Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21
NOTES BY THE
MATINEE MAN

~ HAT statement from Jack Blackwood
which 1 printed last Sunday where
\ in he said he wished this town had
a real live press agent in it so he would
have to work bit, has not passed un-
challenged. l have heard verbally, by let
ter and personally, from every press rep
resentative in town and few outsiders.
One of the fraternity became so indignant
that he put his wrath into words and
phrases as follows. Read it and enjoy it,
Jack Blackwood; The Matinee Man would
be glad to hear what you have to say in
reply Here it. Is:
I'm reference to an article in Sundays Her
aid in which John Blackwood manager of the
Belasco. states that it is a regrettabe fact
that there are live press agents in Los
Angeles for him to compete with, the result
being that he s suffering severely from ennui
and tendency to obesity in consequence: Now
when come to think of II this fact land 1t
must be a fact, for the only press agent
states lb, is most deporabe. because 1t COM
pels such a brilliant writer of agentorial pre-
varcations to keep his poetical briliancy un-
der the basket when 1t should be enlightening
a clamorous public that is ever the lookout
for such rare knowledge. 'Tis sad indeed
when a nimbus that might rival the brilliancy
of Saturn's rings, and which should be how
ering over his head, is dimmed to nothingness
and literarily sunk into oblivion when the
only excuse is that for competitors he has
nothing but messenger boys to vie with. Some
of the other managers are evidently ignorant
of the fact that they are employing office boys
to do the work of skilled press agents, with the
result that these managers are at present basl-
ing in the warm sunshine at the beaches
and wondering how they possibly going to
spend their profits of the past season, profits
that possibly partly made through the
efforts of these numbskulls in their employ,
while the manager-agent who has nothing to
do but write wittiful witticisms and personal
notices of his own mastodonc greatness with
the pronoun in large black-face caps in every
sentence continues on at his duties, drawing
down salary that 1 surmlse is not very
much greater than that of of the min
compoops that he ridicues for their ignorance
Yet after reading his display of phenomenal
brilliancy regarding the Belasco attraction
which has evidently been stereotyped for the
past three seasons, L much amazed when
entering the Belasco theater Sunday night to
find that the house not turning EN- away.
With the competition he ardently seeks his
house should have been sold out through his
ability to tell the public of the merits of his
show and Its Importance.
ONE OF THE "DUBs"
The rumor that the Pacific ocean has
special tide rising about IL o'clock
every morning only to recede at ~ is
not true. That is merely the hour that
Harry eastman takes his daily dip
down at Venice, where the Californians
are now edifying the natives.
Because a player is Kissed on the
stage is no sign that his or her parti
sans do not love that player off stage.
Kissing is sometimes the highest form
of compliment. Lillian Hayward had
an example of this last week. She had
only few minutes work in the first
act, then she went out in front and
saw the show. Sitting in the back row
Sunday, between the acts, Miss Hay
ward was surprised to feel pair of
arms encircle her neck and a resound-
ing kiss on her cheek. Then came an
other and several more. Explanations
followed.
"O Miss Hayward" said one gushing
young girl, I'VE just couldn't help it.
You are so perfectly lovely when you
are so wicked on the stage that we
wanted to let you know how we adore
you"
The others echoed the sentiment and
the same episode happened every night
that Miss Hayward so appeared. So
really even villainess can be loved
no matter how saturnine she may be in
her roles.
Lillian Albertson has Joined the BelascoI
equestrian club. L was out autoing-no,
you are wrong; friend lent me his ma
chine-last Sunday and passed her, to-
gether with John DAILY Murphy and Ho-
bart Bosworth. on the Pasadena road,
cantering along in all her loveliness. She
rides side saddle, and looks very fetching
in her habit of white linen.
Bosworth and his wife. Adele Earring
ton, by the way, are becoming famous
hosts, and the confines of Bungaloland
over east are all eager to- be hidden to
their menage, l wish they'd invite me,
There is hitch in the sale of that West
Adams street house. to Dick Ferris. II
understand. Too bad If that doesn't gol
through; Los Angeles wants Dick as al