The San Francisco call., 1910-12-25
HAPPY TOO WEAK TO
EXPRESS SENTIMENTS
OF EVELYN VAUGHAN
Jefferson de Angels
Talks of Days at
Bella Union
By WALTER ANTHONY


an usher, David Belasco was a prompt
boy and Bill Brady was peanut
butcher" when Jefferson de Angels.
San Francisco boy of 90. left the Adel-
phi and his other friends. including
the aforesaid, to go trouping around
the world. De Angels was the "fea-
tured" comedian at the Adelphi and his
principal rival was Charles Reed the
featured funny man at the Bella Union.
This time we are considering was 80
years ago. His associates in those days
were: Maggie Moore; Lolita Crabtree.
had appeared; Joe Murphy, who is
worth a pile of money today; Tom
Keene. John Mccullough and some
others that De Angels retentive mem
ory slipped for the moment.
IF you want "reminiscences" said he,
I'll give 'em to you, but I'm not much
of believer in this prodiga1 SON.
business. I never yet had a stock IA
vorite in a travelling company but that
when the particular town was reached
from which that particular person
hailed we had a frost. You don't go to
show because there's a native son
in IL. You go because it's the goods
or you stay away because it isn't How
ever, If you want me to go back I'll
do 1T. I'm writing some memoirs right
now, so 1t will be easy to slip you a
few back numbers"
Don't run away with the notion that
JEFF. de Angels is an old man. He
isn't, either in looks or in fact. He is
Just 81, but he has been on the stage
{ q O1 70 II M
he inherits the recollections of his
father. who was a tlfespian, as San
Francisco pioneers know, before him.
I'll tell YOU about this tour to Aus
tralia for a starter he said, pulling
up his chair and looking past me 80
: years.
"Old Woodward's garden was packed
at the benefit which was to send us,
my sister and I, to Australia. l never
knew whether the town was anxious to
get rid of me or whether it was just
kindness, or whether the show we put
up was so good. Maybe it was the lat
ter. for we certainly had some enter
tainers on that bill. There was Charles
Reed and Tom Keene, for instance; and
oh, a host of others. think there must
have been $4,000 persons crowded into
that big pavilion. I'll tell you how it
happened.
''one night after I got done working
at Nthe Adelphi-that was the variety
place in California between Kearny
and Dupont found myself with
James Mass-he's since died. We were
pretty blue. The cars on Market street
had stopped. but the rain hadn't. /
lived ar Twenty third and Valencia
streets, and that was as long a walk
then as it is today
'On our way out Market street we
met Riley, an old jig dancer. To make
I ias, f,,-~
busted He had just come back from
Australia and wanted to talk about it,
of course. But he couldn't talk in the
rain, so he borrowed 50 from me and
invited US in to see him spend it.
Riley hold me what a hit I'd be IN
Australia. According to Riley the kan
garoos were waiting for me and the
cockatoos were listening for my foot
fall Riley had such a convincing man
ner that I believed him and left before
he got my other dollar. After several
blocks of silent meditation I asked
Mass:
What do you say? Let's go to
Australia
Not having anything else to do at
the time, he agreed and we formally
became' partners for a tour of the an
tipodes. with a dollar paid up capital.
I'VE had intended to take the next
steamer, but couldn't make it, so / de-
cided to accept a benefit. Meantime
was working at the Adelphi, doing my
Dutch stuff which Riley swore the Aus
tralians were longing for, and as the
Adelphi didn't give matinees I felt it
was safe enough to agree to appear at
my own benefit. A friend of mine who
ran a print shop and handled litho-
graphs went good for me for billing
and things; my friends, who maybe
I
en- masse to appear at the benefit and
did, and the affair was a tremendous
success.
But I'll never forgive old Wood
ward When he ran out of tickets he
let. the rest in free. However, after
all the bills had bean paid l got about
$500, which was about enough to take
Mass, my sister and myselfs over to
these people, who were, according to
Riley, waiting with expectancy and
longing for our variety of entertain
ment
we arrived. We billed the town.
We called the final rehearsal. The
show was on for that night, and I
was feeling fine. 1t looked like sgd
one Word. which was the dramatic
offering we were going to land the
money with. 1 was out back of the
theater playing hop, skip and jump
with the boys. Somehow / jumped
crooked. landed on my ankle. and
in two minutes l had foot that looked
like ham. 1t was swollen up three
times it's natural size. However, 1
went on that night, but my Dutch stuff
died. That's the word. 1t just died.
If the Australians wanted it they
showed no signs at all"
Then followed four years of wan
.dering. during which time De Angels
Starved, prospered, suffered was be-
reaved tramped. cajoled, began all
over again, went from Australia to
China, TO India, TO South Africa, where
he met and married Sthe lady who is
Mrs. de Angels; was a friend of Bar
ney Barnato. went back to China again
and after four years landed. in 1884,
back in his home town with the large
sum Of $50 in his pocket.
But during these wanderings De An
gels had got away from variety.
i didn't want 10 work for the Bella
Union or the Adelphi any more. 1 felt
that my four years had graduated me
into real comedian class. / applied
at the Tivoi and they offered me $40
week to play second comedy parts,
but was too proud, being busted.
Finally I went to work for the Foun-
4of, sofxr