New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-08
Milton Mobiles Was Author
OF ''And the Villain Still
Pursued Her, Be 1t Said

The return of the veteran actor, Mil
ton Mobiles, to the stage, after a re-
tlrement of fourteen years, he having
played the role of Lightnin' Bill Jones
at the Gaiety Theater during the vaca-
ton of Frank Bacon, brings back in the
memory the fact that Mobiles is as we'll
known rs playwright as an actor
He has at least three plays to his
credit as an author, all of them pop
ular in their day and utilized by
Mobiles as the main part of his roper
tory IN the many years he toured the
country as a co-star with his talented
wife, Dolly Mobiles, under his own man
agement. They are "The Phoenix"
From Sire to Son" ard Love and the
Law
1t was IN his first play. "The Phr-
NIX, that he originated a phrase,
winch became so much the vogue and
has remained so, that Mobiles has been
forgotten as the author of it. and it
is now credited to the minds of the
greatest humorous writer's, as one NAV
guess at the time. Dickens, Thack-
cray, Mark Twain, all witty men with
dash of kindly satire in their work,
are variously credited with, "And the
Villain still pursued her"; but it be-
longs to Mobiles.
In nus dressing room at the Gaiety
recently, Mr.. Mobiles traced it's his
tory:
in the late sos l held the posi-
ton of leading man at Colonel Woods
Museum, then one of the leading the
aters of Philadelphia.
For my farewell appearance as
leading man, which was my benefit
also, The Phoenix play written by
me and originally named Jim Bludsoe'
after the poem by John Hay. was pre-
sented The cast included, besides
myself, Annie Ward Tiffany. Emma
Maddern, sister of Mrs. Fske and
aunt of Emily Stevens; Agnes Proctor,
Robert Wilson, George Charles, Will
lam Davidge and J. H. Anderson. 1t
my character of the seedy, dissipated
young bohemian, which caused the in
ventlon of thcl phrase to end each
chapter, as he'll revealed his master
piece to the audience, The Chamber
maids Own! AS read each chapter
OF thrilling, yellow melodrama in trav-
esty on the then popular dime novel, |
wound 1T up by announcing in stento-
rlan tones, And the villain still pursued
her 1t really was all founded on ore
OF those flashes which come at time
when both actor and author realize
mat particular scene, we'll thought
out and depended upon, lacks the
punch. The ridiculous phrase came to
me in flash while on the stare. and
you may believe it remained in the
part, remained there for thirty years
The phrase caught the town, became
the catchWord of the day. The papers
were full of it, and George Thatcher
then with Simmonds & Slocum's Min
strels, turned it into a song, which
became the rage. On a toursof the
West the following season Thatcher
was with Haverly's Minstrels and kept
singing the song. My own repe rtoire
company followed his route, and many
managers asked me why used Thatch-
ers catch line so prominently in nv
advertising.
Many years later an amusing Incl.
dent happened in Montreal. One Of the
critics said to my agent, the late J
Duke Murray, that the phrase was stale
and ought to drop it, Why he ex
my paper for ten years Mr.. Murray
explained that it was about ten wears
since Mobiles originated it. The critic
laughed at the idea and said it was
Charles Dickens, and he continued
I'm going to look it up and call Mr.
Mobiles attention to it in my criticism
OF his play But the expose never
appeared.
1T is one of those hit-or-miss things
for which one should be thankful but
not too boastful 1t served the genuine
purpose, however, of casting eternal
rldlcule on the really harmful yellow
literature which was then being reac
omnivorously by the young And be-
leve it stopped them to some extern
by exposing the absurdities. Perhaps
the modern movie thriller might be
toned down for the use Of the young
people by the application Of some
such phrase. l have seen many five
reeler which ought to end up each reel
with this old slogan, And the villain
still pursued her.