Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-24
NOTES BY THE
MATINEE MAN ,
THE beauty contest Is on between
the stock houses and I'm glad
= Of It. II there,a ANYTHING I want
s.+H.H&+H+1.s.ff..f..s..H-F+t...N....ts

Inc SIOCk houses anQ III BlaQ
of 1t. If there's anything I want
it's a pretty woman on the stage. Not
that homely genius is not admirable
nor that beauty cannot mask cleverness
either. But when you can get both
together It's SO much happier. Now
with Florence Smythe about to make
her bow at the Belasco-oh, wait till
you see her!-that house has a lively
| rival to dainty Maude Gilbert at the
Burbank, and all the stock houses, in
Lillian Albertson Florence Stone and
Mary Van Buren, have summers as
leading women, so we have quite a
respectable beauty show here in town.
The more the merrier.
How 1 am looking forward to seeing
darling Maude Gilbert in "As You Like
It." Every time she doffs her skirts
and fits about in the garb of mine own
sex 1 find new beauties and fascina-
tions In her, and in the doublet and
hose of Rosalind she ought to be SIM
ply scrumptious. Hurry up, Ollie; an
impatient public clamors for the treat.
Ramsey Wallace, the next time he
gets his blue envelope, won't try to
spring any fakes, via my friend Othe-
man Stevens. Wallace left the Audito-
rum in blue funk. He delivered him
self of wild and woolly yellow yarn
about the "deah" ladies haunting his
stage door and scrapping over him, or
words to that effect; and the 'Zaminer
delivered itself of four columns and a
fine picture layout. (Must have taken
cascaretsD And then Wallace got cold
feet on the yarn and went about among
the other newspapers trying to get
them to deny it. OF course they
wouldn't; if they denied all that the
Hearst sheet publishes they'd have
room for little else. And what's the
use? No one believed it, anyhow.
Ned Nye who was one Of the at
fractions of the Orpheum last week,
will soon make his debut as an author.
The Otis Publishing company of Cleve-
land, Ohio, has in the press a volume
OF anecdotes, recollections, reveries and
tales by the comedian, and to it's other
attractions are added a series of near
ly two hundred thumb nail sketches by
well-known cartoonist. The volume
will appear as Smoke" Nye says the
title Will serve as an excuse for all
manner of pipe dreams. If they're as
good as his stage dope, me for the
book.
Bill Bernard was back last week,
looking fine and fat. Texas agrees
with him, but he declares he would like
to be in Los Angeles again. / wish he
were; Bill is too good an Indian to
waste his substance on the Ell Paso
air.
Blanche Hall is headed this way:
don't be surprised If she drops in most
any day now. Blanche is one of the
most beautiful and popular leading
women this town ever saw, and hosts
will be glad of her return. 1t will
likely mean the going of Mary Van
Buren, of which as many Will he re-
gretful, but Blanche is sort of one of
our own, and Mary Is only an exotic,
so-well, $50 long, Mary"
A good player Is always justified in
doing his best, no matter how mediocre
his associates may be, l am minded of
this by the engagement Of Bradlee
Martin for the Belasco company. Mar
tin was here with a No. 23 show at the
Mason recently and was one of the
few redeeming features about it, play
ing a character part very capably
Jack Blackwood saw him and perceived
chance to fill q hole in the Belasco
company, so engaged him at once, Just
from noticing his work. Now Martin
becomes a member OF the stock fam
lily over In Main street, and all be-
cause he did his best In an unfavorable
environment.