The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-09
M E N :, w o M E N
 A N D T H N c s


 cause people forever after associate the actor or actress with the character por- trayed.
 Mention the name of Henry B. Walthall and every one calls him to mind as the Little Colonel" know it is not in- freouent these days for actors on the legitimate stage to take part in movies. for not a few of the most renowned have done so.
 Nevertheless in all of the newspaper publicity and the outdoor billing of Henry Walthall it was featured that the plays to be given in Birmingham at the Jeff ferson would not be picture plays It was done to try to disassociate him in thc thoughts of the public with the movie star. and in spite of the campaign it was right hard thing to accomplish. Even before the movies came on the boards it was in some instances difficult for an actor or actress who had made a hit in a special song. or scene, or play to outliye it to the extent that the
 
 to attempt a new role without decided protest l have in mind one striking in- stance which came under my notice when was living in New York.
 Lottie Collins. who had Just returned from her London success, where she had been reported as having had the mem- bers of Parliament huming 'Ta-ra-ra-ra Boom De Aye" was billed in one of the New York playhouses to present a new skit which was specially written for her while abroad. It had been press-agented to the limit as a wonderful and ex- pensive production, and on the opening night large audience was out to wit ness it.
 It had been heralded abroad that Miss Collins had forever turned her back on the song which had given her interna- tional fame, and th1t she was never go- ing to sing 1t again for the reason that she had set out to do more ambitious things in the theatrical world than sing | ing ragtime songs I went, suspect
  prise of her life, for be it known the- atre patrons on a first night are liable to start something, and they did. They sat patiently through the first act which did not get off with the proper snap. There was nothing in it of the old dashing Lottie, who had literally set two hemispheres to singing her famous song. It was just ordinary acting with out anything unusual. The applause was rather mild, but sufficient to bring her out before the footlights to take cur tain call She bowed and then a cry arose for "Ta-ra-ra-ra," and she beat a hurried retreat behind the scenes
 Then out came the suave manager to ftry to quiet the house which was in ah uproar. After bit he got chance to say that Miss Collins wished to be for gotten as the mere singer of catchy songs and wanted to make a name for herself in legitimate comedy parts. He retired, but the noise never ceased. A few minutes later he returned to say that it made no difference how nsistent they were she would not accede to their demands. Again he withdrew, but the audience never let up for moment.
 
 Finally Miss Collins herself. a very much ruffled young woman, came out and with show of temper stated that she would not be hectored into renewing song of which she was heartily tired, but that if they would only give her a them with the play over which she had worked so hard and spent so much money. But 1t never feazed the bunch. It but added fuel to the flames Finally she lost her temper and curtly informed those present that she would give up her engagement before she would yield.
 For moment it rather stunned the crowd, and it looked as if she had won out. It had been battle royal between a determined woman and an equally as determined audience. There she stood at bay with tears in her eyes Then some thing happened which changed the com piexion of the woman and the crowd It was so human that it was simply ire sistible. One of the gallery gods, 7 leaning far over the front rail- with a voice full of pleading. cried out, Just one verse, Lottie" It went straight to her heart, and she nodded to the leader of, the orchestra, and when he struck up the music and she began with "Ta- ra-ra-ra" it was the widest and happiest scene that I ever saw in a theatre. |
 All of this fioated through my memory as took my seat in the Jefferson on Monday night before the curtain went up. I had seen Walthall in the Birth of a National" as the Little Colonel" and I was wondering if I would recognize htm as Oswald in Ibsen's shivering trag- edy of Ghosts" I'll admit that it took great acting to shake me out of my pre- conceived notion of him in the epoch making photo play, which was the sen- sation of it's day and made his name known throughout America and Europe. I am not going to pretend that am an Ihsenite, for am not, but I'll not 1 give my reasons here and now. Some l day I may tackle the subject in proper form. All that I care about "Ghoets" was centered in the fact that one of our own Alabama boys, born and reared in an adjoining county. and educated at How ard college. was presenting t. ! gay it not because of any local pride in him, but simply in the interest of truth, t was a revelation in simple but effective stage setting and in high-class acting. It Is 60 easy to say . psrfcrmanee ts given by an all-star cast when # ten's