The times., 1899-12-31

box Office: n manager; an explanation.
Naughty Anthony east bad been lunched
upon the stage by David Bsiasco; a dis
gusted very much disgustad reporter.
Miss Bates is 50 great l0-ai fav0ris
that a talk was still advisable. And re-
sultautly The Times representative decided
that he must have. az least. an imaginary
conversation. Had the two met. Miss
Bates probably would have said.
Yes / like my part In Naughty An
thony ever and ever so much. All Of -
believe We are awfully lucky in being With
so clever a director as Nr. DaTe-stals
Mr.. BelascO, you kn3W-ard g think raaE
the play VIII be great success. 7 no
Tee that you did not agree with ne on
tuesday. bat even the best OF critics are
mistaken now and then Yoa ike my
scene with the silk stockicgse I'm
charmed with it myself I have an i6Ca
that when we reach Broadway the las
dent vii create - deal or di cussion
had considerable trouble in deciding JUST
how I vas to manage 20 wear tozel or
mere pairs OF hose No. they re uOt iU,l
length was so afraid I would shock
some Of the ladies I'm frCEt on Mon a.
night that / was drea5fully nervous during
the entire act Anyway. I'm glad you were
pleased with my work. Don't forget 20
send me paper. We wtI be at Baltimore
all next week GOOd-by- delighted tha-
YOU came around; don forget the paper.
viii you -g0Od-by once more, gC0d-hy-
The theatregoer of a decade or so ago.
and especially the New York lover OK
amusements-nust have a fcnd remem-
branCe Of the Harrigau & Hart period Cf
native histriGEic history. The man who.
70 a very great extent was responsible for
the vogue attained b. this class OF enter
tainment is NJ. W. Hanley uho was IN
Washington throughout the past week
looking after the business interests Of his
star Robert b. WaulslL Mr. Hauley was
sitting in the boN0ffice Of the Lafayette
Square the other night and under the in
huenee Of a perfect0. grew reminiscent
1t was back as far as 1870. quOEh he.
and / was managing HOolev's In Brook
iyu. One evening I went into an 0ppOsi
tion house. the Academy OF Music. to sec
a speciality combinations engaged 10 take
place Of a company that had failed 70 reach
town. The strongest hit OF the perform
dnce was made BY a couple OF young tel-
lows from dlrOss the river. I soon had an
interview with them, aud within forty
eight hours the partnership Of Harrigan-
Hart. and Hanley was formed. Then fol-
lowed a booking of ten weeks az the M
scum. Boston. where our organization left
a tremendous impression. and 81. returlef
TO New York opsHiug the drst theatre OF
the KING that mad venrured up so Tar on
Broadway. Ii was called the Comidue. We
gave regular variety shows'-you call
them vaudeville performers nowadays.
bCt yau don't enjoy them any better than
did the people back a decade or 50. After
the OliO, which included some folk now
pretty well known to the American public.
we gave short afterpieces. which usually
were written by Ned Harrigan and inter
preted by the entire troupe. Many o. our
patrons viii recall our famous 'Mullisan
Guard series OF faFces, which were 20
popular at the time
Nat G. Goodwin. who is quite generally
regarded as the best alI-rUUnd American
actor, was one OF our employees and made
himself popular by giving very creditabls
limitations of stars Pat Rooney. rhe-Old
time Irish comedian whose place on the
stage has never been filed, the late George
5. knight the best German dialect fun
maker Of his period: Harry Kennedy. the
ballad-writer and ventril0quist and Della
hanty & Hengler. a refined song and dance
team, we're On our payroll Naekin and
Wilson, another song and dance team, re-
ceived S120 every week. MaeiEn IS Row
dead and the Wilson of the duo IS Francis
Wilson. the comic opera favorite. Another
member OF the organization, who is rather
well known even il he is humming God
Save the Queen was De Wolf Hopper
Mr.. Hopper came TO US to play juvenile
parts. and in those times was regarded as
one Of the best stage lovers who had been
seen on Broadway. Can you imagine De
Wolf Hopper making love seriously We
also had Fields and Hoev and Niles and
Evans. Fields left the business Niles
died and Evans and Hoey doubled Cp.
Poor Hoey has gone since. and Charlie
Evans is running the Herald square Thea
tre. Charles Vivian. a geuteel performer,
with a very good voice. was also WtIE US
Vivian VIII be remembered as the l5uHfsT
of the New York Lodge Of EIks-
II believe the advent Of the farce-conedy
trouDes in such numbers was responsible
for growing lack OF interest in the Harrl-
gan & Hart offerings Variety people would
come in and see the amount OF business
{ we we're doing and then go 0ur 20 tour the
country IN similar pieces. I guess they
were right though it was rather hard 10
see our great patronage fade away We
did an we could but / believe the pubic
had become rather satsd. and we were no
longer the novelty that We had been
through the period at which al fash0na-
Bile New York came To see Harrigan and
Hart and their associates
My success with Nr. Manrel during the
four years have been connected with him
has been very gratifying IhiS is p3rtlcu-
larry true OF the present season. I am sure
a great portion OF the people always Till
want TO see good. strong plays Of roman
tic character. and 7 suppose that while
they respond so generously TO our efforts
we shall continue in much the same line
But these are nos the Old days when Ned
Harrigan and Tony Hart flied the thea
tres
The cigar had died out and with rs
glow passed the memories OF years agoue-