The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-09-26
Continued from PAGE 8.

never gets into the program. No matter
how good his work may be, he enjoys no
credit Most of the audience take it for
granted that the part is played by the
regular man, and the few who know it is
done by an Understudy will either say
it is rotten or, If they are honest
enough to admit their pleasure in his
efforts viii add, nine times out Of ten,
Yes, this man is pretty fair, but you
ought TO see Bllnks in the part he
created it, you know. If I'd known he
wasn't in the cast, 1 wouldn't have come.
It's an outrage to advertise BllnkS1 and
then give us some one else That's what
the understudy gets. You can't blame
the public, either. Blinks' name is on
the program as appearing in this chaTac-
ter, and the people expect to see him.
They want him, even if he is nothing
like so good an actor as the man who
temporarily takes his place. That's what
makes me mad
New York Telegraph: To the strug-
Cling young dramatist who believes
that the world is cold and theatrical
managers brutal, a study of the career
Of the late Clyde Fitch must prove
stimulating. His foothOld was not OBJ
tanned without many slip and many
d bruised shin, and only a trick born
of desperation ever gained him an au-
dienCe with Charles FrOhman.
It
Beau Brummel" was fairly successful.
he had not been able to place a manu-
script with F'rOhman. In fact, try as
he would, he never could gain FrOh-
mans ear. Plays from his pen had
been produced at the Boston Museum,
but Fitch was not satisfied.
one day he bTibed FrOhman's office
boy to lay a manuscript on his en-
plOyeT's desk. 1t bore on its pale blue
cover only the title and by Clyde
Fitch" There was no address and no
other mark of Identification.
1t happened that a blizzard struck
town on the day FrOhman discovered
the typewriter manuscript and he de-
cided to leave his Office early. He took
the play with him for lack of more
promising literature. 1t happened also
that the current play at the Empire
theatre-then the home of the most
celebrated stock company in America
was a failure.
Frohman read the Fitch manuscript
and before nightfal had issued an or
der to call rehearsal of his stock COM
pany the following morning. Overnight
he arranged to have the parts of the
new piece typewriter and distributed
and at 10 the following day the play
was in rehearsal. Meanwhile he had
been unable to locate Fitch.
1t was three days later that Fitch
timidIy presented himself at Frohman's
Office. He called to see the Office boy
and not the master.
Did you carry out my instructions?
he asked the boy.
Yes, sir" replied the latter.
Did Mr. FrOhman read the play?" q
I don't know" replied the bay; but
he said he wanted TO see you"
Fitch hung around until FrOhman ar
rived. When ushered across the TIRES
hold of the private office he began a:
follows:
Il know you're a busy man, Mr.
Frohman, but 1 wish you'd read thai
play of mine If you haven't the time
won't you have your play reader lool
il OVer?"
Il have read il" replied Frohman.
''W-w-weIl. wh-h-hat's become of it p
stammered Fitch.
It's in rehearsal" said Frohman
I've been waiting to see you to max,
the necessary contract"
That piece was Bohemian" L
touched the popular pulse and ran fol
nearly $50 nights at the Empire. In tn,
cast were Henry Miller, Viola Allen
W. II. Thompson, William Faversham
Orrin Johnson and Ida ConQuest-all Of