Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-05-18
DANIEL FROHMAN TELLS
OF ACTORS HE HAS KNOWN

and applause that the significant per-
soma lines unconsciouSly called forth"
Here is Il characteristic Bernard
Shaw story. After Richard Mansfield's
production of Arms n the Man." he
wrote to Shaw ask ing for other plays.
SHAW" says F'rohman, replied that
his greatest work was Candida and
that there was but n woman he knew
that could play the leading female role.
The play would cost 10 per cent,
double the usua terms). and the
actress would require $3.50 a week-a
very good salary in those days.
Mansfield wired, accepting. When
the play came with it arrived Miss Jane
Achurch, an English actress. identified
with 1bsen matinees in London. Mans
field rehearsed the play, but soon dis
Angry at the outcome, and with having
made a contract with the actress for
three months. he rcpudiated the bar
gain. knowing her. she came to me for
advice. l arranged with tn. actor to
settle her claim by a suitable payment,
and she returned to England.
when l met Shaw the following
summer in London l referred to the
matter. Shaw treated it as a joke. oh
he said, Mansfield wanted Il play. 1
saw a chance to sell him Candida and
to do a good turn for a deserving
actress. l really had no idea he would
accept the terms for either. 1 was not
matter. Why he said. continuing,
there is a company in our provinces
now playing Arms and the Man"
They would DO we'll on their opening
nights. But the rest OF the week they
play to nearly empty houses.
II wired them to send me royalties
for the first night only. But they per-
sist in paying me for every perform
ance. Why. they can't afford it,"
Here is a delightful story of Georgia
Drew Barrymore:
Ethel Barrymore's mother was a
capital Coincidence. and a woman of
much wit and humor-a quality not
lacking in her distinguished daughter.
In an engagement in San Francisco she
was asked to take part in Il special per-
formance. She wired her manager in
New York for permission. His reply
was as follows: No
Her answer to this was equally
brief.
1T was: .Oh!'
Before her starring days." he says in
another place, Julia Marlowe called
upon me. She was a slender, young and
pretty girl, with a very expressive face,
who %besought my interest in her stage
ambition. l Immediately offered her
the Juvenile business in my company
for the following season, but she re-
fused 1t.
".Then what do you want?' l asked,
feeling that 1 had offered her a splendid
opportunity.
- want to go out as a star in
Shakespeare!' she answered.
knowing that it took time and
many patient years in those days to
peare. 1 declined. But in the same sea-
son h gave a special matinee per-
fOrmance of IngOmar' at the Bijou
theater. and won the praise of the
critics. The following year h sue
ceeded in beginning her starring pro-
ject in the legitimate"
1t was he who got Julie Opp on the
stage. "She had been writing on stage
matters for the. papers, and at my sug-
gestion gave up literature for a stage
career After a period of training with
George Alexander in London, Froh-
man engaged her to play the princess
i'm Pinero's 1.-The Princess and the But
terfly." He says:
Miss Opp was, as she is now. a
fine looking l was asked at
h time whether l engaged her be-
cause she looked like a princess.
mo- 1 replied. because she looks
as a princess ought to look"
He tells a story of his early days
at the Lyceum. showing how he robbed
Robson and Crane of their own adver-
.tisement:
cit was on the occasion of the Tooth
performance of Bronson Howard's The
Henrietta with Robson and Crane.
These actors celebrated the event by
a banquet. One of the speakers was
Chauncey Nj. Depew, who, with char
acteristic good will and eloquence,
lauded The Henrietta n It's success.
He extolled the splendid work of the
author and INDUCED in some pregnant
remarks about the great American
drama and It's dominance.
II selected an impersonal paragraph
from his patriotic speech which re-
ferred to the American drama and
quoted him literally in all my adver-
tisements OF The Wife, to the hui
morous Amusement of Messrs. Robson
and Crane. who a made nothing OF
this / met Mr.. Depew for h first time
at a supper given by Bronson Howard
to Sir-then Mr.-Charles Wyndham.
When / was introduced to the disttn-
guished publicist and orator, he said:
"'Oh. Frohman! You're the manager
Of the Lyceum theater, are your
"I assented t o the impeachment.
Then he told the guests the story Of
his hypothecated speech-that Robson
and Crane, at a very great expense,
had given a great banquet to celebrate
their play; that he delivered an ap-
propriate speech on this occasion. and
I had feloniously arrogated and appro-
priated for my play In my advertise
ments OF The WIFE, remarks which
had been maliciously diverted from
their object.
".And,, continued Mr.. Depew. when
some OF my relatives came to town In
search Of theatrical entertainment and
read these advertisements. they natur-
ally went to the Lyceum play that !
had apparently commended. Tho next