The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-20

y
O'Neil in ''Magda-" John is an artist by
profession and preference. and paints
very good pictures but he recently made
up his mind to act. and his appearance
here was the result
To Lionel Barrymore, the brother. the
incident has recalled his own first expe-
rience on the stage. He, too, made the
plunge with a company managed by Nc
kee Rankin And he was also the juve-
says he Edwin Holt was playing the
leads, and ] was not intrusted with any
thing more serious than Richard Hare
I never had any illusions about my ro-
mantle ability, and find much more pleas
ure in playing the hard-headed old burgh-
er than any young heroes.
one day Rankin put u9 the balcony
scene in Romeo and Juliet for "a curtain
raiser
81 went straight to his hotel
Look here, / said, i IN not kicker,
and don't want YOU to regard me as an
insubordinate, but here's where 7 quit. /
understand that you nave put up Romeo
and Juliet I won't play Romeo.
" That's right, said Rankin What
" Simply this I want to know whether
YOU have cast me in the pieceg
" Il have. said Rankin.
Then I cult I'll be shot II I play
I'D deserve 10 be shot II I allowed
YOU Mr.. Rankin answered; give your
self no uneasiness. You viii do the voices
outside.
There are many Of Otis SINNERS
friends who insist that he was the first
actor TO receive an honorary degree from
university when he was picked out az
worthy Of recognition by the president Of
Tufts college. The honor conferred upon
Joseph jefferson by Harvard came year
later according TO these friends.
And in this connection one OF them last
week related the appended incident, in
bro ffnfu
in contact with the authority Of AUgustin
DAILY.
There was an iron-clad rule at Days
theatre that 20 member Of the company
should leave the city whether out Of
the bill' or not 1t was during Mr.. Skin
ner,s first season with US that he was
notified IN an imposing document from
the president OF TUFTS college situated
near Boston, that he had been chosen
for an honorary degree, and it was only
a. rev GAYS later that Mr.. Skinner, being
out Of the bill took the law into his own
hands and went to Boston for the cere-
mony. He duly received a master Of
arts degree and returned at once to New
York, where, next morning, ne promptly
reported at Mr.. Daly's office, with ma
tural pride and lively anucipatons OF
MI Daly quick forgiveness for his in-
traction OF the rule when he should show
his precious parchment. He smiled COM
placently as ne opened his bag to get out
the sheeDskin. Horrors, and everything
elsei He had left it on the train. Mr..
DAILY blurted Skinner, with abrupt con-
4 a
DAILY wheeled slowly in his office chair.
and without moving his eyes from the
newspaper he was reading. said iCily to
his stage manager. standing beside his
desk clarke, please fine the master Of
arts s."
In "Ihe Pretty Sister or Jose" in
Mhch Maude Adams is appearing Mrs.
Frances Hodgson Burnett makes another
love battle There is plenty of love. but
it is bitter fight OF hearts before it is
won.
Pepita is proud and naughty for a peas
ant girl, but she Is Spanish and by all
rule OF hearts there must be love in a
heels in love with Sebastiano. the bull
fighter. He loves Pepita. She sDurns
him. He becomes determined and the
fight IS on. He takes her in his arms I'm
the garden by the home of the padre.
She will not speak to him and he goes
away. Ine love she has been cOncealing
a passionate cry for his return. but he
does not come back. Days pass and he
Is hurt IN the ring and carried into an inn.
sympathy and grief break into the closed
heart OF Pepita, and she prays BY his
bedside until he comes back TO conscious
hess and takes her in his arms
In every theatre is kept a cat for the
purpose of discouraging the inrOads Of
rats and mice upon the scenery and per-
lshanle property Of the house. IL was
due to this fact that one OF the most
amusing, and at the same time startling
experiences Of the Miss Bob White"
company occurred. There is a churning
song In the first act. Miss Hunting. who
plays the part OF Miss Bob White had
just started 70 sing the opening bars of
the song and as called for in the book
was using the chCrn. when the singer
and the audience were startled by an un-
earthly howl. It sounded as though Il
came from the neither regions and was
the wall Of a lost soul
Miss Hunting hesitated an instant
then continued with her song. Again. as
the plunger entered the churn that weird
cry split the air Miss Bob White grew
pale benath her makeup. then CLEAN
OF understanding flashed across der ex-
presslVe race With a gesture she 81
fenced the orchestra. and removing the
cover Of the churn, turned IL upside
down, when out sprang an immense cat.
The audience applauded wildly the or
chestra resumed, and Miss Hunting fin
lshed the song amid the enthusiasm
How the cat got into the churn remains
mystery, but chorus man is sus-
pected.
John Drew tells this story:
i was the nero in play some years
ago explained Mr.. Drew, "and ia ore
scene Was supposed to hurt the first
heavy over a. low parapet down. down to
bis death four feet below. Blank and !
usually grapplec, swayed about the sta gc
until , had him back 10 the pasteboard
wall. Then I would whisper Ready ard
he would stiffen up. I would exert a it-
tie strength he would raise himself bv
pushing his hands scntly against my
shoulders. and the finale was alyva,-g
satisfactory and sensational
But one night Blank came on M a
slightly uazed condition. he had beer
% an night. and had been drinking i1st
enough 70 make him drowsy. re smoke
his lines all right ard we got alone nicely