Evening journal., 1910-09-14
What They WIN Do for You
BY "HOlIand."

A few years before his death, which
occurred in 1880, it fell to my lot to
call on John Brougham, the Irish
actor and playwright. whose London
Assurance written in collaboration
with Dion Boucicault, and other plays
of rather light character greatly
amused American theatre-goers dur
Ing the decade that preceded the out
break of the Civil War.
"The actor who is successful" said
Mr.. Brougham. at one point I'm our
conversation. passes through some
very strange and unusual experiences.
In this connection, ! may say that It
frequently happens that the most
carefully thought out business is
found to be an utter failure with the
public, while, on the other hand. some
unexpected or chance action-some
trihing thing that accidentally hap
pens-is accepted by the public as
part of the business and is received
with such applause that It is spoken
Of as one of the hits of the play.
could tell you of half a dozen in
stances of the sort I'm my own ex-
perience; but the best illustration of
the point / am making Is to be found
In little adventure that befell e. II.
Sothern not so very long after he be-
gan TO play the part of Lord Dun
dreary I'm Our American Cousin
Have you ever seen Ned Sothern
in the part that made him famous
and that in spite of the fact that, as
originally intended. Lord Dundreary
was to be a minor character In the
playa kind of walking gentleman
part? Then you will doubtless recall
that Lord Dundreary, a moment or
two after he enters the drawing room,
makes little hop-step, as though he
were trying to catch step with some
4 one. IL has always been an eX-
! cruciatingly funny piece of business
| 1t looks so ridiculous to see a per-
feet gentleman hop-stepping around
a drawing room, as though he were
trying to keep step with an invisible
person. 1t has never failed to con.
vulse the house. Yet, have II on the
authority of Sothern himself thai
Lord Dundreary's funny little ski
resulted from an accident pure and
simple.
1T seems that some months after
Sothern had created the part-the
play was first produced in 1858 by
Laura Keene-he was making his en-
trance upon the stage in the first
scene of the play when he tripped al
/ the entrance. In order to recover
| himself he took hop-step, almost in
voluntarily, in the presence of the
house. Instantly. the audience gig.
! gled. and locating the cause Of the
merrimentN with equal quickness
Sothern said to himself: I will dc
the same thing purposely in a moment
and see what the effect will be- SO
as he approached the chair of Lady
Mount Chessington, he took another
little hop-step, and the house was SC
convulhed with laughter that he haC
to wait for the merriment to die
down before beginning his lines. Tha
was enough-he knew for a certainty
that he had accidentally discovered
hit and from that time forth tht
hop-step became one of the peTma
nent features OF Sothern's acting as
! Lord Dundreary. a part that he would
not consent to take from Miss KeenC
until he had received her permission
/ to let him do with II what he wanted
/ to. For, when he was offered the
/ part-Joe Jefferson had already ac.
J tepAeu the part Ol tue american cOuS-
/ in-Sothern saw in It an opportunity tC
! satirize in a kindly manner a certain
/ type of the English nobility. He
wanted to be free to do this satirizine
as he thought best, but though he
/ patterned his lisp and drawl on those
of certain nobleman he knew. he
had never a thought of giving Lord
Dundreary that comical hop-step OF
his until the step itself came into the
part quite accidentally"
/ Copyright. 1910, by K. ]. Edwards
All right reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell Of