The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-03-11
MANAGERS STORY.

The manager of the concert company
looked like minister going to see the
bishop. He wore a high silk hat and last
winters coat. Whenever he talked he held
the hat in one hand and rubbed it with the
other SO that it looked like clipped year
ling at country run-off. His voice was
, deep bass, and when he did the "Remem-
Der, good people, the big show is not yet 'arf
over from the elevated stage you could
gamble on the words hitting every ear.
He was sitting on the ring bank looking
over his touch list when the conversation
grew wavy and then dropped to hush.
This here tent business is pullin' down to
,, theatrical man" he said, as he lighted
choked stogie. Give me the hall show
every time for cash an comfort, an I'll be
easy an sppin in money to the hacker if
the bookin's is good. The rep show is the
thing, me boys, if you can deliver, an you
can strike territory tat amt been plowed to
! death by lot O yellows.
One year | had out a rep company that
was winner. We was playin' East Lynne
! and dom it good with six people and band
on the balcony at seven to eight. The way
we threw them dramatic chunks into the
| ten, twenty and thirts was sumthn' remark
| BILE. We wasn't connin', neither, but givin'
| 'em show that had 'em weepin from ring
up to las curtin. Say, had leadin' lady
that was the genuine. She had been up
ers for declaimin', an her old man thought
she was Mary Anderson. We joshed him
along on the Mary Anderson gag an the old
| guy checked in with five hundred for a
starter to get the fit up and the gals cos
tunes. Say, she was blonde that set
the town hall tonight people on the road to
| ruin with all brakes off. The leadin' man
was a cuff juggler, an he wouldn't settle
| down, but he doubled in props an was all
right. The heavy was one of those chesty
boys who was always givin' me the jab
when | was with Frohman.' He started
out all right, all right, in the first act, but
he died out before the curtain got down;
the old man was pretty rotten, thank you,
but the was he could play an E-fat cornet
on the balcony was sulnthin' strictly proper.
I'm just tellin' youse what you can do
with a lot of bum players, if you've got the
goods, and youse gets the bookin's. | was
workin' the crowd on $500 salary an play
in up into the gross on $3.50 week an livin'
like the man who owns this layout. But l
let go.
you see, some of the managers down on
got the vaudeville bug and was yellin' for spe-
cialties. So | gets the soubrette to do a rag
time stunt between the second an third,
an the first night the gal'ry window jumps
nine and half to the good. | says that's
what they wants, an keeps the speciality in
for good. But the Lady Isabel of the push
was gettin' artistic an she says no to the
specially. | says yes, an her old man comes
on an says Mary Anderson didn't have no
gal singin' an dancin, in her show, so me
an the old guy plays quits. Well, it was
glttin' warm, SO | picks up me little SOU
brette, gets a privilege at a fair an starts
in to do the black tent We had little
round top, blacker on the inside than a
Bow'ry alley. The game was to get the
yaps inside, all lights out, flash the calcium,
an then do the hoatin' illusion. The little
gal would float roun the tent an han me
out roses, an the gang would go daily. You
see, she was rugged up in one OF those white
gowns an was chasin' roun' in back flap,
stickin' her head an body through wherever
l had a slit. But had good limelight
man, an the payin's never coupled to the
con.
''It was good for thirty day, and the
privilege was cheap, but say, the finish was
tragic. You see, the gal had run off from
spinnin, yarn in mill am payin' her people
two-ffty board. She gets stuck on the show
business and goes out with rep, where 1
picks her up Well, it seems that her old
man gets sort o dippy cause he didn't do
the right thing by the little one an started
out to fin her Somebody tells the old boy
she is dead, an he falls down for awhile.
But he gets up and goes wanderin' bout to
all the shows lookin' for the gal Well, he
gets into my show one day, an when we
flashes the illusion, there's yell an the old
one says: Me daughter, me daughter an
the gal fops an breaks up the show. She
gets sorry an goes home with the gray hair,
an loses the graft and strikes this"
The boss canvasman started in to do a
little cussin' because the round top over the
stage was sagging and he broke up the talk.
But the press agent wanted the finish of
the yarn, and he speaks up:
'Well, Pop, what become of the gal?"
ooh, says Pop, "the old man goes under
the groun' an the jig-stepper goes back to
the business. Last season she was doubin'
with the iron-chested man dom singin'
speciality in the side show But they're both
out now The iron-chested man buys sa-
loon in Jersey City an settles down; she's
cookin' the fried oysters for him; you see,
he gives one with every drink An
geles Herald.
Too Low an Estimate.
Hon. George A. Marden, assistant United
States treaSu for BOSTON told an amus-