The Forrest City times., 1900-08-24
Row GILLETTE GOT STARTED.
LARRY Days of the Famous Actor an d
Playwright His First
Play.

sSnooi at hartford, his family wished
TO send him to Yale, writes Richard
puffy, in Ainslee's. But Gillette looked
ON his future differently.
had got the fever to go away
from home and swim out he said. in
abiding to this period. Il suppose
everybody gets it some time. OF
course, thought / should go on the
stage, although 1 did not see my way
clear just then. My father let me
nave my way. He liked oratory very
much, and spoke we'll when he needed
TO, though he was rather silent man.
remember the day he drove me
down to the station. He had taken
two of my brothers on the same err
rand before me. One went to Calfor.
ma and died there; the other was
killed in the war. William he said,
you're the third son I've driven to the
train like this. The others have never
come home. l trust you will prove
an exception
went to st. Louis-just as far
as my money would take me-and /
got my first job because | told the
man l didn't want any salary, only
the job
That's the way Mark Twain Sc
cured his first job as a composition.
1t seems to be a good way-if YOU
don hold the job too long. Gillette
had this view, and he did his best
meanwhile to work his way behind
the scenes. There was no opportunity
in st. Louis, he soon found, and he
drifted away till he reached New Or
leans. After he had persistently an
noyed the manager OF the stock COM
pany at the st. Charles theater he was
allowed to play utility parts and
supes. The manager saw no way out
OF it except by resigning.
MY greatest disadvantage in those
days was my height. l was so tall
beside the average actor they couldn't
place me. l got frightfully discour-
aged after awhile and 1 wrote a vau-
deville sketch for myself in the be-
lief that l would have to quit the le-
gitlmate. The very first part played
was an Indian. 1t was in a play Oil
yer Doud Byron brought to the ST.
charles. Two years later, in Cincin-
natl, when was in Macauley's stock
company, he came there in the same
play. Some other internally tall man
had the Indian then. 1 chaffed Byron
about his playing the same old part
while l had made some progress in
two years.
but directly after left New Or
leans l came to New York and got
foreman of the jury" in John T. Ray
mond's run of Col. Sellers" at the
Park theater. The part consisted Of
the lines: I'VE have" and mot
Guilty" I said them a whole season
and got ten dollars a week for doing
1t. AT the same time I was taking a
scientific course at the University Of
New York
The next season Gillette did much
better. He got the District Attorney
in the Union Square run of Col Sell
lers.' The part gave him opportuni-
ties by which he profited. People be-
gan to know he was on the stage.
After that he went to the Globe the
alter in Boston, where he played nu-
merous small roles and character
bits He spent his spare time in TAX
Ing special course at the institute of
technology. His next jump was to
Macaulay's stock company at Cincin-
natl, and here after two years Of
drudgery he got that chance for which
every actor and actress not yet ar
rived hopes and prays for with every
breath drawn. 1t is to have a full
house, fat part, and to grip both
Every eye in thu audience rivets on
your expression, move and gesture.
Every ear is strained to catch your
lines. Every line you say takes, and
when the scene comes-the great
scene that is yours-you hold them in
your power, fascinated. Then you free
them to clap, to stamp, to shout, to
whistle maniacally, which is their
gratitude for the anguish you have
laid on their hearts. Gillette's mo-
ment came entirely by accident.
"Macauleyh himself played the part
he said. referring to that night, but
he fell i'll and it was given to me. The
play was from the French, and l be-
lieve was called "The Mothers Sc
cret. Inc piece was being done at
the same time at the Union Square in
New York. The part was a good one
and just in my line. The people
seemed to like the way l did it, and
from the after devolments it looked
as though l had made my Grst real
hit.
Somehow, it did not interest me
as much as I had expected. You see,
had been working all that season on
my first play, THE Professor" and it
was finished just about the same time.
l did not try to do anything for the
next two years except to get 1.-THE
Professor" put on. And had plenty
to do, assure you. Finally 1.-The Pro-
fessor" was produced at the Madison
Square theater June /, 1882. 1t ran
for six months"
interrupted.