hauling bag
gage, and which was tied TO the wagon
near by, let series of unearthly Drays
out OF himself that fairly shook the
tent-poles. When the echoes had died
away Julia spoke her next line, twas
Cliffords voice If ever Clifford spoke.
The play ended right there, and the
would-be tragedian went into low
comedy the next week.
Though there is no connection be-
tween them, that story somehow al
ways reminds me OF another, about an
incident that occurred at the American
Theatre In San Francisco. They had a
grand production of 'Mazeppa. Lon
Phelps did MaZeppa. Lon was AFRAID
of horses and refused to make the run,
so they had to resort TO double. j. j.
McClosky was made up for the double,
and, masked in by the crowd of peas
ants and retainers, was strapped TO the
fiery untamed.' and dashed up the
mountains. Each night there was big
call, and Phelps. carefully made up in
fleshings. would march triumphantly in
front of the curtain, bowling and smil-
ing his thanks for the call.
"On the fifth night of the play the
second run gave way and McClosky
and the horse disappeared together,
amid cracking boards and timbers. OF
course there was great excitement,
and the audience began calling to learn
whether Mazeppa was seriously hurt.
After a short wait Phelps swelled out
in front OF the curtain. with n little
property blood on his face and hands,
and limping desperately. but smiling a
sad. sweet. painful smile, as though
saying, It's nothing. ladies and gen
tlemen. g mere scratch, nothing more.
/ assure you.
Meantime the carpenters and 'supers'
were dragging poor McClosky out from
under the mass Of broken boards, horse.
etc. Mac was badly shaken up. but
not seriously hurt. The audience in
front was wildly applauding Phelps
mock heroics The stage manager. who
in the excitement had forgotten all
about the double. pulled McClosky
down TO the first entrance shouting, Go
out: GO out and let EN- see that YOU
amt hurt Mac half daZed with pain
and fright. and not realizing what he
was doing. stepped in front Of the cur
tain with real blood on his face. and
nursing genuine lame leg.
"Just as he came on Phelps started
to limp off. and they met face to face
| in the centre Of the stage. The express
| sions on the faces of Phelps and Nc
| Clossv. MS the situat tion suddenly dawn
! cd on them ba fled description. Had
thew been costumed az the Dromics
that expression would have immortal
lied them. For the space of about ter
seconds there was n deathly stiffness
| in the audience: and then. as the truth
| OF the double struck them. there went
up n veil that nearly raised the roof.
"The two Nazeppas forgot their limos
and rushed behind the curtain at op-
pcsite sides. AZ each subsequent an.
pearance. during the evening. Phelps
was greeted with vells ~ laughter. and