The Washington times., 1914-10-25

dead little Willie was rapidly climbing
a fiTe-escape outside the window which
reached the balcony
Little Edith had never seen a person
have real Mysteries, and as soon as she
heard that was what was happening to
the lady in the balcony. she made the
most earnest effort to reach her before
she had subsided, so that she could get
some good. first-hand knowledge of how
the thing was done for future use when
she became an actress
You see. she had made up her mind to
become an actress. Father, mother,
brother Joe and all the rest of them
told her there was nothing in the busi-
ness for girl. They refused to let her
go On the stage under any condition.
But she decided she was going to be an
actress all the same. Before she had
finished her schooling. while a miss of
sixteen. she called to see her brother
in New York at his office one day. He
man in the office with whom she talked.
She confessed her desire to go on the
stage. He told her he thought it was
a laudable ambition.
Previous to this she had tried several
times to get jobs, but found that brother
Joe had blocked the way by warning
managers not to engage her. The tall.
dark man said he was an actor, and he
would like to have Miss Luckett in his
company. When brother Joe came in
James K. Hackett, had engaged his sis
ter for small part in ''The Crisis
Had Southern Accent.
That was Edith Luckett's first ap-
pearance on the stage as a grown per-
son, and she has been on the stage ever
since. Hackett was led to engage her
because she had just the Southern ac-
cent he wanted in the character she
al I-s-
pany because he discovered that he had
secured the services of very remark
able young woman. He found a girl
who know the theater from the back
drop to the last row in the gallery. He
found girl to whom everything that
purpose and was backed by deep study.
He found an actress who never missed
a cue, who never forgot line, who was
never at loss for something to do when
other people forgot their lines or missed
a cue.
Hackett was not averse to speaking
about his find. During the summer fol-
lowing her first engagement Miss Luck
ett-no longer Little Edith'-played an
engagement in stock in Minneapolis.
She jumped from that stock company
into the lead in 'The Fortune Hunter"
ceeding Mary Ryan. Cohan & Harris
were attracted to the little leading lady
from the very start, and when George |
Cohan produced broadway JONES'
Edith Luckett was the only person he |
would hear Of to play the feminine |
ner. between the closing of "The For |
tune Hunter" and the opening of /
Broadway JONES'" Miss Luckett was |
eading woman Of a stock company at |
Pittsfeld. Mass
Played Thirty Weeks.
She returned to Pittsfield after the |
closing of broadway Jones" and |
played there a season Of more than |
hirty weeks.
This season she started out in "Wild |
OATS and when that play was with
lrawn was visiting the Gayety Theater.
II New York, watching rehearsals of
Experience" and studying George V. |
dobarts methods. when she was ap-
by manager, who asked per-
mission to introduce her to a friend Of |
his. The friend proved to be Henry
Miller. and the Introductory sentences
we're hardly spoken when Mr.. Miller
lsked Miss Luckett to accept the job
II leading woman with Chauncey Oh
,ott. and-there she is.
Edith Luckett is the same charming
,irl she was when she lived in Wash
ngton. The meteoric success she has
net on the stage has not affected her in
he least She tells anybody who hap
,ens to ask her that she hasn't had |
neteoric success. She has had to work
Iard for everything she has won. Ard
he commenced working when she and |
he dog almost wore a path in the /
oncrete between the Columbia Theater
nd the house on Twelfth street where
he Luckett family lived.
Would Play Juliet.
She is ambitious to become known as
finished actress without a speciality II
he would like to play Juliet, she
tatcs, just for the experience Of play
ng the part and Of determining in her
wn mind how it should be played. But
er ideas of the stage and her work
re the most practical sort of ideas. She
axes no particular credit for them be-
ause she declares she has been work
1g toward them ever since she can re-
lcmber. She has played in vaudeville
nd moving pictures. When Julia Dean
esigned as leading woman of the Co
lmbia Players few seasons ago. Edith
,uckett stepped into her place and made
cry good with the home folks.
And so, if anyone wants to find an
xample of how elastic the hard and
lst rules those scientific chaps pro-
ide for everything may become when
n unscientific babe takes it into her
cad to smash them. just take note of
dith Luckett-the infant phenom who
as never stopped phenoming, who. hav-
lg started in making good-as n golden
aired child, made it habit.