Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-26
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on top of me, and began fighting on my own
account. The stage hands rushed out, put
me on my feet again, and tried to eject my
assailant l got look at him. He was the
man who had jumped on the stage. "Ill
60" he yelled, "when that guy goes!" And
he pointed to me. By this time the audi
ence had the laughing mysteries; but still the
the child to DEATH you're low down
cur!' he called to me as they hurried him
away at last.
The next day tile papers carried editorials
on "The Danger of Realism in Acting" and
you will find the story authenticated in the
newspaper records of the day. 1t may be
interesting to note, incidentally, that the
ten-year-old child l was about to strangle
was none other than the present we'll known
Harry Woodruff, and that the now more
famous Otis Skinner played the juvenile role
in the company.
On several occasions public organizations
~ have been thrown into keen debate over
the ACCESSIBILITY of permitting my villainy to
be continued in the midst of their commune
ties For instance, you may remember that
there was considerable agitation four years
ago over the expediency of presenting
Thomas Dixon's drama "The C1ansman'
south of the Mason and Dixon line. 1t was
argued that there was one scene in the play
in which negro confessed to his murder OF
a little white child that was so sensa tional it
might create race riots. | was playing the
role of the vil1ainous black brute and, as you
may well imagine, was none too eager to
play in Southern cities. But, after long
delay, the managers decided to take a
chance and send the play through the South.
In all my years on the stage, assure you, l
never spent more nervous season. Every
night, when the confession scene came, my
knees actually shook; for l was never sure
that some Historically rabid Southerner in
the audience might not take it into his head
to shoot me, without stopping to think it
was "just acting
On another occasion, religious societies in
various sections of the country were brought
into the forum to lift their voices in protest
because of the role played in 3Mary Mag
DALAI" In that drama my supreme villainy
took the form of a high priest who tried to
get Judas to betray Christ.
And on still another occasion the land
lady of boarding house in which l was liv-
ing at the time actually asked me to leave
the house after she had seen me as Levison
in EAST Lynne" II know it was acting"
she said; "but if you weren't a scoundrel of
some sort you couldn't play the part the
way you did" 1t took me an hour to con-
vince her that my regular occupation was
neither manslaughter nor kidnapping.
I have referred to the old melodrama
called @Taken from Life" In this play l
took the part of Mcclure, rabid socialist
who blows up building with dynamite set
off by clockwork. l received eight letters from
socialists during my appearance in the play,
praising my deed of destruction and pro-
claiming it to be message These were
the only instances in my career when my vii
lainy was positively Endorsed and applauded.
DURING my many years of villainy have
- been punished for my make-believe
crimes in various ways that were nything but
make believe. The actual physical injuries
have received during the enactment of the
hazardous roles, taken collectively, would
mean DEATH or at least permanent damage,
to any man. One night in master and
Man" l had an arm broken when being
thrown into furnace as punishment for
my r1ottiru u,if1, CT r., 0Ciharia