New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-03

and don't forget tnat IL hurts me more
than it does you"
81 won't"
"And if you still think you can act
keep right on trying. Don't let any
thing I said discourage you"
So, equipped with the knowledge that
he never could be an actor, young Pow
ers decided that his natural field was
the films. Vitagraph hired him, and
his Texas training stood him in good
stead from the start. He spent sew
eral years rough-riding, both in the
East and the West. He was an ideal
cowboy. No less critic than George
Cohan, in fact, remarked after the
premiere of "Mr. Lazarus" that young
Powers was a second Will Rogers,
both in speech and action. His skill at
this sort of thing was such that the
Vitagraph people were disinclined to
believe him when he insisted on
chance to show his ability in drawing
room drama.
He got the chance, however. al
though there is no record that any one
ever spoke favorably Of his acting.
They tolerated It, rather. He was too
good a rider TO lose, so they had to
humor him. His picture work event
ually carried him to England, where,
among other things, he acted the title
role in Dckens's "Bsrnaby Nudge"
There was a year or so in England, and
then the war drove him back.
That was the moment that young
Powers decided TO be an actor. He
could have gone ahead in the films,
drawing a comfortable salary and not
caring what happened. But he glanced
back over his career, counted up the
pleasant things that had been said
about him, discovered that his acting
never had received so much as a friend
" nod. Now was the time to do some
thing in the acting line, if he ever ex-
pected to- So, repulsing the picture
people with heavy losses Ito himself),
he sought regular stage job.
The only course was TO begin all over
again, for he speedily discovered that
no one had ever heard Of Tom Powers.
The vitagrsph. pictures had long been
forgotten, and his English films never
had been shown here. So It meant
stock sgain-stock In Camden at thirty
week, although he could have had
three hundred in the films. The next
stop was at Stuart Walkers Portman-
teau, with which, early last season, he
created a part In six Who Pass While
the Lentils Boil" at a special per
formance in New York. Many profess
sionsl people, including agents, were In
the audience, and the next morning two
of them invited him 70 call. One had
an immediate job for him. He sent
him TO Salt Lake City to act in another
stock company, and the company lasted
! Just four weeks.
Our hero is now back in New York
and penniless, but better times are
coming. He is about TO receive that
long delayed recognition as an actor.
The agent dispatched him TO the au-
thors Of "Mr. Lazarus" who were hunt
/ ing a juvenile. Powers looked the part
| Then he read it at rehearsal, doing 1t
badly. Harvey 0'Higgins painstakingly
explained the exact manner in which he
wanted il played, and Powers smoth-
cred his personality and tried 70 play 1t
that way. As rehearsals wore on he
became worse. Two days before the
opening O'Higgins threw up his hands
and told him TO play it any way ne
wanted to-darned IL HE cared. Thus
relieved, young Powers threw himself
into it, played il simply, boyishly and
without affectation-and became an
actor. He must have been good, be-
cause Oliver Morosco sent for him
when "Mr. Lazarus" stopped.
The rest is anti-climax. Powers was
scheduled for "The Brat" Maude Full
tons coming play, but circumstances
ruled otherwise. Hence, to-day he Is
making the engine run in "Mile-aMin-
ute Kendall" and people now go away
from the Lyceum with the remark that
Tom Powers is good actor As for
Powers, he just smiles.