The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-25
REVEALING SOME OF BLANCHE WALSHS
SECRETS, AMONG THEM THAT SHE'S
NEVER ATTENDED A "DANSANTE THE
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE

| She uoesh turn up her pretty nose at
anything SO commonplace as a hearty
breakfast, although she's a very small
eater herself; she quite approves of the
tango, although she's thd one person I've
ever met on" or "off' the stage who
has never seen a "dansante the" in her
life, she believes in vaudeville with all
her soul and body; she adores domesticity
and leans favorably toward the bucolic
life and she wearsSthe most stunning of
frocks and is just feminine enough to
love them and she carries the delightful
reputation most gra4fulIy of being one of
Americas most finished and talented
emotional actresses.
BY these tokens sshan you know the
lovely Miss Blanche Walsh, star" of the
''Top-Liner' sketch over at the Lyric
this week.
woman of exquisite refinement, with
the features of a Russian Queen and the
graceful form of a Spanish senorita is
Miss Walsh and with her feet set upon
the ladder which spelt success" for her
in such wonderful plays as "The Resur-
rection'' and 1.-THE Kreutzer Sonata" and
other notable dramas, she now basks in
the sunlight of popularity, for wherever
] her name is mentioned, her tremendous
personality is felt, and the world offers
her its unstinted plaudits-here by divine
right of intellect, and talent.
Miss Walsh occupies a rather unique
position ON the stage.
! There has never been any other actress
who has been exactly in her class.
( She has done a tremendous amount of
work in her life and always with the
| highest motives in view. the ''uplight," as
it were, of the stage and its environ
ments, and gifted as she is by nature,
with unlimited talent, physical pulchri-
| ture plus and that passing sweet en-
chantment. a beautifully moduated voice,
Miss Walsh has been admirably fitted to
resolve her ambitions into cherished
| dreamsi
! Miss Walsh sat in her attractive dress
1 ing room at the Lyric yesterday alter
noon just after the matinee clad in the
1 gorgeous green and gold gown that she
wears as 1.-The Countess Nadine"
More than countess she seemed-a
| veritabe queen.
In fact
| like describing her as a queer" she's
| so real in her carriage, so royal in her
manner.
Somehow
I always think of what the exotic Mr..
Zangw:.l said about "countesses."
If | remember rightly, it was to the ef
feet that
1T must be awful to be countess with
| nothing to count"
OF course
| In Miss Wa1shs case she has everything
to count but l still like to name her
| "queenly."
| 1t suits her better.
| "And how do you like being in vaude-
ylle?' 1 asked her soon after our greet
| ings We're over
| livery much" she replied, her soft,
| her statement. Many of the big ac-
| tresses are in vaudeville as you know,
| nowadays. Olga Nethersole, Virginia
| Harmed, Ethel Barrymore was for
while, Blanch Bates and"
| Yes, | shall talk to her about her new
baby when she plays here" interrupted.
"And l suppose that will be your topic
| of conversation with Miss Barrymore, too"
Miss Walsh suggested, smiling. "She has
| a perfect little brood now-three But as
was about to say, the women of the
stage, the emotional actresses, l mean,
| have been forced into vaudeville, you
might say, for the sheer want of material
| in the legitimate drama
"And is the trouble asked, curiously,
with the playwrights?
| ut would seem So" was the reply.
'Why If I could get another play like
| The Kruetzer Sonata 1 would be the
happiest woman in the world. I have had
nothing that I liked for oh! such long
| time-hence vaudeville"
| And how does the 'two-a-day' set upon
your fair head?'' L asked.
| "Oh like it very much," Miss Walsh
said enthusiastically. THE audiences are
wonderful Really, at first l was not
very optimistic over the emotional actress
essaying vaudeville. l thought the audi
ences would be so different, but they are
! not. Tbsy are very appreciative and very
kind. Oftentimes l wonder when dia-
| lect 'slxit' goes on ahead of my sketch,
or a musical number precedes me, how
shall be received-becadse there isn't a
laugh, no, not even a suggestion OF one,
| in my playlet, but 1 have always been
agreeably surprised to see how quickly the
| tone of an audience can change from
mirth to seriousness. Yes l must say
1 like it"
Perhaps the playwrights have all taken
| to the dance, and are writing dancing
sketches now instead of the legitimate"
remarked, jocosely.