Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-03
NEWS AND VIEWS OF THE DRAMA
A FEW GOOD YARNS
ABOUT CLYDE FITCH

The father of the late Clyde F1tch
wanted him to become an arcnlleCt'
The son preferred tampering with III
erature to bungling bungalows. AT lasI
they compromised. Fitch 1r, was 70
try writing for three years. If at tIle
end of that time his debts bulked
heavier than his bank account the
practical minded parent was to nave
his way. The young man had begun
to look with some approximate inter
est on the advertisements for draughIs-
men when his chance came. Rlchard
Mansfield had an idea for a play
founded on the story of Beau Bruln-
mel. He had not the time to write II
and asked William Winter to do 1t Ior
him That distinguished critic passed
along the opportunity to Clyde Fitch
and Fitch embraced it. Mansfield hello
the play for several months, then gave
it a Chicago tryout. On the night Oh
the premiere Fitch's three years OF
probation had almost expired. The
story runs that he did not even have car
fare to Chicago for the opening. Word
of its transcendent success came 10
him by wire. The reluctant parent
was convinced and architecture LOST
shining light.
And Clyde Fitch's stage struggles
really only began with his first success.
1t piqued him in soul and purse TO
find that he could not gain the uolqult-
GUS ear of Charles Frohman. When
ever Fitch called the ear was out-oL
hearing, One day Fitch bribed an Of
flee boy to lay manuscript on ron
mans desk. The boy was good boy
with an eve to the future of the Am
erican drama, and he put 1t in a con-
spicuous place. The day the busy
Charles discovered the manuscript
blizzard struck the town and ne ue-
cided to leave his Office early. He TOOK
the play with him in a mood of sheer
desperation, abetted by the fact tnat
the current drama at his Empire tne-
ater apparently had caused the pllI-
zard. Before nightfall the manager
had called a rehearsal of the Empire
stock company for the following morn
ing. according to the New York Iele-
graph. He couldn't find Fitch. Ihree
days later that gentleman walked TIM
idlv into the Frohman offices. the OF
flee boy thought he might wait TILL MI.
Frohman came. When that august
event took place. Fitch stamnnereu ou'
request that Frohman read ms play
ort,s in rehearsal" said the manager,
crisply. still according 10 tne New Nv
York Telegraph. "IVe been waiting 10
see YOU to make the necessary con-
That piece was Bohemia" 1t ran
for $50 nights at the Empire, with
Henry Miller, Viola Allen, w. n.
Thompson. William Faversham, Orr1n
johnson and Ida Conquest In the cast
Clvde Fitch made his first demand to
have absolute direction of all his plays
as soon as he felt himself suft1ciently
powerful with the managers, There-
after. whoever may have been an
nounced as the stage manager of one
of his pieces, it was really Fftch VINO
was responsible for the final result
'sThere was nothing that Fitch Woulo
not do" an actor in several or his
nlavs was recalling, "to make the act
| ors understand what he wanted. Oc-
casionally members of company no
familiar with his methods kept then
faces straight only with difhculty' ne
| initiated exactly just what he eX'
nected every character to be. He
would strut about like Wall stree
corporation president, chatter ike
| toothless old woman, parade arounc
with the icy serenity of a Gibson
bealltv. or coquette with the abandon
| of a show girl in the early nornlns
hours at a fast restaurant. All tnese tss
| tvpes he would illustrate with ndeIiIs
to the original. 1t was part OF nS hiS
| skill as a stage manager ana eIapieu
him to accomplish wonders with MS
actors. =. +be
n1avers who had never seen IL peIore
| 7 have watched old stagers III Ine
| business who came for the first time
to a Fitch rehearsal nearly douple W
when the author went bounding across
the stage with the gait and sWlns VI
| then 1llltate
Nth +he same tluthfulness a Londor
Johnny telling about the charm or MS
Iedv love in the Gaiety chorus. These
things made an old-timer sit up ano
- was often difficult for us to keeI
from roaring with laughter until the
actors saw how serious Mr.. F1tcn wa
and that he was stretching his powers
of mimicry to the furthest in order t'
help them and the play.
Illustrating his attitude toward MS
own work, he once said;
"Are my characters puppets I sol,,I suit
ti,,1as wish thev were, for then | coulc
do what T wanted with them, When az
a matter of fact they often contro
me A few years ago I outlined tnt
Mot of a comedy to manager we
ee1ected the comedian who was to play
Ibn nrincipal role and l went enthus
iastically to work The coneulan o,,, saw
the completed first act gushea aoUu ~
IL and was eager to get the rest of the
COMEDY lt aed "an and Begin rehearsals at once 4o
Then the characters had created to3f ,3, !
the play out of my hands: They hey woulG anG
oereuede me how wrong and illoglca
was the outcome of the play. And 9t
YOU know that particular COMEDY 1t
turned out to be a tragedy or at least
a serious play"
The analysis of the philosophy oI o.
comedy was favorite theme with MT
Fitch. Discussing it. he once said'
"Polite comedy, with its tea-cup ap'
neal to the undramatic, sensitive audi
ences who pride themselves upon man. man
nerly humor, upon the smiles miles tina tnft 4nt Tat
feels rather than sees mas mo-. lQt ye
4eocbad ire own in America. Wit Is g
thing that either stabs the heart OF
stimulates the mental attributes OF de.
! fenseless victims. but humor Is !,
! Al q