Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-19
GILLETTE SPONSORS
KINSWOMAN'S PLAY
Master Dramatist Now APP
pearing in Comedy of Miss
Hummer, His Niece

More than thirty-nve years elapsed
between Gillette's first play and his last,
and, as that able dramatic authority,
Doctor Burton, pointed out, he was the
first writer successfully TO make use or
so fine q theme as that offered by the
Civil War. as evidenced by his Held
by the Enemy" and Secret Service"
William Gilette's distinctive attributes
are now said to be exhibited even in
play not Of his own devisng, a sue
cessrul Calamity" in which lie is TO
be seen here at the Adelphi Theatre
next week
It is interesting to note tlat Mr., Gil
lette in his time has played upward
Of 1000 parts, but in recent years he has
only appeared in four plays OF er than
those from his own pen. these eXcep-
tlons being Barrie's Admirable Crich-
ton" Bernsteins Samson in the
adaptation Of which lie had a great deal
to do Sardou's diplomacy" which he,
too, may have brought mp TO date bit
and Miss Glare Runners "a Successful!
Calamity"
Unquestionably, Mr.. Gillette has had
a great influence in advancing the stage,
not only as an actor. but in all that
pertains to stage effect and the mise en-
scene. ut must not be forgotten that he
invented the sound OF the "galloping
horse" heard off, and was the first tech
nician to insist on the fourth wall on the
stage being constantly kept in mind re-
gardless or regardfui OF the fact Of the
audience sitting there.) And the humor
Of his dialogue, as Doctor Burton also
remarks, comes from its idiomstic flavor
In relation to character.
Secret Service" which Gillette has
only recently given permission to have
published in an anthology Of the native
drama, and by which he will, no doubt,
derive po4thumous fame far beyond
the reach Of most actors or even play
wrights, is most often cited as his most
typical product
Held by the Enemy" another Of Gil
lette's most successful plays, first took
form in his mind, too, NOT as a phil
osophic thought based upon the idea of
a man deVoting himself to his country
at all hazards, but as a particular dra-
matte action, that OF SPY crossing the
lines by SO cleverly Stimulating death
that he is nearly passed by the COM
mandlng officer, when, TO make doubly
sure. the officer orders his men to fire at
the PROSTATE figure.
Although Gillette has been forty-two
years on the stage, he Is said 20 hold
the record OF not having suffered a
single interview. Shades Of Sothern,
Favcrshan1, Tree and Sarah Bernhard
But Gillette holds that the actors busi-
ness is TO act and do his talking IN the
theatre quite so :" Is Gillette's in
evitable reply TO the would-be inter-
viewer. And he closes up with all the
modesty of the native oyster
Gillette has been described as having
the heart Of 4 boy wrapped up in the
modesty and timidity Of young girl
The date OF his birth, according to the
contradictions in books of reference
which should know better, is "wrapt
in uiist'ry"
And It is not generally known that
by marriage he Is related 70 Thomas
Hooker, who drew up the first civil con
stitution for the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts,, which afterward infiu-
enced the making OF the Constitution
Of the United States. Gillette's own
father was a United States Senator.
In his first year ON the stage he
played such parts A. Malcolm In Mac
BETH" Montana in "Othello." Benvolio
In Romeo and Juliet" and Rosencrantz
in Hamlet" II Is typical OF his mod
esty and encouragement that the last
part he should choose to play now upon
the American stage Is from the pen OF
bis own niece, Cllre Hummer. 10 wit
"A successful Calamity" which Arthur
Hopkins has produced with such con
splguops success