The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-02-09
Attic 1EE

A good many Topeka people, of late
| seasons, have asked this reporter the
secret of Mr.. Paul Gilmore's hold on
the newspapers. Although Mr. Gilmore
has not had a play that was worthy of
serious consideration for a number of
years and his sport has been con-
slstently mediocre, the local critics
have given him the best of it, Mr.
Gilmore has played to good business
continuously in Topeka until Monday
night when only an average house saw
him in Rida Johnson Young's The Boys
of Company B. His Offering of two
seasons ago, At Yale, pitiful imitation
Of the successful college plays of recent
years, drew a big audience to the
Grand which read the next day that
the play was one of the notable theatre
cal events of the season.
Now the explanation of the whole
matter is here: Mr.. Gilmore, a few
years ago, made his bid for stellar
honors in The Three Musketeers. Next
and then he took Mr. John Drew's dis
carded vehicles for two seasons and
was here in the Tyranny of Tears and
the Mummy and the Humming Bird
In those days he was clever and
promising youngster with, apparently
nigh ideals, and artistic methods. His
Interpretation of the leading role of the
tyranny of Tears was irreproachable
In spite of the fact that he was extra
ordinarily good looking he had none
of the nannerisns, affectations. or self
consciousness of the matinee idol No
one Will believe it who has seen him
only the past three seasons, but he was
lndeed a good actor, conscientious, nat
ural and convincing. In addition he
was and is nkable chap. and he pro-
ceeded deliberately, to win a clientele in
this town, as in others, working first
ana foremost on the newspaper peo-
pie, TO whom he showed every favor,
put overlooking nobody whom he could
add to his large personal following. I'm
der these circumstances, because they
knew ne was capable of good work and
because they liked him as man, 1t is
no wonder the newspaper people
treated him with unusual considere-
ton, overlooking such mere trff1es as
mer1tless plays and poor support "be-
cause Gilmore. himself, is such a good
fellow
The last chapter of this thrilling his
tory of the subsidization of the local
press by the hypnotic Mr.. Gilmore and
now ne lost his spell shall be brief Mr.
Jules Murry under whose management
Mr.. Gilmore appears, sent along here
a fortnight ago, a near-actor a-star-
ring In Marrying Mary. The Topeka
newspapers regular dramatic
critic sldestepped the show and sent
an understudy who didn't care for it
and frankly said So Last night Mr.
Murrys representative in the person of
MI Gllmore's manager, jumped all over
me morning newspapers dramatic
brass buckled, Rah-Rah shoes. The
dramatic critic said little in reply but
Went away chortling. He now had the
longeo-for excuse for speaking his mind
ABOUT Mr. Gilmore whom he had loved
IKE brother, and about whom and his
ex-wIfe. he had written much in COM
mendauon and adulation Hence the
morning papers roast of the show.
winch was really no worse. and as far
as the play is concerned, was certain
ly much better than anything with
winch Mr.. Gilmore has favored the
town for three years.
AS for the deponent, who is not a
dramatic critic at all, but merely the
> X In disguise. the protection which
her sex affords explains her profess
s1onai courage and integrity. It takes
ana her whole family and then be a
monster of ingratitude. A man might
FEAR the personal consequences. bur a |
woman is safe. Therefore be il re-
peated. although Mr.. Gilmore is jody
good FELLOW, and quite irresistible he
has cheapened his art within the past
five years, so that he would never be
recognized in The Boys of Company 3 |
as the promising young man who about
five years ago gave so notable a per-
formance of the leading role in The
Mummy and The Humming Bird Mr.
Gilmore has all the component parts
of good actor and he is still under |
thirty-fve. There is no reason why he |
can't still make good by the purely |
legitimate and commendable methods
with which he started his career as a |
star, and before he began trailing off
after false gods-in this case, it would |
seem the cheapest class of gallery gods. |
A. f. j.