The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-20

guson played in Topeka in "a Modern
! Magdalen-"1 I would not wish it 9TH
erwise. I don't want to battle in the
calcium all the time. Give the others
a chance to have their eyes dazzled
by the spot light 1t is too uncomfort-
able sensation for me to want to mo-
nopolize it,
Are there no plays that you ever
wanted to star in before?'
/ Yes, wanted to play in a dramati-
cation of The Spenders,' but I did not
want to make star part Of the char
acter. I went to a very prominent
manager and told him my idea and
also that I could get the $4,000 for
the production If necessary. I ex-
planned that I did not want to make
! a star part Of Peter. All I wanted was
the first ten minutes of the play and
he could do what he pleased with the
rest Of it simply wanted to start
IT, let the audience see the old man
when he is told that Jim is dead, and
leave a picture in their minds of him
starting off to the mountains with his
pack on his back and his pick on his
shoulder. 1 am sure it would have ap-
pealed to their hearts and made a play
that could have been reckoned among
the successes You must touch their
hearts to make the play stick in their
minds"
Some stars do not fade" I said.
You mentioned the ease with which
many of them passed out of sight. How
do they manage it?'
Mr.. Thompson lit another cigarette
Mainly intellect, of course. Genius
will always survive whether it's pos
SCISSOR happens to be an actor or not.
But outside of that God-given gift &C
tors nourish their talents more care
fully than Go men in other walks of
( life They are more particular about
. their physical condition than are most
/ people. It is part of an actors stock
in trade to be well and strong and IN
prime condition. Disease and bad
: health are his supreme enemies. He
: knows it and he fights them. That's
why you rarely see a sickly actor. I
don't doubt that actors are the healthi-
est class of people in the world, for 4
healthy body is the only sure support
of an active brain
Il know how much in earnest actors
are in this respect, because I went up
to Muldoon's last year, when I was 4
bit run down, to get my nerves and
muscles in proper shape again, and
there I saw how earnestly the actors
took to the physical rejuvenating pro-
l cess.
Among the patients was a well
known star. who had been getting too
fat, and who went there to work off 20
or so pounds. 1t was an awful grind,
, too On the weekly day off from exer-
else this Oyerfat star wanted to take
j, some nice little trip where he could
: rest Some one suggested a trip of in
: spection 20 the Bloomingdale asylum.
! winch would De interesting and non
; exertionary- -Four or five of US went
: along Our guide from MuldoOns in
: troduced US to a keeper who was anxi-
Gus to take US on a tour of inspection
all over the place. The fat star was
enthusiastic and wanted to see every
thing.
so we went. We saw nothing but
stairs. We went up stairs TO the fifth
floor, along a hall. down again to the
basement, UP again to the roof, down
again to the cellar, and so on. 1t lasted
for two hours and a half, and it was a
hot day.
We saw nothing of Bloomingdale ex-
, cept staiTways, garnet storeroons
kitchens, pantries and coal cellars.
don't doubt that we climbed I'D ano
down at least ten miles. If it had beer
spread out fiat, but never a crazy per
son nor an interesting person or thing
did we see
When at last it was all over the fat
star collapsed.
Give me- said he, no more day:
; off. For rest I prefer the regular hare
days work at boxing, running and clul
swinging. I don't care for these restfu
experiences. They are too wearing
? Nobody but an actor would have stoof
{ 1t without a protest Actors will endur,
{ almost anything if they think it is fol
? their physical welfare"
. The ca1lboy stuck his head in the dool
, and bawled: AT the window"
All right That's my cue" and Mr.
? Thompson vanished down the passa ge
to New