Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-21
GOOD HUMOR
IN WARTIME
An Expert Opens Up a Mine of
Interesting Back-Stage
Stuff

VLTHEN Harry II. Jordan, manager "f
w Keith's, addressed Poor Richard Clup
luncheon the other day upon How to Keep
People in Good Humor in Wartime he un-
covered q mine of bacll-stagc stun.
\ good many persons have heard OF George
NJ Cohan's failure to make an impression
upon his native town, Providence, H. l., but
most believed that to be due to the act oil
George NJ and not the regular act Of ProFi-
dence. Mr.. Jordan throws different lght
upon it. He says Providence doesn't know
how or when to laugh Mr.. Jordan himself
WAS sitting in the Keith house III that CITY,
several years ago appraising new act
which had been booked for Philadelphia a
few weeks later. The act ran ilfteen MN
utes and it didn't get laugh MI Jordall
promptly Cancelled The actor came back
with this: II was told you were in my
audience here at Providence and ] must ad-
init l didn't make 'em laugh. But who ever
did? Take sporting chance on me IN
Philadelphia. No hit no pay Mr., Jordan
took him on and he was the humorous Int OF
the week at the Chestnut street house.
Incidentally Mr.. Jordan put tile Trademarks
of Walter Kelly the Virginia Judge, upon
that story. which has been travelling about
for some time, of the audience that was
dying to laugh but thought 1t undigniled.
1t happened to Kelly, and Portland, Me. was
the town.
Kelly's funny act had pulled just one loud
laugh, and that was instantly suppressed.
When he came off the stage the management
apologized for the disturbance. We put the
man out right away" they told him, but We
want you to know he was not native; a
New Yorker most likely.
But lots and lots of times it's hard TO
make the players themselves behave,
There was an eccentric chap showing
some years ago with "a wonderful trained
ari tn a
mans name didn't appear at ALL and quite
properly for his whole eccentric personality
was bound up in that dog. He never spoke
Of himself or his desires, but always the
little dog says or the niue dog thinkS
that spot in the program would be too noisy
for him" One day just as that act was due
to go on Mr.. Jordan's telephone rang. The
voice at the other end said: 'Ah you're the
nice little marager? Well, you've got II nice
little theatre and IA nice little audience, but
the nice little dog says he amt going on
lie blew away and nobody's seen him since.
one week when Mrs Pat Campbell was the
headlner "A deep, thick voice, like London
fog. drifted over the phone in this fashion:
Are YOU there? Are you there? All, well,
I'm speaking for Mrs. Campbell. Yes; she
won't be in this awfternoon. Oh, but she
cawn't, you know. Yes, but my dear fellow,
YOU can go out and tell your audience how it
is You see, quite unexpectedly some Lon
don friends of hers have called and we're
having a perfectly lovely luncheon here at the
Bellevue. oh, say. old chap, why cawn't
you come along? There's good fellow Do"
Mr.. Jordan did, and later Mrs. Pat told
him what a disagreeable man he was TO
break up her fine party.
But listen to Emma Calve! One Wednes-
day. lust before the matinee. she telephoned:
II am seeck but weell be we'll Friday"
Doctor Jordan rushed up to see her and made
her well at once, and kept her well Thurs
day. Friday and Saturday, by canceling her
next weeks entire engagement In Boston. The
anticipation of the rest worked wonders.
It's easy enough to understand how neces-
sary It IL for the manager of an amusement
house TO 20 in strong for psychology both
before and behind the curtain. The players.
with all their WITNESSES. are not 80 hard to
handle as the played upon It's conceivable
that a show that's riot in New York might
be. and often is, a fiivver in Philadelphia, but
why should Monday matinee frost be q won-
derful hit that same Monday night in the
same theatre? Even the manager himself
can't answer that question for you to your
complete satisfaction. But here's one sure
thing: Audiences gathered into the cozy
theatre out of a storm are always in a
receptive mood
So il comes down to this after all II isn't
hard to entertain crowd trying to forget
the cannonading and the war clouds outside
II you're careful to give them the kind OF
show that doesn't remind them too often of
wDets going on eutside that they've rot y