New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-24
IN THE DRAMATIC EYE

not among the myriad stage folk who
reached their goal at single bound.
Philadelphia is but two hours from
New York by direct line, but it took
Miller and Mack nearly ten years to
make the trip. Vivienne Segal came
over from that city one day and dis
covered herself a prima donna the
next day. Miller and Mack, fellow
townsmen Of Miss Segal, also yearned
for New York, but before they were
able TO appear here had to dance their
way around the world.
Ten years ago John Miller and James
Mack were actively engaged fastening
on rivets in Hayden's boat shop IN
Philadelphia. The two boys had
penchant for dancing, and they made
up their minds that they would one
day discover their names at the top
of the three-sheet at Keith's Theatre
of their native city. They worked
hard all day at the boat shop, but at
night they filled their pockets with
sand and when they discovered good
sized fagstone on the sidewalk they
sprinkled IL and practised their steps.
After having kept up this process
for some time, and acquiring some
little proficiency, they finally were
given an opportunity to go on at
social given at st. Patrick's Church.
Having been told that they were
great" they succeeded in getting a
job at an outlying vaudeville house,
where they appeared every half hour
from in the morning until IL at
night, and were paid 50 for a weeks
work.
Then, one day, Miller and Mack dis
covered that a vaudeville house in
Watertown, n. Y, was advertising for
a couple Of comiques. They wired that
they were on their way. Assisted by
the family exchequers. they got TO-
gether "a hfteen-dollsr production"
which consisted Of two plug hats, two
canes and two blue Jackets. One Sat
urday night the boys went down TO
the Baltimore & Ohio Station In Phil
adelphia and hid in an empty baggage
car which they discovered was head
ed for New York.
All the way over they practised
their act They hung around New
York the next day, first learning that
the train left for Watertown at in
the evening. Their cash In hand
amounted to SO. At Z o'clock they
went up to the ticket window to buy
their transportation, and discovered
that they were 1885 short of the
amount required. So that night they
worked their way back to their home
town, doing their sleeping on the tops
Of milk cans.
Arriving home, all their friends gave
them, in the vernaculsr Of the town,
"the merry ha hs. " But the boys
didn't purpose to give up. They
WOTheu HoW hHu again III PANSuto nIu
vaudeville houses, where they did
their ten turns day. Finally, through
an nd. in a vaudeville paper, they Sc
cured a position in a minstrel show
touring the South and journeying as
far west as San Francisco.
And then it happened. In the latter
city vaudeville agent came along and
offered them position at the Folies
Bergeres, Paris. They accepted. At
this Partisan music hall Miller and
Mack remained for n year, and subse-
quently they played a long engage
ment at the Hippodrome in London.
Returning TO America, they were
able to secure big time route on the
strength of their European engage
ment, their first date being Philadel-
rhia.
So one morning Miller and Mack
stood out in front of Keith's Theatre
in Philadelphia and discovered their
wish fulfilled. Which proves that the
way to arrive is TO spend an occa-
sional night on the tops Of milk cans.