Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-25
AMELIA SUMMERvILLE
IS WRITING MEMOIRS
WILL REVEAL THE SECRETS
OF BANTING
Actress Who Lost 100 Pounds II
Three Months and Kept Healthy
viii Tell How She
Did II

How to Lose a Pound of Flesh a
Day for One Hundred Days" might be
the title of the book that Amelia Sum-
merville, the famous coincidence, is
now writing. She prosaically calls the
volume, which has been accepted for
publication, weight Reduction" and
In 1t she tells, among other things, how
she reduced her own fat self from 249-
one shy of the impossible 250-pounds
to 149, all in the space of three months.
So famed was she for this achieve
ment that ever since she has been i'm
portuned by women suffering from the
"too, too solid flesh" that will not melt
to tell them how she did 1t. Now she
is busy putting her experiences and
recommendations on paper.
Incidentally that Ia why Miss Sum-
merville declined to give away trade
secret when seen in her dressing room
at the Orpheum last night.
"Why cannot we talk about some
thing else?" she pleaded. "That was SO
long ago. How long? Now am per-
feet lady, and I never tell lie. When
the truth is impossible or unpalatable
simply don't answer. Consider your
self unanswered. The idea! Why,
don't you remember-but 1 suppose
not: you are not old enough to recall
when used to trip my 249-be careful
about that-it wasn't $50 at all-down
the long runway from upstage In
'Adonis, tril1ing I'm a Merry Little
Mountain Maid and the papier mache
mountain used to groan. beneath me!
Oh, those were happy days. gone by.
The Legs of Adonis
Heard of 'Adonis'? OF course you
have. 1t was a famous comedy in its
day. That's when Henry Dixie used to
be noted for his beautiful legs, and
used to be noted for my-fat. Now he
is famously fat and I-well, don't say
It; think It. But I am really noted
for other things-for instance. my
solving of the weight reduction problem
without injuring my health.
"Tell you about 1t? Not that. Didn't
I warn you? That goes into my book
Yes, am writing 1t now; that is, when
have time. Doing two q day on the
road and travelling Sundays doesn'
give one much opportunity to write,
but whenever have spare hour or
two put down some more paragraphs
and rush them off. A New York con-
Germ is getting out the book, and 1t
will likely be published in the spring.
You see. I am to go into comedy
called THE Woman of the Hour'-fine
title, eh?-in short while, and then
I will have time to finish up the vol
ume.
"Why did 1 reduce? Because I could
not get a part that l wanted; they
said / was too fat. 'Fat?' quoth L. III
be thin. them They laughed at me, but
had three months in which to lose q
hundred pounds and I did it. 1t didn't
affect my health. and I turned out to
be so skinny-yes, mind you, L SAID
skinny-that played 'Trilby,' and you
know what a gawky thing she was
Ever since then I have been light
weight, though am very tall and car
carry a hundred and seventy-five
nicely.
Eternal Vigilance the Price Of Beaut,
"No, can't say that once one re
duces one will stay thin as l do. Ont
may not have the same will power K
eschew everything that puts on flesh
there. almost said something, didn't L
But that was only the smallest part OF
nv treatment of myself. 1t does take
determination and will Hower anc
strength, and it is fight to get rio
of fat. But it can be done without IN
jury; I am demonstration OF tha'
fact"
Miss Summerville doesn't like the
vaudeville stage. She declares tnat sne
never gets anywhere on 1t.
sYou come on and stay fifteen min
utes and are gone. They are glad to
see YOU. but they are just as glad to
have you go; there is always the next
turn to look forward to. and curiosity
makes them want it. You can't do
much in fifteen minutes, you know;
you only get acquainted with your au-
dience when you are gone. No, 1t Is
not very satisfactory. I'm going back
to regular comedy. My new play, de-
spite it's title, is not related to The
Man of the Hour which, oddly enough,
is nlaving here now. 1t is play about
a woman who has everything up to
date and takes up all the fads of the
moment This is the keynote of it.
expect to go out in it early after
Christmas"
Ornheum attractions that only stay
mere one week. Her vaudeville engage
ments elsewhere only permit OF week
here.