Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-10

reports star and management not getting
on well together!
Not All of Them Are Women
THE average star labors under the fond de-
fusion that there is a conspiracy on the part
of his manager and the public to ruin him. If
the manager, eager to make success, casts
play as adequately he can, to give the star
ample support the star is to insist that
the manager is putting good actors into the
lesser parts with desire to dim his luster.
On the other hand, if the manager fears to
cast his play too strongly, lest the star suspect
that he is trying to take away any of his laures,
the star is to declare that the manager
is trying to ruin him by not giving him
decent company.
A few seasons ago one of the most difficult
to handle musical comedy stars made a ire
mendouS hit on Broadway in a new piece.
But his happiness diluted with envy over
the hit made by the second comedian. Now,
the second comedian did not have any sort of
part. The star had attended to that in the
fixing over of the book prior to rehearsals.
During rehearsals too he had diligently seen
to it that every sign of a good situation in
the second mans part either cut out or
handed around to himself in some way.
But he had overlooked little thing. The
stars part was that of who had rescued
the second comedian from some fate and,
by the laws of the comic opera country, was
responsible for him ever afterward. The
comedy of the piece grew out of the embarrass-
sibility threw the star.
The second comedian had absolutely nothing
to do but to appear on the scene at lnoPportune
moments with signal which was calculated
to put the comedian into all sorts of trouble.
Fine! But in some way the star had over
looked the fact that the other chaps mere
appearance would be funny. 1t No
matter how hard the star worked he could not
take it away" from the other fellow. He
got more laughs everywhere else in the piece
than he ever had in play.
But in these few little scenes he could not
hog everything. and it made him troublesome.
He began to grow cranky. Nothing that the
management could do would satisfy him.
And he would not tell the reason. 1t looked as
though the season, starting SO well, would end
in an open breach between management and
star Finally the manager found out the
reason and determined to remedy the trouble.
He went to the star and said
"Old man, you know where that other
fellow appears suddenly to you in those
scenes. Well, I've been thinking of changing
those little"
said the star generously. He has little
enough as it is.
of course have no such idea said the
wise manager. Il just thinking how
much funnier it would be if, whenever he
appears that way, you just managed to drop
the little kilt you wear and grab for it."
The star seized the idea and had his kilt
fixed so that slight contraction of the stom-
ach muscles would let 1t drop. That night,
when the second comedian made his first in
opportune entrance, down went the kilt
The audience, which had started to laugh at
the second comedian, the kilt drop and
turned to laugh at that. From then on,
every time the second comedian came on the
star dropped his kilt. 1t hard work for
the kilt; but it solved the dilemma Never
again, as long the kilt lasted, did the star
get cranky.
And in every piece he has had since then, -
said the manager. when I've found him get
ting grouchv I've looked for place where he
could, figuratively speaking drop the kilt
Some of the Other Kind
PIG of the type of John Drew and
Sothern are the easiest to manage. In
fact, there is managing to it. They are
sensible business men, besides being actors.
Decisions between them and their managers are
arrived at only after conferences and careful
discussions. 1t is with women of the stand
ing of Maude Adams. Julia Marlowe, and others.
Among musical people the diosyncrasies seem
most strongly marked, though there are
musical comedy and comic stars who are
wonderfully tractable and reasonable.
Lillian Russell, no longer a musical star but
a star actress in comedy, has always been Joy
and a delight to the manager plotting her
fortunes. Her answering good nature her
willingness to abide by her rnanaoer'S decisions