Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-16
GIVING A SHOW>LIINDER FIRE
PLEASED IRENE FRA NKLIN
Actress Tells Ho,U She Vent
Bathiess for Days at the
Front
Used Mems Tables for Stage and
Performed Until Shells Scat
tered 4udieme

! THOSE wide blue-green eyes OF Irene
L Franklin's that fash varied express
sons Of childish merriment or impudent
mischief as she gives her "red-head kid"
| impersonations. give little hint to the
casual observer Of the horrors they have
wtnes ed in the Last few months.
They don't tell. for instance. about
July. when this actress. with her hus-
band and other theatrical companions.
kept thousands Of men en- route to
Europe from living in constant dread
of the submarines which sank two of
the ships in their convoy
They give no hint of the day she, in
Annette Kellermann suit. climbed
ships ladder in midocean TO give per-
formance for the amusement of men
who hadn't been on land for long weary
months. and who received the announce
ment of the coming "show' by wigwag
from the American convoy.
The audiences that st in comfortable
theatre chairs and laugh at the small
red-haired actress stunts little dream
that in the last few months she has
used everything from mess tables, dirt
roads and ship ropes as stages; that she
waded in French mud almost TO the top
the war-wearied hearts of American
soldiers al the front, or that she choked
bacl; her tears TO sing comic songs to
lnen whose features and limbs had been
,or,, nnd distrrteI h,. enemy fire whose
bodies were broken. shapeess masses on
the uarrov white hospItal beds.
Learned Muny Things
"I've learned a whole world of things"
said the American actress, who is now
in philadelphia and who only few
weeks ago returned from American mill
tary CAMPS along the front where she
and her husband. Burton Green (rene
Franklin being this Young womans stage
name), often gave as many as six per
formances "A day. But the best thing
ls a keen apprt riat ion of our great big
lighting American lads. I'm going back
next spring to give them another summer
of the best fun | ran think of. They
deserve the very best the world can
give. and I'm glad TO add my little share.
IheNIl SUI! be needing laughter next
summer ana maybe can help hshten
'heIr burden,
ne Solt i"'uS ~ placN >elnet gown
save an "uue" N"'teHe9s anu lreshress
~, 10 'ne HpeaNt, sN!n that "naue her
.s.'..' '.i'. ., r.1 Vi Da'ii'e'"
N"'' a. ''' o"'t'e ''o"'.
hauh had my clothes OF Tor hNe
Gays when we Ianded IN Liverpool, she
4aueHeo' out | went rlght 10 camp
ana sang lor 'he ooEs, We learned one
"a" sans aa ".l' III untE cio'i'es as III
.Lo ~, us aH ."e ,''s, a.l'i -
had ;,,s. ,hrao ha,,. ms, IL, VIC ., I'm
dId ro., ran,i,,. u,ashi, 49,. ~, -.
Iool,eJ at nv necl,I Io., 80 oarro,o
II vac inst ssrisr of tro,aI;nr ,,.;.I,
our rolls of bedding rlothinp gas masI,s
and other eouinnent in crowded French
trains or dilap,deted automobiles from
one camp TO another, and singing fill
there was no more voice 10 the appre
ciative soldiers.
AT one place a major came to me
atter performance and asked me to go
next morning 10 some STATE pits to en-
terrain MS poFS' u got up at O'CLOCK
ana rode miles to the pits where the
boys mad made a stage II four mess
tab!es and half dozen candles as
fGothghts' Tten l had lunch at the
cahlp--horse steak and all-and went
on TO Hed cross hospital to sing to
low DOCTORS nurses and patients. 1t
was terribly cold and the hospital was
bafny place. But l knew how sick all
those service people were of seeing uni
forms ana dull clothes, SO again l got
out OF my tlannels and INTO fuify chif-
IONS ana rled 10 give them all mes
sage IRON nome IN the OLD songs ana
funny skits they loved
AT another time the automobile in
Which the Greens were being driven to
new camp broke down near an army
lumber camp. Loathc to miss even
rev hours the entertainers climbed to
the top Of the hill where the camp was
located and asked the commandant IL
they might call the boys together. They