New-York tribune., 1921-05-08

gave che wage I wanted quite a boost
to which Mr.. Frohman objected. !
stood my ground and left his Office.
An immediate position offered itself
with the late Felix Morris and went
on tour with him. At the end Of three
months I received wire from Mr..
Frohman to report to him, he having
made arrangements with Mr.. Morris
TO release me, and that is how opened
with John Drew at Wallack's Theater
in The Buttertiies.' Maude Adams was
our leading woman. Mr.. Frohman kept
me with Mr.. Drew in the succeeding
productions OF christopher Jr.' sThe
Bauble Shop 'The Squire OF Danes ,
Rosemary which, incidentally, made
star of Miss Adams; "A Marriage of
Convenience The Liars THE TYR
amy Of Tears' and Richard Carvel,'
Wagenhals & Kemper, then early in
their careers as producing managers,
made me starring offer, which / ac-
cepted, and they presented me in pet
ticoats and Bayonets.' 1t was not
very successful either for them or nv
self, and the next season I was en-
gagged as leading man with Mary Man
nering in The Stubbornness Of Geral-
dine,' a Clyde Fitch play.
"Mr. Fitch was instrumental In Sc
curing me an engagement with Maxine
Elliott in his play 'Her Own Way.,
which, by the way, was Miss Elliott's
first starring engagement. The next
season again became a star under the
management Of Frank Mckee. The
vehicle selected was Major Andre,
which was produced at the SAVOY
Theater. It was failure which Clyde
Fitch felt more keenly than any other
he had written, and yet the deficiency
could not be attributed to the actors.
Tor the cast included Arnold Daly.
Guy Bates Post, Chrystal Herne.
Thomas Meehan, Frank Mcintyre, the
Zero of THE Travelling Salesman: Mrs.
Thomas Whiffsn, Grant Mitchell and
Wallace Eddinger.
Daniel Frohman later took me under
his managerial wing and presented me
IN Thy Neighbor's Wife, which was
produced at the Lycsum Theater. One
or the most interesting things that I
can recall about this play was the re-
markable fact that, although it was an
American play, both as regards char
acter and atmosphere, all the actors
were English except myself. After this
came another starring engagement in
which the center Of my activities was
In Chicago and the West, with To-day, ,
popular melodrama. 1t was while
playing in To-day in Stockton, Calf.
that I received wire from Winchell
Smith that Mr.. Belasco was going to
produce q play Of his and wanted me
to create the leading role. My wife,
who was with me, said: You haven't
read the play. / never knew you to
accept part without reading the man
uscript first My answer to her was:
The play is by Winchell Smith and
produced by Belasco; don't have to
read 1t. am going to wire my ac-
ceptance.' That was how I appeared
IN The Boomerang After one and a
half years in New York we went to
Powers Theater in Chicago, and with
special matiness broke the record that
| made with The Lion and the Mouse
eleven years before. Stepping out of
The Boomerang into Tea For Three
with the lapse of only one week, gave
me another engagement that lasted two
full seasons. closed in June in this
Play and opened in July in Trans
planting Jean,' and played twenty-six
weeks. and with another interruption
OF seven days / became tho star in
Thanks to You'''