Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-14
"Tank" Talent Wins in Cities

Nh, he's all right in the tank
towns, but he'll never do In
the big cities where they
have electric light is comment that
theatrical people used to make with
great frequency whenever there was
mentioned the name of any one of fifty
or more stars that tour the country
each year and make money without the
assistance Of a New York Endorsement.
Just now it would seem that many Of
these stars are coming in out of what
the case hardened metropolitan man
ager would call the tall and uncut and
are contending valiantly upon metro
politan stages for the laurels that have
long been worn by actors who seldom
if ever get out of half dozen of the
biggest cities in the country
One of the finest examples of the
fact that If a man has the real stuff
in him he will get his reward even If
he has to wait a long time for 1t Is the
case of Robert Mantell For years he
played through the provinces in
"Monbars," The Face in the Moon
light" and other romantic dramas. He
was never managed or supported as
well as he should have been. Finally
good managers got him. took him into
New York and now, from one end of
the country to another, he is hailed as
one of the finest exponents of Shakes
pearean acting that the American
stage has seen.
Florence Roberts is another case in
point. For years she has been play
ing in the west and particularly along
the Pacific coast, where she has always
been a great faVorite. She has essayed
roles like those that Mrs. Carter has
played in New York. During the fag
end of this last season she went into
New York with a piece called "The
Strength of the Weak" The play was
good, but Miss Roberts disclosed to the
blase theatergoerS of the metropolis
of the United tSates an art so fresh
and winning that they all began to ask
why she had been kept in the one
nights so long. Indeed, her triumph
and the triumphs of Robert Mantell,
and many others. have been the tri-
umphs of the long sneered at one
night-stand actor
Lewis Morrison, who died the other
day, played Faust in about every
city and hamlet in the country yet his
recognition by the big cities came only
after he had served a long apprentice
ship In the smaller towns.
The case of Lewis James is a queer
one. James has been a big metropol-
itan favorite and he and Frederick
Ward have been the greatest favorites
in their line that the far west has ever
seen. Whenever they have played to-
gether through the west their business
has been phenomenal. Now they have
separated and Mr.. James is going it
alone. Yet his triumph in THE Merry
Wives Of Windsor" really goes into the
class Of which we speak because he has
been more closely Identified with the
out-of-New York audiences than with
those that flll the theaters in the me-
tropolis.
Many actors and actresses that have
been well known in the country go to
New York, and having made hit are
amused to hear theatergoers ask one
another;
Where in the world did So and Sc
come from? The name is strange and
l don't think that anybody l know has
ever heard of him."
Yet outside of New York there are
probably hundreds of thousands OF
educated theatergoers to whom the
name is almost a household word who
have long known and admired the
actor and who have felt, as he has felt
that all he needed to make an impress.
sion upon unimpressionab New York
was an opportunity
Not only are the one-night-stanc
actors forging to the front In the cities
with amazing rapidlty, but the man
ayers from the smaller towns are TAX.
ing hold of affairs IN New York witt
firm hands. There Is many a manager
In New York today who has his genesis
in some little town where they didn'i
have electric lights and the number OF
these managers Is increasing like the
number Of those actors who have re,
fused to accept as handicap and Z
holdback the fact that they acted II