The Washington herald., 1913-09-21
SECOND INSTALLMENT
MARY ANDERSON.


Mary Anderson, who was generally ad
Vertised as the great Southern actress,
was born in Sacramento, Cal, the daugh
Ter of a soldier in the Confederate army.
Her earliest successes were made in the
South. After her fathers death her
mother was married to DIR. Hamilton Grif'
hn. a physician in Louisville, KY, where
Miss Anderson made her first appear
Ince on the stage, November q, 1915: The
stage apparel she used was borrowed
from Mrs. Rachel Macauley, the wife OF
the manager and herself well-knowr
actress, Miss Anderson's appearance
was fof one night only, and advertised
as a social event in Louisville, it proving
so successful that she was continued for
q weeks engagement. Later on she was
engaged by John T. Ford, then manager
In Washington and Baltimore, for a trip
through the South, supported by a select
ed company, included in which were
Louis L. James, George c. Boniface,
Harry Pearson, Mrs. Jane German, Car
line Weidman. Walter Treville, Robert
Downing Annis Montague, and others, a
feature being made in the announcement
that she was a daughter OF Gen. Ander-
son. Practically her whole success was
made in the South. Louisville, St Louis,
Savannah, New Orleans Mobile, Wash
peared in any of the cities of the North
where critical estimate was then less
sympa athletic, and less emotional than II
was in the South.
The first Northern engagement played
by Miss Anderson was in Philadelphia,
al the Walnut Street Theater, it proving
a financial failure. The next on the
schedule of her engagements was in New
York, where she was to play under the
- EfElr aW
perienced director of amUsements in both
New York and London. He had been the
right-hand man of Augustin DAILY at the
Fifth Avenue Theater which he had re-
stored to popularity, and in the manage
ment of which he succeeded Mr.. DAILY.
Mr. Fisk was a clever judge of public
sentiment in matters of theatrical taste
and he strongly urged Miss Anderson to
appear in a classic role. He was over
ruled. however, Miss Anderson being
billed to appear as Pauline, in The Lady
of Lyons" an artificial character for
which she was not well fitted, either in
stature. mein. or voice. She was very
tall. somewhat angular. and had deep
sontralto voice: whereas Pauline, the
naughty beauty of Lyons was
french society girl tricked into a mar
iage with the son OF gardener.
Although Stephen Fisk was well quail
ied TO attend to the publicity of the
Engagements in New York, Doctor Grir-
in as Miss Anderson's manager, engaged
Is his personal representative to look
tfter her interests. Ernest Harvier, who
vas the pioneer press agent of the present
;eries and he later established the New
urk Dramatic Mirror being its first
.dttor Prior to that day. each New York
manager had wnat was called a literary
man." whose abilities consisted Usually
II taking a printed programme and writ
ng on il a full round hand the words
Please notice this" Having done so in
The case of each of the New York papers,
n the daily. weekly. and Sunday, he
would visit the various newspaper Of
ices and leave at each two tickets for
the opening night performance as well as
the marked copy of the programme. The
duty of the dramatic editor was to
write up the entertainment from
oerusal OF the printed programme, this
modest labor sufrced to call attention to
the performance.
For Mary Anderson a different plan
was adopted. The preliminary announce
ments were all written out in advance,
an edition notice was sent to the city
editor the society editor, the fashion
editor and the literary editor. if there
was one The criticisms CsuCh as were
favorableD were gathered on a galley
proof. and sent to as many as one hun
1red papers in cities out of New York.
The terms under which Miss Anderson
appeared. II Is now no violation OF COM
mercial custom to state, follows: The
manager to supply the theater and every
ming connected with 1t, including the
music. the gas there was no electric
n those days., and the newspaper ad-
yertisinC The Star furnished her serv-
,ces, and paid for those of her company.
The first three hundred dollars of the
night or matinee receipts went to the
theater everything over three hundred
dollars was equally divided between the
Of the theater and the Star
The first weeks receipts fell considerably
short OF the three hundred dollar limit
The New York public did not take kindly
to The Lady of Lyons and Miss Ander-
son remarked afterward that her long
train gave her more trouble than ths
nart for she was unacCustomed on the
stage to such attire, her skirt being con-
stantly- in the way in a manner which
caused some of the patrons to concur
in Manager F'isks sage and farsighted
advice to keep away from The Lady of
Lyons
The next week when the bill was
to Shells classic ''Evadne, or
the Statue" in wide draperies well
adapted to her appearance Mary Ander-
son as a marble statue in Rome, or
-ather as Roman maiden who takes on
the guise Of a statue. was so well fitted
for this character that her artistic sue
,ess in it was immediate. and those who
had come to scoff at the Lady of Lyons
to admire Evadne, and to real