Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-09-29
OLD STAGE EFFECTS.
icENsS THAT USED TO THRILL
AUDIENCES YEARS AGO.

max In "Davy Croc!ictt"-A Crude
Fire Scene That WAS Very Popular.
Great Scott, how modern audi
encc would gbe at the stage effects
that used to thrill folks thirty or so
wears ago. said IN old theatrical man-
agcr who was in the city recently en-
route to Frisco. Take the famous
wolf scene in 'Davy Crockett for in-
stance, that made fortune for dear
old Frank Mayo. That was consid-
cred one of the most realistic things of
its day, and it stirred audiences to alb
solutely frantic excitement. You re-
member how ii went: Davy and the
heroine have taken refuge in noun
tain cabin, and suddenly they hear
a long drawn wall 49, Ow-o-o-o-o!
Ow-O-o-o-o-o. 1t sounded like tom
cat on moonlit fence and was emitted
by the prop man. standing in the
wings. Davy springs to his feet. He
listens with his hand to his ear. The
orchestra plays tremolo. The wolves.
he cries, aud the house, begins TO hold
its breath.
Meanwhile the prop man puts on
more steam. The beasts are+heafllS'
DaVN ElareS AROUND dlstracteuly' Mer-
citul hevlhSs! lie mas burned UP 'he
door bar for fuel The prop man
ROWS AT the TOP oI MS voice. b"Ns
dashes up ms sleeve lie springs lo
the door. rams his bare arm through
the empty staples ana TWO s'uheu
wolves heads are pokeu suuuehiy
through hoie at the po''oh! linen
the curtain drops' there Is more 'reiiio-
TO- ana 1t rises again 10 uisco'er i"N!
ta!h'!n% NJ the portai WIN coupie Vi
stfeaKs OF req paint aFounu MS soou
right arm to show where the staples
plhcheu. lh"t scene "ouiu eAcI'e ue-
rlSioh toua!' ou' II kept the WIN iroln
MaEos own aoor Tor many ions year
incidentally II was respohsipie lor
some luuI'rouS uiIshaps'
'Oh one OCCASION while EfrihR
through iowa. the Speciai scene! was
deIay'd by rallfoau wreck anu local
stage carpenter uhuer'ooN 10 take up
the cahin interior by some mistake
lie maze 'ne staples seNeral ihcnes 100
small anu "neh Mayo WHO was
rather porti!' rusheo 10 'ae rescue he
WIS not'llieu W ulscoNei WA. he couIu
hot get HIS arm throu%h the IRONS re
puShea ana squirmed ana sweat oioou'
oui IL was no go anu as 'he "olVes
were suPPoseu 10 pP advancing on
ueau iope the SITUATION WIS ueciueuiy
critical III so happeheu tlat the
actress WHO piayeu the hefo'he that
season was very slifltuelie' not 10 say
Scra"hy' anu "hiie poor paVy was
sun "fisgilhs a' 'lie door some sallery
sou suooshiS pipeu ou'' nreuA away
i"''y' anu let ue itoy 'r!' ne auui'
eLtc Gu anu nd!o s'Shaieu ioi
q"ich curtain.
rre ehec's are resaiueu WIN us
ie'or o""uass, coi''hueu tne hiah-
aser' because II too rcaiist'c tney are
apt 10 creh'e pane III cro"oeu inca
ter put III the oid hlelouramas there
was no u"hse' Vi niIStoAii's 'heii ior
the real thlIS anu they We're great
uruwins Garus, hacK III the early
seventies Joe MurpnF' the irish come
uiah' touFeu tue country III pay
caiIeu help' Wh!ch contained nre
scene that was regarded as the most
remarkable ever produced on the road.
ne curtain rose on Darhlike IN
terror supposed 10 represent an opium
ueh III san frahcisco' presently
Chinamah passed an open door in the
oach' carrying laICp, ana moment
later crash was heard Indicating that
ne hau cropped IL. y req glow imme-
oiateiy came tlrough the chlnks In the
rear wall ana grew rapidly brighter
ana brighter while there was sound
OF excited footsteps indistinct shouting
ana furniture being dragged across the
nocr. All that. occurring out of sight.
worked the audience to high pitch OF
nervous tension. Then smoke began
to ooZe through the cracks, the red
glow continued to increase, and all of
sudden the entire back wall tottered
and sank forward on the stage, dis
closing aim perspective, with flames
shooting up here and there and firemen
rushing pellmell In every direction.
THAT spectacle created a tremendous
sensation wherever it was put on, yet
the entire effect vas produced by n
few shovelfuls of red fire burned in
the wings and little lycopodium pow
der. which flashes into big, harmless