The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-11-13
BECOMES
OF The CHORUS
GIRL YOU SEE?
Did You Ever Stop to Think
Where the Gay Songsters Go
When They're Old?
WARDROBE MISTRESSED
WHEN THEY CAN'T DANCE
That's the Haven into Which
They Drift When Footlight
Days Are Over

Don't you ever wonder what be-
comes OF the thousands or chorus
girls who form the ranks OF the pop
ular musical show.
Don't you ever say 70 yourself as
you see the perennially fresh faces:
What are all these girls I saw last
year and the year before doing now
And did you ever guess for min
ute that II you could look down below
the stage just one story you would
see what some Of these same flowers
OF yestsryear are doing?
Down In the dark, dark basement,
In 4 long, narrow passaSeway or
housed In q tiny room. these same
girls bend over q sewing machine or
sto0p over huge be-cluttered trunks.
They have become the wardrobe
mistresses Of the large musical
shows. and they must oversee each
dress, must carefully note the wear
and tear ON each garment. must mend
1t when It II torn, must clean It when
It Il dirty. must pack It when 1t -
time to move on.
And there In the Easements OF the
theaters sit many of the most popu-
lar stars Of the old favorite operettas.
Many q laughing face that has glad
dened the hearts OF the early devotees
of Babes In the Wood" and Prince
OF Pilsen" now II wrinkled and care
worn. And the eyes that were de-
murelx lowered when the man in the
stage box threw admiring glances
now are tired and faded with the
continual strain in the dimness OF the
long corridor.
Once m actress, always an actress.
IA what they say and hrmly believe.
Some OF them leave the stage when
they begin to tire Of the minor parts
they play and seem to see no way to
the heights Of stardom. Perhaps they
marry but rarely happily, and II they
do not again re-enter the chorus they
look around for some position that
NAV be open to them in the old the
atrical field.
And 90 they naturally turn to the
wardrobe. Most Of them, for all their
seeming impracticability. are, after
all. decidedly efncient and capable
girls. The days Of comparative pow
erty on SIS q week demanded that.
And in those days they learned how
TO care for their clothes and to make
dresses from tho one pattern that be-
longed to the wardrobe mistress they
then had.
In those days they clustered around
their mother" a. they called her,
and gossiped over whether the sleeves
were to be short or long. and X the
skirts were to have many plaits or
were TO be shirred.
The memory Of these days IL as
sweet to any chorus girl az the
spreads" Of college girls are to them.
They remember the pleasant feeling
of nominees which seemed to per-
wade them as they sat around the
kindly old woman who looked at them
over her glasses and gave them such
good advice. even though she was
scolding them for the way they tore
their dresses.
And when the time comes for them
to look for another position and they
wish most OF all to be back on the
stage, they remember the mother"
of their circus days, and. signing
bit a. they look In the glass, they
realize the time has come for them
to be mothers" themselves.
In the Passing Show" there is q
chubby little woman who certainly
doesn't look 90 II she could remem-
her all the PARKWAY dates she tells
you about, and who with amazing
cheerfulness and good nature does her
hard. tiresome work from day to day
with barely q thought OF the glories