The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-31
MRS. FISKE CHATS WITH DOLLY ABOUT
"INTERVLEWERS," AND OTHER ANIMALS
ny DOLLY DALRYMPLE

|
| This in four words is Mrs. Fiske:
And altho these verses may be choppy
The subjects bound to make good "copv -
H.
Time was when first her voice [ heard
l often missed a phrase. a word;
But unlike others at the play
l never whispered, 'Wha' id she say ?"
just sat still and listened tight:
| Whate'er she said | knew twas right;
And altho' much was syncopated.
An artistic she-yes, that I've stated.
".
I differ not from "Fiske-ian" critics
| Who. when alTs been said that's analytic
At any time will gladly risk
| Two good "simoleons" to see Mrs. F'iskei
suppose" / mentally observed yester-
| day, as | sat in the palm Room" at the
Hotel Hillman and chatted with Mrs.
Fiske, who had graciously granted me
an audience; suppose, just suppose that
YOU We're seeing this charming lady for
the first time in your life; that you had
never seen her on the stage, but had read
all the adulation lavished upon her, the
praise the alteration, and that you had
formed Impressions of her grace and mag
netlsm. and that you CHANGED to be there
face to face, with her uninitiated-seen
her for the first time what you'd you
have said?''
Yes
/ asked myself that question with
good deal of emphasis yesterday.
The answer was easy:
] should say exactly the same that
SAID the very first time | saw her in
"Tess'-T don't know how long ago.
Not one whit of charm and irresistbilty
did she lose in the personal contact;
Not one iota of the strange power that
gets over the footights vanished when
l saw her thus;
Not one pang of the controversy about
her sharp. staccato voice; her quick,
heeting movements that make her per-
sonality one of as many ICONS" as
pros, had been eliminated,
There she was-the woman, not the
actress-"off'' the stage just as she ha
always been "on" the stage, full of ex-
quisite charm and fascinating great
ness" delectable seductiveness and keen
intelligence, and there she was walking
away with all my sympathy and admira-
tion just she has walked away 1000
times with the heart of her audience at
her feet in Leah Kleschna," 'Rosmers-
holm," r'Becky Sharp" 'Magda" and |
the rest
Mrs. F'islke is just Mrs Fiske-thats ALL !
There's nobody like her.
There never has been.
There probably never will bel
Completely saturating you with her |
fnesse and tact, her strange and eerie |
fascination, her diaphanous and whim- |
sical humor and deep human sympathy, |
you realize, once you've talked with her, |
the tremendous hold she has over people, 7,
the ability to sway them and turn them,
and hold them In the hollow of her hand, |
doing with them as she likes, what she
likes and when she lkesl
Far be it from me-from me- under
stand-to suggest that an actress shouldn
be interviewed.
Personally
] think they should.
But
That's natural from my viewpoint
Mrs. Fske doesn't think that way
often-consequently she has been able to
keep her "off-stage' personality from the
public; so it is a double pleasure for me
to be able to tell you something Sof what
my impressions are of this remarkable
woman.
Mrs. Fiske hates interviews" like q
game bird hates a red dog.
1t isn't altogether the fear of being mis-
quoted that causes Mrs. Fiske to dislike
this form of publicity, but the fact that
the Interview is such an omnivorous
beast, that it questions not whether its
victim is of the throne, the clergy, the
stage. the government, the prize ring or
the divorce COURT