The Washington times., 1906-04-01
How Pollock Wrote
Little Gray Lady

Claiming Pollock. the author Of The
Little Gray Lady" is among the first
IF press agents 10 be taken seriously as
A dTamaIist he is best known in this
city as a newspaper man who had a
host Of friends before he left for New
York to engage generally in the thea
trieai business In speaking OF the
troubles OF the press agent when he
attempts 10 become a dramatist Mr..
Pollock has many interesting things 10
say.
The press agent who seeks publicity
for large firm is always busy. and
many people here wonder when ] find
time TO practice plsywriting. Every
line Of The Little Gray Lady was writ
ten between midnight and in the morn
, after my regular days work at the
theater WIS finished The same applies
10 nv dramatizaJiOn Of The Pit and
in The Bishops Carriage II was after
William A Brady and Joseph Grismer
| had presented The Pit that took Up
the idea OF The Little Gray Lady Z
realized that no enduring or legitimate
reputation as dramatist can be found
/ I'd upon PLAYS rehashed from novels
( My name had come into some little
prominence through the success Of The
, r j
! iiSh II with a work entirely my own.
I NJ Grismer told me if l would write
an original play he would consider Il
! for Phoebe Davis
Il began 10 read old plays. not those
OF Shakespeare. Moliere. etc. for / was
familiar with them, but those of the
less-known writers OF the Elizabethsn
period and previous 10 that time. My
] oh hat sir nd
! characters had been used and 10 find
| modernized would be novel and effect
discovered that every idea in them was
either threadbare or indecent beyond
| possibility OF sufficient disinfection 70
make presentation advisable.
I After several mcEths delving into
| old classics. ! found that this was no
good way TO get inspiration Not ind
| ing satisfactory ideas from without.
! decided to seek them within 1 shut
myself up IN room at certain time
every day. resolved 20 stay there until
at least one promising thought came TO
me The only result was that my nerves
got into state OF such disorder that l
1 had 10 go away on a vacation 10 recu-
perte-
L went 10 Baltimore by train. and
walked from there to Washington. dur
ing the tramp looking for ideas on haw-
thOrns and helpful suggestions on BRAN
bles. But upon arrival in the Capital
J City-my home-I was no nearer d plot
7 than before.
a few DAYS later met a friend who
was high in the Secret Service De
spite the reticence o. such officials.
managed to CLEAN from him a great
deal Of accurate information about the
workings of the Government detective
department. and also OF the Redemption
Bureau Of the United States Treasury
/ He told me several queer but true in
cidents that had happened in the latter.
! zone OF these was about a woman who
| made a hundred-dOllar bill by tear
ing small pieces from other bills.
and placing them together. As
! the motif Of The Little Gray
/ Lady hinges upon such deception.
and as some persons have been skepti-
| cal regarding its possibility. 1 viii say
| that the case of the woman about which
nv friend told me is we'll authenticated.
! being on record in Washington
/ .On returning 10 New York this one
I idea feasible for dramatic purposes was
the result OF my Vacs ton It soon cry
! stalled with another, born OF a ro-
nance of my own. which later together
developed into The Little Gray Lady
as il now stands