The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-11-24

O0ULC1RPTUDE; nice word, that,
~ and haven't written it in a long
q time
"Pulchritude, the quality of beauty and
loneliness, can be used, too, like beauty,
as denoting moral comeliness;" thus, Mr.
Webster.
This, by way of announcing that I've
Just had chat with the nice leading
LADY, of the Common Clay" Miss Cath
crime Tower, and it wasn't all about the
Sob role either, although most of the
conversation I'll admit was about the
effectiveness of the "sob' part.
Yesterday it happened was a cool, clear
day, after the dreadful rain of the even
ing before, so I dared ask the favor of
chat with the nice lady soon after her
arrival in Birmingham which was quite
suspicious, since autumn drove summer
back where it belonged with a direct
ness that carried color and authority in
its wake, giving correct setting for
the entrance of the personable and as
our friend, Gertrude Anterior. would aud,
the coruscating'' Miss Tower
So far in this interview the subject
seems to be having things all her own
way, and she has every right to since
Miss Tower is really one of the most
pleasing young women I've met for many
moons; clever, good looking, modest to
a degree that is absolutely refreshing
In an actress, for most of the time she
was only too anxious to talk about Miss
Jane Cowl (whose understudy she was
for a year in Common Clay'), and when
told her that I'd come to hear son1e-
limo oh
she actually blushed and declared I'd
find her very uninteresting.
Miss Tower presents an appearance al
most extravagantly feminine; she is
young and enthusiastic and very sweet
and gentle and suggests anything rather
than dramatic or tragic situations and
yet she's been the center of many such
roles ever since she went on the stage,
which, to be exact, was at the age of
seven
Miss Tower didn't tell me that she
loathed the stage, and only became an
actress because there was money in it;
neither did she declare that what she
most wanted was a country house, a
big white one, with green trimmings, and
deep blue sky directly over it; there
surrounded by mission" furniture and
brown bread to spend the rest Of her
life, but what she did tell me was that
one AoNSu the QIdild, anu ludL SIl6 ndQ
taken her very dear friend, Jane Cowl,
as an ideal and that she worked and
shaved and plodded to learn all there is
to learn of the stage and it's many re-
quirements.
People laughingly say that I was
born on the stage" Miss Tower told me,
just because I played juvenile parts when
| was tiny bit of a girl The Schuberts'
first venture in stock was in SYRIA
nd
was a great friend of Mr.. William j.
Dean who was their right hand man at
the time. When the company opened in
Syracuse. whenever there was play
calling for childs part, Mr.. Dean gave
it to me. This didn't interfere with my
schooling, because I kept right on and
only played between times.
''It was right odd but, do you know
from the very beginning, I liked tragedy
and drama?" she continued. IT don't be-
lieve I could be funny to save my life;
it is much harder, imagine, to play
comedy than tragedy at least it would be
for me-
$50 many people have the wrong idea
of what is generally known as the sob
part" Miss Tower said: Take the court
room scene in Madame X; the court
room scene in Irene Fenwick's new play,
The Guilty Man, the courtroom scene
|
have properly resolved themselves into
what is known as the sob part for the
actress in Common Clay don't believe
the girl would have sobbed; l don't be-
lleve she would have made an exhibition
of her feelings and her emotions; so
play it that way; I do not make a sob
part of it, although it certainly is dra-
matte part. 7 don't believe that expressed
emotion is anything like as effective as
repressed emotion.
IT studied the role in Common Clay
under Jane Cowl," Miss Tower said,
land to her I owe whatever success |
have had on the stage. spent the sum-
mer with her at Great Neck. Where she
has a wonderful home, and as Mrs.
Adolph Klauber lin private life) she and
her husband are the center of most at
tractive coterie of artists and stage peo-
pie. When I left the stock company in
Syracuse, Mr.. Dean took me to Mr.. Bel
asco, with whom he became associated. l
understudied France Starr in The Rose
of the Rancho and it was there that l
met Jane Cowl, who was also in the COM
pany. We became great friends and have
continued as such ever since
my ambition?" Miss Tower repeated
the question after me. ooh. well, 1t IS to
be a great actress; to do something that
will be remembered by, something that
will show that I have brains as we'll as
talent. poise as well as determination
and that I possess the elements OF
truly great dramatic actress
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