The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-12-12

! found him taking a peep at the
audience through hole in the curtain
and it was only after l had spoken for
the second time that Jack Golden turn-
ed to greet me.
"a story from mel Do you know
YOU do nos have to go step farther
and only need to take a peep through
that little hole there in the curtain to
get plenty of material for a story which
will make far more interesting read
ing matter than anything / could tell
you regarding my life or the ups and
Towns of my stage career. Did yod
ever study the expressions on the faces
of an audience during a performance?
ats a fad with me, and | believe
that it should be the duty of every
comedian. Most of them confne them
selves, however, to a casual survey of
the faces in the first few rows, while
they are playing a comedy scene, just
to figure out how long to hold 81 posi-
ton for laugh. But, it is when the
audience is watching someone or some
thing else that like to study them
Ever since this moving picture
craze started 1 have made it a point
10 be on hand to study the expressions
on the faces of the watchers. Several
times it has almost been my undoing
and some night, owing to the darkness
of the stage during the pictures the
inevitable will happen and the curtain
will rise and leave me standing there
with my eve glued to the spot where
the hole in the curtain was.
What would I do in such a case?
Oh, | can t tell Possibly walk out and
give a little talk showing the audience
themselves as others see them
''Don't you want to take a peep.
There is another hole, just there
And before | could answer Mr.. Golden
was back again at the little hole in
the curtain and as there seemed moth
ing else to do / walked over to take
a peep. I found that Mr.. Golden was
right and that there was a wealth of
material for a story in that sea of faces.
Because of the cloak of semidarkness
during the moving pictures the men,
hers of the audience lost all self ICON
scienceness.
But | wish someone would tell me
why it is that all of the smokers wait
until the lights are lowered before they
Eight their cigars or cigarettes. In the
semi-darkness glowed the lighted ends
of many cigars, glowing anew with each
puff and looking not unlike swarm
of frefies. Now and then matches
would be struck in different parts of
the house and then would appear the
REDEEMED silhouette of the face of the
smoker 1t was interesting to watch
the different views of the different
faces lighted by the matches. No two
smokers seemed to hold their matches
or cigars at exactly the same angle
Sometimes a full front view of the
face would appear in the glow, then an
other smoker would lean to the right
'or left to obtain a light and only the
profile would be visible, while another
would enclose the match in the cup of
his hands in which case the nose only
was redeemed.
Before | forget it / want to give a
quiet little tip to those young men who
attend he night performances accom-
panied by their best girl. Don't let
the deceptive glow from the center
light of the picture machine calm you
into thinking that the semi darkness
over the balance of the house forms an
all-concealing cloak, and decide to add
to the evenings enjoyment by holding
Your sweetheart , manu-. Il VI IHe lIIIe
girl, the second one from the right,
with whom you have been trying to
make hit may be peeping through the
curtain.
"Can you see that big fellow down
in the sixth row, sitting second from
the middle AISLE asked Mr.. Golden.
@'Just watch his face, did you ever see
such jolly chaps'
L ran my eye along to the seat men
toned and was dumfounded to see the
expression l caught on the face of the
occupant. 1t was one of our most Dig
nifed and impressive members of the
senate last year. When | thought of
his manner of addressing that body last
year and of his slow Southern drawl
way of speaking and the impressive
and dignifed bearing he always pre-
served | wished that he might return
to the senate and turn to the members
his moving picture face, lighted with
that smile, and deliver an Grafton. 1t
might not be quite such study Of i'm
pressiveness but | am sure it would
make much more of hit.
| became so interested in watching
the senator that when the pictures came
to an end and the lights suddenly fash
ed up | was as much taken back as
the young man ont front who was hold