The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-07-14

businessitke and NapOleOnic. and so forth.
for the manager. but it's nard on the feel
ings OF the actor But when did mana
ger ever regard the reputation of an ac-
tori"
This is the conviction Of every actor
and Il would be impossible TO convince
him TO the contrary. Yet how differently
a manager talked the other day TO a Sun
reporter:
Actors Won't Help.
'The manager who wasted his time
man said. would soon find himself bank
rupt. have yet to hear Of single case
IN which the player did anything to help
a manager when he had an uncertain
proposition on his hands They're out for
themselves.
Listen 10 my experience last fall: I
had piece that had gone poorly in Bos-
ton in the spring and then one in Chicago
during the summer. ! was uncertain
about New York. however. and the au-
thor made certain changes in the play
That required some rehearsais I put of
the opening until late In the week IN or
der to get the people up In the altered
scenes.
Mind you, now. had already lost
about $4,000 on the piece, with an expense
Of more than that on the production and
big salary list TO be met every Tuesday.
You would have thought that for their
own sakes they would have worked with
me to improve the play, quite apart from
their indifference as to my money.
But II you knew actors you would
never believe that. They were the soresf
crowd that ever happened. Vhey dragged
themselves over the stage as if every
step was going 70 be their last. They
took their time about learning the few
new lines introduced. and a more suIen
lot you never knew. This was all be-
cause Of a few rehearsals. The more
salary they were getting the less interest
they took.
We'll. the first night came The judg-
ment Of the first-night audience was the
Scotch verdict, Not proven II might go
and it might not. Il needed aggressive
work. and during the third performance
I sent around word that I wanted the
pictures
That created as much Of a hubbub as an
order from the Gar might have done in
a Siberian prison.
Always Kicking.
Might as well have gone into the con-
tinuous right away and done over six
shows a day observed the leading man.
I'm for out Of here and something to
eat
I'd never have gone to hotel, scorn-
fully remarked the leading lady who did
not have job all winter. by the way. If
I'd have known I was going to live in
this theater'
THAT was the general tone Of their con-
versation. After posing reluctantly for
one picture they refused 70 stay longer.
Business did not jump much the next
night, so II was not difficult for me to
work the revenge I had thought OF. I had
put up on the board a notice that the play
would close the next week.
They were the most astonished lot Of
actors you ever saw. II they had shown
the least indication of a desire 70 work
with me and make the play succeed, I
might have acted differently.
las ii was, there is not a single actor
In that company, from the most impor-
tant down to the kid who played the part
Of a printers devil, who does not go
around saying that I blasted his or her
artistic career by my ruthless action in
shutting UP that show so suddenly. They
thought I ought 70 have gone right along
paying them salaries and losing more and
more every week.
Another manager wreaked his ven
geance on an ungTateful star in much the
same way. She was acting In a play by
Clyde Fitch. which had not made a very
great success. A run Of three weeks had
about exhausted the chance Of success in
New York It was ct the end of April.
however, and the manager decided that
he would force the run for a month to
reap the advantage of its record on the
road tour. This was an Investment which
was going to cost him some money He
had to rent the theater outright and pay
the company from weekly receipts that
did not go much over 5000.
Joked with Audience.
Zone night dropped IN to see how the
show was going. The audience was not
large, for even the deadheads had not
turned out on that rainy night Whether
NI liOk tiib NAAfsAANN Wv btlI uIADIS MUu,
however, a splendid time They guyed
their lines. they bowed to friends in the
audience, they laughed and joked with
one another, and acted a serious melo-
drama as if It had been a most informal
musical comedy.
There I sat and realized that wes
paying out my good money TO these peo-
pie. OF course. I was doing it for bust
ness investment. but 1 wanted some kind
of a comeback. None Of the company
knew / was in the theater until some
body went back and tipped them OFF.
The way they played the last act could
not have been beaten by the Hofburg and
the Coincide Franchise combined. 1t was
too late, though They got notice and I
closed up the next week.
II used TO be an actor myself, but I
must say that I think the members Of
any other profession in the world would
have been a little mora conscientious and