The Alaska citizen., 1914-01-19

set il and even then he had to limp
through the first performance"
Bat these" 1 objected. are not
real questions OF art"
same thing" he cut me off posi-
+ lively. Why. l tell you the most ar
/ ti>tic Of en- would stand poor show
/ without the grips having the real
I line on art remember when the
/ Divine Sarah first came over here
! Light effects weren't so easy to get
/ in those days as they are now and
/ Bernhardts figure and complexion
+ had to he lit up just right or she
would have made picture of bony
structure and impressionistic tnts
/ that no woman artist would ever stand
/ for. We had an electrician named
/ Kelly who spoke about as much
| French as Sarah did English. so she
+ put it over to him in a pantomime
that made her latest stunt in NOV
/ ing pictures look like a performance
! of Daso marionettes. Well, Kelly
worked those lights about four hours,
and believe me he got Sarah toned into
the picture so that she looked beau
tifu1 from the front.
/ Now with Lillian Russell re-
member that we had to sit hard on
her artistic temperament Lillian was
a good fellow and we all liked her
and had stuck to her through several
/ theatrical seasons and a few matri-
monial ventures. Every time some
body led Lillian to the altar we all
Clipped in for our sacrifice and We're
there with a present But Lillian
was a great one to keep the chips
flying and the block We were cutting
was our salaries. Just about the
time We thought she was settled
down and we We're settled up. why her
artistic temperament would discover
her mistake and start to rectify it,
and We'd have to organize a new com
| mittee on way and means. Finally, at
the last announcement We all quit in
a body. Well. the manager almost
threw fit and wanted to know what
the matter was. We had to tell him
the pressure was too strong. We
couldn't keep up with Lillians ambi-
ion for presents"
you're wandering into private
matters" I protested.
Nothing Lillian Russell does is
private matter. the old man an
swered. But if we couldn't put her
on the right track I'll tell you about
a stage carpenter that railroaded a
whole production to safety all by his
self. Brady had cleaned up big mon
ey in the cities with that old Eng
fish melodrama After Dark and then
sent out Number Thirteen company
to tap She tanks They got into
little one night stand with r O
out before they hit the place. but the
scenery was side tracked somewhere
ana the manager faced a refund.
"'Bill,' he gasped to the carpenter.
there's the tunnel scene of the I'M
foreground railroad. It's the hit of
the piece. and we cant fake that
Sol says Bill, you go on ont
front and don't bother me when I'm
| busy or III quit without notice. and
Sol sneaked out to die in the box
office
when the underground scene came
he couldn't stand it no longer and
went out into the foyer. Every light
was out when the curtain rose and
when the train materialized out of
the darkness and roared and clanked
across the stage with the house going
| Wild Sol never stopped to count the
curtain calls, but rushed back to solve
me miracle.
When he got there the carpenter
was hopping off his face with one
hand while he unwound lot of
chains from hisself with the other.
He'd set the tunnel with a prison
| back drop, put out all the lights,
hung hisself with all the hardware
about the place and with a reflector
lantern in each hand choo-chooed
across as the lightning express and
got by with it.
of course. in this country the ac
tors are getting wise that they're not
the whole show; but in England they
| won't even use the same entrance with
| a stage hand
ION, you've been to England them"
l asked.
| The old man nodded slowly
Sir Henry Irving was putting on
! Beckett when l dropped in to visit
| The piece is laid in the Norman period
| before doors were in vogue and in one
set Sir Henry was having trouble with
the hanSings that took the place of
the doors. Wen have them a warm
red he says; then he shakes his
head; No. l think blues more harm
oniZing: then after minutes
thought: or perhaps a soft brown
will be more effective. What do
you think?' and he turned to the stage
| carpenter.
IF you'll pardon my suggestion.
sir he answers, I'd have them tap
estry. sir.
why tapestry? asks Sir Henry.
| Because tapestry was what they
| sed at that period
We'll, Sir Henry looked it up and
| ound that he was right.
| While l there Irving put on
| Don QuiXote' and in one scene he
rad to sit. clad in armor. upon his
Nobbly steed and deliver a long
speech. AS Sir Henry wasn't exactly
| a rough rider, when the property man
| brought him the horse he wanted par
| icularly to now if he'd stand.
! "'Ho, yes, sir" Props assures him.
"'You must be very certain per
sists Sir Henry. for if l were to be
| thrown with these spikes on me
| knees and elbows there might be some
question of my rising to the occasion
No fear O that, SIR says Props
this 'orse as ad experience