The San Francisco call., 1905-06-18

Perley. the Oeetatic manager, and retired.
Lottie Stockmeyer of our old chorus
married Harry Norman, the barytone.
Quite number of girls have married
fairly well. comfortably, but not bril-
1iantly."
And how about the attentions and the
gilded youth?''
'sThe old Tivoli chorus wasn't good
looking enough to be in very much dam
ger, and now, when looks count more
than anything else in the chorus. the
mana cement doesn't allow notes and vis-
itors behind the scenes. Sometimes girl
attracts attention: sometimes a girl goes
into the chorus for the sake of attract
ing attention, but if that sort of thing
counts for more than her work she
doesn't last long in the chorus. Those
girls come and go. So very often do the
girls who are ambitious to rise quickly;
they will leave the chorus for vaude-
vile or to go on the road. thinking they
will be stars right away. and when they're
disappointed they come back. Some
times they marry in the company-Amy
Leicester, Teddy Webb's wife, is in our
chorus; sometimes they marry outside,
but very seldom brilliantly.
There's not much magic in the aver
age chorus girls career-at least here in
San Francisco, and think not anywhere.
They make mistakes and have their
disappoiHtments and troubles, their likes
ard dislikes just like any girls When
they leave the stage and go broke they
come back because this is, as rule, the
only thing they can do. and they usual
ly go broke very soon, for they're easy
with their money and don't save
'And the automobiles and diamonds?"
mot enough to go around-the average
chorus girl doesn't have them"
but Truly Shattuck?'
'Oh, Truly Shattuck." and Gretchen
looked dour and tight as a clam
IF you want to know just exactly what
becomes of the chorus girls we can take
our old Tivoli chorus of twelve for ex-
ample. 1 can account for every one OF
them and that will show:
There was Julia Simmons-she's living
right here in the city now; she married
a stage carpenter and she's happily mar
ried 1 think
There was Carrie Pfeirer-shes
married here. too, and living with her
husband, business man OF some sort.
I forget just what. but not rich.
There were the three valersas-cne
of them is dead Tilly married mu-
sician and is living in Oakland. Nina
married real estate man
There were the three StockmeysrS-
Freddie is dead; she married George
Wood. the minstrel man. Lottie married
Harry Norman, the barytone. Minnie
married an officer on the police force here.
chorus man at the old Tivoli.
II married and left the chorus. never
to go back again-as chorus girl-and
l didn't marry rich My husband be-
came an invalid and I went to work
sewing, dressmaking, until got the posi-
ton 1 have here. That accounts for mo
and I'm just fair example.
''The only one that's left is Lillian Law
rence-she is leading lady at the Alcazar
now.
There you have the secret of what be-
comes of the chorus girls There's moth
ing SO very wonderful about ii, is there
Just fancy. oh We wide-eyed ingenue. ye
goggie-eycd Johnny. ye green-eyed wo-
man, the dangerous chorus girl leaving
that glittering incandescent life. in
which she is so aIluring, TO haggls
with the butcher and the grocer. TO
save for the rent day and watch for
holes in socks and the stair carpet.
1t IS very prosaic. isn't II?
1t doesn't seem possible, does il?
Yet Gretchen. who surely ought to
know. who has seen it come to pass with
ner own eyes. not cnce. but many times,
says that this is trre-that this is what
becomes of the chorus girls usually and,
what's worse, she says, 'child OF the
tneater as she Is. that II she taS had
her own way she would never have gone
on the stage. and never would encourags
girl TO go on the stage
OF course. this is only Gretchen's
point of view.
The stage-struck girl. all suspicious
womankind and Johnny himself. no
matter how much. nor how earnestly and
honestly Gretchen may disclaim. you may
ffrxrfn ~If - - - ii