The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-03-24

An English actor whose name has been
we'll known in theatricals for nearly forty
years, has protested emphatically against
the charge that he is personally unlucky
and has been identified with a much
greater number Of failures than those
falling to the average player "This re-
mark" he said in effect, "was made
about me by a friend about fifteen years
ago after the failure of play in which I
had part. Poor fellow he said, he is
always unlucky.' The man who said that
intended it as an expression of sympathy
but it has cost me the money would
have made as successful actor, and has
practically put my career under a blight
since it began to spread through the pro-
fession."
Every actor cannot appear always in
successful plays. He is bound to take
part I'm failures, and 1 don't think had
share in any more than falls to the
usual lot of men in my profession. But
the impression got around that 1 was I'M
lucky In my influence on productions.
managers did not care to engage me, for
they are sometimes superstitious. The
press began to expect that anything that
was concerned in would fail because the
impression that I was to exercise Soma
baletul Influence on every play as also
communicated to them. So NV profess
s1onal career has been wrecked Nv =
careless remark of a sympathetic friend
until the impression got about that T
tailed always and so did everybody rom
nected with me. I attained as MANI suc-
cesses as any actor who meets his regn-
lar Attenuation of good plays and had
ones"
II this actor had lived in the United
STATES ne would have been known as
1ioouoo and MS career PROVES the exist
ellce OF the same superstition here as in
England. certain actors, presume blv for
no more fault Of their own than in the
case just mentioned, seem to be looked
upon as unlucky to any theatrical VEN
lure, quite independent of what their ta1-
eilt may De. One notable case of this.
II the New York Sun is to be believed
IS an actress still on the stage and for
Two years past connected with a success
Aui company. She" Is no longer a begin
mel, and had in fact had a long career
whlcn began In somewhat different
oranch OF her profession from that in
"hlcn she IS now active. She has ALWAYS
occupied respectable place and at one
Time promised to take a brilliant one. but
tnat was never realized and is now NOT
likely to be. By what could have been
no more than coincidence she was con-
nected from time to time with plays
That did not succeed, and made, in fact
rather conspicuous failures. If she had
not at that time, occupied a considera
ole snare OF the attention devoted to the
stage. nobody would have known that she
was concerned in them, but she came to
De known as hoodoo in the profession
One Boston manager who died several
hn rnf,,
sons before his death to receive at his
theater any company in which she was.
lie looked upon her hoodoo and felt
certain that he would have a failure on
his hands.
Look here,' said an agent to him one
day. II want to get three weeks time at
your theater for The Rhinestone Pin
which is going to be produced in New
York. We think the play is a good one,
nave engaged first-clnss company, and
here is the list of actors.'
The name Of the taboed leading woman
was in the cast
II wouldn't take you in on any terms"
was the managers answer, ''as long as
that woman is in the company. She is
a hoodoo, and for the last three seasons
she has been here every play was a fail
ure. Two of those plays were produc-
lions I made myself with every chance
OF success until engaged her. So can't
book you.''
II will tell you what I will do" was
the agents compromise ''for it is i'm
possible to change the cast on account
OF any superstition against her. She has
the part that suits her splendidly and
there is no woman in the business who
could do it as we'll. If the play doesn't go
along l will put her out the first thing
and get some one else for the role, and
believe forever afterward that you are
right
The Boston manager had the satisfac-
ton early in the season, when the new
play had not been on the road for more
than six weeks of seeing the unlucky
actress replaced by somebody else. The
enterprise was successful and after the
Objectionable member of the company
mad been removed played profita-
BILE season at his theatre His supersti-
ton seemed to be verified, although as.
a matter of fact the woman concerned
in the play was unfortunate only in that
she had a part unsuited to her It was
more adapted to the personality ana
talent of the second, and naturally that
change was sufficient to make a success.
of what might have been a failure with
such an important phase Of it inappro-
priately looked after -.
But to this day the actress Is known as
a hoodoo in her profession. Managers
are 10th to engage her and her own pro-
fession looks upon her as; one of it's
predeStined unfortunate members who
exercises a spell almost as bad as the
evil eye upon all her associates in the
business. From a matter-of-fact point
of view it is almost impossible to SYM
pathize with any such transcendentaI
Idea, and the facts Of her failures could,
ne explained In a much more practical
manner whether the woman known or not
that she is regarded in the profession as
an unlucky influence nobody has ever
heard. 1t ought not to bother her as
much as 1T has some of the managers for
whose production she had been engaged.
IN spite of the prejudice against her, she
mas always been able, to obtain engage
ments enough to keep her employed and
TO accumulate very comfortable COM
Petency as a result of her long labors.
During recent seasons. however. she ap-
peared usually in combinations Of less
pretentious order than those in which
she used to act.
Prosperity and the hoodoos are by no
means irreconcilable A popular comedian
who retired from the stage a long time
ago, took with him into private life a
small fortune, quite sufficient for his
needs, yet he had come to be looked
upon as the worst sort Of a hoodoo who
could never, by any chance, be connected
with success, and was said to bring
misfortune to his managers and every
body associated with him in business.
The disparity between the actual facts
and the common impression about per-
son is shown in his case, for instead OF
being failure, as the world had always
taken him to be. he was quietly LAYING by