The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-27
.FUNNIER NOW THAN THEN.
John Barrymore Recalls Some Sad
dening Stage Experiences.
Chicago Evening Post


Il have had a good many amusing
experiences" said a Mr.. John Barry
more reflectiveiy, as he lighted a Gig
arctic after the final curtain OF "A
Stubborn Cinderella" at the Princess
theatre the other night but one which
has afforded me as much laughter as
any occurred right here in Chicago at
Cleveland's theatre. l was making my
first appearance on the stage, and the
first play in which / was given a part
was 'Magda,' in which 1 played Max,
a handsome, dashing young soldier.
My uniform was gorgeous affair
of red and blue, gold lace, brass but
tons and various other ornamental trap
pings, but as I at that time was in
a state of complete financial collapse,
bought this uniform second hand at a
customers instead of having one made
for me. Who the original owner was
don't know, but he was built on the
architectural lines of a park policeman
was young and careless in those days,
and l had taken the customers word
for 1t that the costume would fit me
without alteration. so / dashed madly
into the theatre ten minutes before
time to go on and found this awful
thing to wear.
Necessity being the mother of inven-
ton. you know, 1 rolled up my street
clothes into bundle and tied it across
my chest. This made me look like a
cross between Sandow and Jim Jeffries,
around the chest, and a pair of scissors
In the legs, but 1t was no time to stop
or hesitate, and L strobe on the stage.
l had been there about three minutes
when L felt the bundle begin to slip,
and by the finish of the scene / was
possessed of an aldermanic paunch
which would have made me the presi-
dent of any fat mems club in the world
on sight. The next day one critic wrote
that John Barrymore was very fine as
little soldier. but wandered about as
If be had been dressed up and for
gotten"
This was my first theatrical notice.
and, curiously enough, my father also
made his debut on the American stage
In Chicago and was handed something
almost as fine. He appeared as Mr.
Cool in a piece called Cool as a Gu
cumber,' and the first criticism which
met his eye on the following day read:
Maurice Barrymore appeared last night
as MIR. Cool. If the audience have their
wish, he wiz soon be playing where he
viii never be cool again
Cleveland forgave me for the ap-
pearance 1 made in 'Magda' and prom
ised that l should have the following
week the part of Sir Francis Bacon in
queen Elizabeth This is a big, fat
part, and / was sure that / would make
hit which would reverberate all over
the world. and | spent the rest OF the
week telephoning around TO all the
friends of my family in Chicago, beg
ging them to come and see me the
opening night. And a lot of them
did.
THE day before we were 10 open,
however, some misfortune or other oc-
CURED, and Mr.. Cleveland was forced
to substitute Leah the Forsaken' for
Queen Elizabeth In Leah l was given
the grand and glorious part of the idiot
boy, who is the village butt. | had
one line to speak, and l led the yokels
for one splendid moment in three loud
cries of 'Hurrah" L puttied up my
nose, got a big beautiful blond wig,
and disguised myself as much as pos
sible in other ways, but all my friends
were on to me, and there are a lot
of them who haven't stopped calling me
Sir Francis Bacon yet.
Since the San Francisco earthquake
however, they have been guying me
instead, about the remarks said to have
been made by my uncle Mr.. John Drew
when L wrote him that | had been
thrown out of bed and then forced To
help clear the streets, with a guard OF
soldiers over me. Instead of the great
wave of sympathy | expected from
Uncle Jack he remarked: Well. il
took CONFUSION of nature to get Jack
out of bed. and the United States army
to make him go to work.