The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-14

| to Mary Anderson de Navarro. "She
used to be thus endearingly spoken OF
| almost everywhere in this country, and
| l claim the honor of having invented
| the term. l had just returned from a
| tour around the world with the late ].
| *. Emmett, and had reached Chicago
| when John w. Norton, who was then
| managing Miss Anderson, and having
a hard struggle, telegraphed that he
would give me my own terms to go
| ahead of his attraction.
Il Joined the company, overlooked the
| situation and concluded that it would
be necessary to adopt sensational tao
| tics. My first stand was Providence,
| and it seemed utterly impossible to
| awaken interest in the new classic star
So l thought out a scheme. | called
| upon the editor of a leading Providence
| newspaper and asked him if he knew
! that the late Major Anderson, who fired
| the first gun in the civil war, was
| killed and had left a widow and daugh-
| ter penniless in Providence.
| "He said he was aware of the fact
| and / asked him not to allow any refer
| ence to get into the paper touching
| the fact that Major Anderson's daugh-
4 ter had been compelled to go upon the
| stage as a last resort to earn her living
| | told him I thought an article TO TINS
| effect had been sent to his paper by
|
| aristocratic but poor Anderson family.
| Then l went away.
| 1.-The editor, who hadn't received any
| such article, probably figured that II
! might have been sent to some other pa
| per so he came out the next day with
| big spread story about our Mary,
| with columns of family history. That
| day ! went the rounds and proved to
| all the other editors that the Mary An
| derson for whom / was working Wasns
the one mentioned in the publication,
| and thus started a mass of contradic-
tons and statements pro and con that
went all over the country.
| I'VE played to nearly $4,000 that week
| in Providence. 1t was the first big
week of the tour, and gave us money to
| work with. From that point clear
through the season there were big
profits"
| Very few thea r-gOerS realize the
immense amount of work attending
| production of spectacular perform
| ance. This statement does not apply
| to the so-called spectacular entertain
ment that migrates throughout the coun-
| try with a few WORKOUT drops and
! company of artists whose ability ends
with the pictorial announcements of
| their performance, but a real spectacle
| with its carloads of scenery, intricate
mechanical effects, elaborate proper
| ties, brilliant costumes, armorS, cal
| ciums, electric light plants and effects.
| In fact, all the colossal paraphernalia
| necessary to a great production. Take
| for instance, the performance of Chas.
| H. Yale's Forever Devils Auction
On arrival in a city the company's own
| scenery cars are first placed by the
railroad company. The loaded scene
| trucks are then taken out of the car
| and horses attached tc the same, and
| wi iln TO tn hn bnn tlr 4 no
critics, costume trunks and other nee
| essary adjuncts are unpacked and sent
| to their place of destination as fast
as possible. On arrival at the theater
| all the mechanical effects, tricks, etc,
are put together. Fiftynine massive
| drops" borders, etc, are raised to
the "grdiron' and hung" for the COM
! ing performance. and the wings set
pieces" and platform are set in their
| proper places. The electric connections
| are made and tried. The costumers
and armorers are busily engaged in
| lGAtn out and hanging in dressing
| rooms the costumes and armor for the
| ballet and extras. The property and
| calcium men rush here and there, ar
| ranging the various articles for which
| they are responsible for at night All
! is hustle and hustle, and seem such an
! understandable mixture as to be impos-
! sible to get into proper shape to give
| the company's stage mechanics, com
| bined with the local stage hands soon
| bring order out of chaos, nj in a few
| hours time all the gigantic scenes
| and effects are in readiness. Rehears-
ais for orchestra then commence. and
| while the cOmpany's musical director
| runs over THE musical gems of the
| production. the stage manager and
| ballet master busy themselves in hav-
| ing the acrCbats and knock-abOut pan
| tomimists try the leaps star and
vampin traps while the ballet go
through their graceful gyrations SO
there will be no hitch at night on their
features. The Premieres. attired in
| practice Dress engage in their ar
duous evolutions until compelled to
stop from sheer exhaustion AT last
all is in readiness and the curtain rolls
up on perfect performance, played
| form beginning to end without a hitch
in any detail, but very few of the de-
lighted audience realize in witnessing
this performance the labor and anx-
iety of, in a day, putting together a
gigantic 'shoWpiece" that a few years
ago would have been considered a mat
ter of impossibilityato have opened un-
der at least a weeks solid preparation.
THE Devils Auction" will be at the
Grand two nights next week. Tuesday
and Wednesday. There will be the usu-
al matinee Wednesday.
One of the most notable announce
ments of the season is that THE Tur-
tle," the greatest success of the amuse-
ment season, will be seen May q, %,
90, and "A at the Grand opera house,
The fame of 1.-THE Turtle has spread
to the remotest limits of the land, and
everybody who went to New York
singled it out as an object ofspecial in
terest which must be seen at all haz-
ards. The result is a matter of history.
The merry and piquant farce, so clev-
erly adapted into the English by Jos.
w. Herbert had such a firm grip upon
the fancy of the New York play-goers
that it played week after week to over
flowing houses and attained a run of
over two hundred performances There
is nothing offensive or salaciouss in the
theme of The Turtle 1t has no be-
trayed husbands or deceiving wives,
after the manner of the average French
farce, but its personages are all self