The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-16
A SWeet Singer of Songs

M1TNO you think I am too tall
 jD and too large to sing But
 terfly? I'd rather sing Cio Cio San than any other role in op- era-and I've often done it--but really now do you think I'm too Wagnerian in height and weight for the Puccini heroine?"
 Her voice was almost wistful-her smile quite adorable as she pro- pounded these questions to me yes terday when 1 was chatting with her In her dressing room at the Lyric just a few moments before turn" was announced--pretty Dora Hilton please meet her-as she stood her full, splendid height and her hand some figure lowered above the aver age many. many inches
 Her long gray eyes under the sharply marked brows have & way of suddenly reminding you of Mad anne Butterfly"-with that queer lit- tie Japanese look-and they grow very deep and dark as she talks of her ambition--her work-her success.
 Dora Hilton has one of the best assets that any young "prima donna" can boast of-namely d determine tion which promises achievement!
 The curving lines of her crimson lips which soften a rather square chin, and her beautiful smile, and her flinting reddish hair combine to make her an unusually handsome young woman-and besides all this she has brains. Hurrah
 Physique counts so much In opera" Miss Hilton said, and can either make or mar one for certain roles. For instance, I have never cared for Geraldine Farrar as "Thais' because she isHt tall enough; Mary Garden has super height and looks every inch the wonderful creature 'Thais' was supposed to be; In fact, Mary Garden looks almost any part she chooses to-"
 How do 1 happen to be in vaude- ville," she repeated my question aft CT me-veering away from grand opera for a moment, in which she has been brought up and to which she means to return at an early day. Like many other things in life-it has been an accident, pure and sim pie. It was like this; when I was a very young girl-in my home town Cleveland-my father lost every pSn- ny of his fortune and I found my self at F years of age-stranded. There was a stock company playing in Cleveland at the time and I was lucky in securing an audience with the manager and was engaged fot season.
 The play was 'Trilby' and I had to sing Sweet Alice Ben Bolt'-and at the time there was an opera com pany singing in Cleveland" Miss Hilton said. "The Metropolitan Eng fish Grand Opera company and the Impressario. Adolph Liesegang heard me sing; lie became interested in my voice and asked me why l had not studied. I told him the truth; that I had been busy seeking a livelihood by playing in stock that I hadn't time to study. He offered to coach me; l accepted and in a very short time was singing in the chorus.
 Then my chance came-the prima donna who was to sing the title role of Aida met with an accident, I was called in at the last moment; I had studied the role with the Impress sario-and I sang it and succeeded, and from that time on everything seemed to point Go my ultimate sue cess! But alas! the sordid world and its requirements demanded that I use my talents where there was the best revenue for them. and because I must look at the practical side of things and put commercial value on my work--I never had a chance to study and never had any lessons until very lately" Miss Hilton said. "I have been studying with Rosa Ponselle's teacher--Bernard Landino-and he has been a wonderful inspiration to