The Washington herald., 1918-02-07

New York, Feb. 6.-Pete Daley
used to say. as he came on the
stage as il from a banquet hall in
which some honored guest was be-
ing cheered to the roof, Gay dogs.
those stage hands" 1t always got
laugh. but stage hands and stage
supes are now having their own
little chortle at the expense of some
one else.
They have refused TO work for
the 5O-cent and dollar wage scale
a performance. Just now there are
string of spectacular perform
ances that need extra stage hands
and stage supes, and as the result
of their strike one big perform
ance was called on for a night.
The stage supe is a queer will o
the wisp OF the RiaIto. In most in
stances he has to pay the man who
gets him a Job a commission and
he has very little left TO meet the
high cost OF living.
But they are among the best
dressed men in the theatrical world.
Nearly all OF them started out with
high ambitions, but the records
show that only one stage supe has
fedcned StaruOm.
They never give up hope. how
ever, and all of them are obsessed
with the idea that a good front
will eventually land the coveted
job. Consequently their life be-
comes a mad scramble for good
clothes.
Many Of them are said to get
their sartorial raiment from
fences hidden shops where stolen
clothes are sold by crooks. In one
Broadway production where there
were twelve supes it was discovered
that each one had a fur-lined over
coat and all carried canes.
They live in the garret alcoves OF
the theatrical boarding houses along
the theatrical belt. Free lunches help
them TO keep on the gnawinG pangs
OF hunger. They never complain and
they. unlike their more fortunate
brothers and sisters OF the stage world
are not afflicted with jealousy.
There are many sad disillusion-
ments in the whizzing world of the
movie pictures. A New York sob
sister went out recently TO browse
around on the other side of the
screen and see the difference between
movie stars reel characters and real
characters.
Her first visit was to the home OF
vampire. On the screen this vam-
pire thedabaraed her way through
much f1lm. wrecking a home every
minute or so. But after office hours
dropped stitch is her widest form
OF dissipation. Next to conscription
she is the main reason why men leave
home.
AT the home OF a famous child ac-
tress. the child actress was found
reading fairy stories to three OF her
grandchildren. Then there was a cave
man who on the screen wore nothins
but a leopard skin ard went around
subjugating wild animals and wild
women. He was found TO be addicted
In real life to perflmed cigarettes
and was perfectly tea-broken.
Is bridge to be supplanted by dice
throwing in fashionable circles? Dice
made of pearl are appearing in the
art shops. A Fifth avenue traffic
officer reported recently that he saw
women rolling the bones in their
limousines on shopping grips. At one
OF the de luxe hotels a party was
given a week ago and the chief amuse-
ment was a game of craps-known
in Harlem's Black Belt as African
golf. In the subway II is reported
that sets of dice can be seen in WON.
ems gold and silver mesh bags.
Tho playwright who can think Of a
snappy title for his show can col
lect royalties. IL seems. This season
the title more than the play is the
thing. The successful shows on
Broadway are: "oh, Boy" why
Marry" "Yes or No." Odds and
Ends" Going Up" Flo Flo." ''Chee
Up" and ''over the Top" All OF them
suggest light and laughter. There
seems to be too much gloom in the
world for problem plays and depress-
ing melodramas.
Oxen bought at recent sale in
Switzerland ranged from $40 to s4sO
tbe patr- c0Ws soId for fo40 In SIsC