Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-12
TO have known the elder Booth; tc

u.
Booth. and John MacCollough, and
other stars of the days when there
were giants in the realm - Thespia-
these are things to boast. And to te
alive and actively in the harness today,
to be still on the boards, and to bear
and we'll sustain the reputation of be-
ing the best Sir Peter Teazle on the
stage-these are more things to be
proud of.
c. Leslie Allen can claim all of these,
and more; he can be satisfied, as he
looks back on a long life as player,
to record it's deeds, and he can be still
better pleased to look forward, in his
green young age-for he will not be
called old-to still finer things yet to
come. The stage of today has no sim
liar case. Jefferson was old when he
died, but Jefferson was decrepit, played
only one role, and was yet younger
than this veteran, who supported JEFF
ferson himself in earlier times.
c. Leslie Allen turned n last night.
He has been on the stage since 1852
He is the father of Viola Allen, who
ranks at the very head of American
actresses, and he is in her company
In "Twelfth Night" he supports her;
in school for Scandal she supports
him; they are loving father and
daughter, and each shines in the re-
| flected glory of the other.
'I am called one of the veterans" +"
| said Mr.. Allen, as he sat in his dress
| ing room at the Mason last night and
recalled his earlier days. yet 1 OBJ
ject to being called old, and to having
my age printed all the time, as II L
were a relic"
Mr.. Allen didn't know then of the
presentations made by his fellow play
ers at the final fall of the curtain, else
he, too, perhaps would have excused
in the occasion the revelations of his
years herein recorded.
at is true l have been on the stage
a long time-52 years. In my earlier
experience things were vastly differ
ent, too. 1 could not tell you how
many parts 1 have played, nor the
miles I have travelled, though the lat
ter may not be so many as you might
think. You see, for seventeen years
I was in Boston, all but one year or
that time with the old Boston theater
stock company, and didn't travel dur
ing that period. 1t was during that
while that 1 supported the most dis
tinguished men on the stage:
"I never played with the elder BOOM
but supported both Edwin and j.
Wilkes bOOlL. PleIyNO IOAOA-4NN ~
+ Wilkes Hamlet, l think Wilkes
would have been a greater actor than
his brother, had he lived. He was
man of fire. full of enthusiasm and
action. At that time Edwin was not
considered so fine as he later became;
his brother was the actor of the fam
lily. r,oo,,4..
"Then there was Charles Fechter;
he was before your day, young man.
but I used to play in the support When
| he came to Boston; a great actor ne
was. I created there the part of Dir
rick in Jefferson's RIP Van Wrinkle,
| and a. great play it was, in those days.
| saw Jefferson later in life, but there
was a great change.
"You see, when I played in stock the
| travelling stars carried no companies,
hut came to town and depended upon
the stock players to aid them A man
| in stock in those days had to nave
a repertoire, tell you; 1t was no llSnl
task he had before him. used to
play characters; l was engaged IoI
old men. second old men and charac-
tiers. and this gave my manager
| wide range to utilize me in. But afte1
| one secured a repertoire 1t Wasnt Sc
| hard Then. people wanted the legitl-
mate. they craYed the great things OF
the drama, and didn't run to tolderol
Now, if you mention Hamlet IN New
York people turn up their noses at IL
and say they'll none of it; they Woulo
rather go around the corner and see
| George Cohan.
| "And that stock training was the
finest man could get, too. Now,
chap engages a certain llne; ht
plays juveniles, say, and he secures
a juvenile role with travelling or
ganization and plays it all season
then, at the end, he knows only tha'
| part and line of work, so that for the
coming year he must have similar
part. He cannot do anything else. II
the old stock days man might PLAY
a Juvenile one week or even night, al
old man the next, a character part th'
next and so he became an all arounC
actor. He had to become one. There'
| a great difference now.
IT suppose times have changed; peo
ple don't go to the theater like the,
| did when they wanted the finest legit
| innate plays. They go in now TO
autos and bridge and receptions anC
teas and pingpong-though l suppos'
pingpong has rather died out by now
They don't want serious drama; the!
enjoy a laugh. That's doubtless VIII!
we do not have actors as we did II
the former days"
But do not think for an instant tina
Mr.. Allen, for all his years, lives II
his past; it was only by skillful lead
ing up to it that he was induced t.
talk of it, He much preferred to, dis
cuss the labor situation in San Fran
cisco, or Owens river! And on boil
topics he was well informed, indeed
He attributes the fearful situation il
San Francisco to the labor unions ant
their exactions and TO graft. and d